Leaded Glass Piece

My first leaded glass piece -

Here it is prior to soldering.

Below is the finished piece placed in a window so that the sunshine shines through. 

The reflective properties of glass 

keep me coming back. 

Today was a sunny, but windy day in Wisconsin and even though 

it has been warm (45 degrees F is warm for us) this week - we still have a good snow cover which you can see outside my front window.

I purposely chose a very simple pattern for my first leaded piece.

The next leaded piece will be more complicated:)

But - the next piece that I'm working on is a stained glass panel made with copper foil.

Here it is pre-border and pre-foil or solder.

Hope your weekend is a good one.

~ Julz

New Project/New Skills

This week I started a class to learn more about Stained Glass. Specifically I want to learn how to use lead came to construct a stained glass window.

I am excited to learn a new way (for me) of glass construction. I needed to find a simple project for my first one. I don't want to become frustrated with the process before I learn it. I had a great time looking at vintage stained glass windows for ideas. I have kept a scrapbook of pictures collected over the years and the Internet is also a significant source of ideas. I hope the project I designed, based off an old window, will be simple enough for me to learn the new skills and also have a nice window.

Here is my project prior to being leaded. The picture doesn't show the colors well, pieces 7 & 9 are dark green and #5, 6, 10 % 11 are a clear textured glass.

This week in class I will be leading, soldering, mudding and whiting the project.

I hope to have a finished window by the end of the week as well as some new skills & tools for my toolbox.

~ Julz

Inspiration

Inspiration for new pieces comes from many different places - nature, a fleeting image, the Internet, other glass artists, photos, attempting a technique or out of thin air. I have so much to learn and sometimes I just ape another person's work to see if I can accomplish it.

Recently Christine Masters posted a piece that she created and I really liked it. I also thought that I had the skills and equipment to replicate this project, Strings of Color Between White.

I did change the project a bit. I fused colored glass stringers very close together onto a clear glass strip and then fused this strip between white pieces with a clear glass base. I generally like designs that are not centered, so I placed my colored glass strip off center.

 I like it. Thanks Christine, this was a very nice project.

~ Julz

January, ugh

Already the 20th of January.
Wow!

I really don't like it when time speeds by so fast that I have to gulp air to catch my breath. I'm not sure why life's everyday details sometimes overwhelm.
darn

My new glass that didn't fail -

Just a small dish with a black border. I just needed to fire the kiln and have success.

Yes.

My first try at kiln pressed glass - 

My kiln acted up and somehow, for some reason stopped

in the middle of the fire schedule.

The glass didn't finish melting and then cooled too fast and cracked!

Since this time my kiln has given me 2 different error messages 

and didn't complete the programmed firing schedule.

I'm still scratching my head about my kiln.

I need to figure this out, so I am trying some very simple things.

It is a good time of the year to fire kilns. 

The temps tonight in Wisconsin are threatening to be -9 degrees Fahrenheit.

With a wind that is forcing the wind chill to -25F. 

YUCK!

If I dress warm enough - I can still walk the dog in the morning, 

but even the dog doesn't want to go out in this air temperature 

and I can't blame him.

Hope you are staying warm,

~ Julz

Happy New Year!

I have been traveling.

We left the cold and snowy Wisconsin winter and traveled to chilly Florida.
Florida weather was too chilly to swim in the ocean, but it wasn't too cold to walk barefoot in the sand.
 

I located glass where ever I went in Florida. Imagine that?

The above stained glass panels were in a pub that we visited for lunch. 

I really liked how the glass artist used two dimensional elements in the panels.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast and the above transom was above the B&B's main entry.

I really liked the small offset flower's color and simple design.

A short side trip brought us to a Chihuly exhibit. 

Pictures were forbidden of the actual exhibit, but there were a few objects outside to photograph.

This was an interesting display of glass billet.

One regret was that I wasn't able to find any good beach glass.

The trip was a good diversion from our current winter. We returned to 14 degree weather with nasty winds. Our family had never traveled during the holidays, but finding a warmer place for a time was okay this year. 

Now on to my next project . . .  Kiln-Pressed Glass.

I can't wait.

~ Julz

Enjoying the snow

We were very fortunate to get a foot of snow last weekend. 

I dug out my snowshoes for our afternoon walks. I walk twice per day, but my morning walk is during a pre-dawn hour. I'm fearful of stumbling in the morning darkness, so mornings are restricted to walking on the plowed road. There isn't much traffic at that hour.

Reuben, my reliable walking buddy, and I are waiting for the 

winter solstice and 

anticipating the time when each day increases in light length.

Reuben wasn't too sure about going through the fields, 

but after I broke the trail he was a bit more enthusiastic.

Much time in the last week has been spent trying to stay warm.

One lap of this field helps in that endeavor.

~ Julz

Oh my stars

;-)

~ Julz

Growing a Forest

In past years I have created small trees for gift decorations and ornaments using stained glass.

Here is an example - 

This year I have decided to fuse a forest of trees for the holiday.

These trees are wrapped in copper wire and then fused.

I love that each one is unique.

Some even have snow:)

They will look festive in a window, on a tree, or decorating a gift.

I have started the season by composting the pumpkins and displaying some greens outside, but no decorations inside the house yet . . . except for my small, fused forest.

~ Julz