more cast glass

One of our casting projects was to use clay and make an object and then cast it. After the casting was hardened we removed the clay, kiln washed the cast and then used the cast as a glass mold.

I have not worked w/ clay since elementary school (a long time ago), so I wasn't feeling that I had the ability to create a masterpiece. I also wanted to create an object that could be cast with glass in many different ways.

- so - 

Eyeballs.

I like how they turned out and I want to cast the mold again using different colors.

One woman in my class said that she wanted to see a wall of the eyeballs in her bathroom. That might be a bit creepy. 

:-)

I did love learning the process!

~ Julz

Casting Class

OMG - what a wonderful learning experience!

I wish I could have been a sponge and truly soaked up all that was presented over the weekend.

I tried, but I think I was only able to get 1/2.

Michael Dupille was the best instructor.

I will share a bit here.

Here is my first cast. It's a fiber paper carving.

Very cool. I added some color and had some places w/out color - I like this process and will do more of this. The picture above was prior to any cold finishing.

We then moved on to casting w/ castalot. 

(I need some of this for my studio)

We created clay objects - my eyeballs - and then cast them, dried the cast over night and then used the cast for glass.

Michael was a riot.

I added colored frit to create the eyeballs.

We then filled the cast with clear frit both fine and coarse to create body of the object.

Okay - now the anti-climax. . . 

The class was over on Sunday afternoon and my eyeballs and another flower cast that I carved into the castalot, added glass, and fired were still in the kiln. 

The thicker the glass the longer the kiln schedule for ramping up the kiln and annealing the objects.

No problem - except that I live 2 hours north of where the class was and the objects will have to be shipped. darn

I can't wait to see.

~ Julz

cold kiln

The kiln has been cold this week. 

I have a class coming up next week on glass casting.

Oh, I can't wait, but time will pass (albeit rather slowly) and the class will be here before I know it.

:-)

~ Julz

Let the sun shine in -

A new project. Enjoying the sunshine and warmer weather this week in Wisconsin.

:-)

~ Julz

An Orange Day

Orange you glad it's Thursday?

An orange bowl w/ orange stripe - wish I had a way to smooth out the edges. 

Until then - I have organic shaped pieces.

:-)

My other work was supposed to be a weave, but at 6 am this morning after walking the dog. (Gosh it's great that the days are getting longer - now I am able to see the start of the sunrise as I return from said walk.) I popped the weave into the kiln for the day and did a full fuse instead of a tack fuse. darn

I need to practice thinking through my schedule and not rush into a fuse just to have a warm kiln.

Now I have an interesting pattern. I'm not sure how I will finish this piece. Perhaps a bowl or a dish or even something of uneven shape as if the glass were crumpled. . . . 

Not sure.

~ Julz

Stars 'n Stripes

Okay - wrong time of the year (unless you celebrate president's day!), but a great use of some scraps as well as trying an inclusion of punched copper stars.

I love the way the stars turned out. Sandwiching them between two layers of glass and heating them altered their color. 

~ Julz

Purple dish w/ yellow dots

Here is the slumped purple dish w/ yellow dots -

When the light hits it differently the color changes from a soft to bright purple.

The raised dots add a new dimension. 

Hope to get something in the kiln this morning prior to leaving.

 Enjoy :-)

~ Julz

Week's work -

Another slow week and many days of a cold kiln.
The only good news was because of a bad cold I had a bit of down time in front of the computer and found some new glass techniques I want to try.

This is a small dish I finished at the beginning of the week.

I wanted raised dots for texture.

Not functional.

Oh well.

I like it.

This oval dish is slumping into the mold now. (Pict taken just prior to closing the kiln lid)

Again, my attempt at some elevated dots for some texture.

Hope it slumps well.

:-)

Happy Friday!

~ Julz