A hot glass Graal collaboration

I arranged to do a collaboration with a fellow student, Brynn. 

This piece is created in three parts.

 

1: making a glass ‘embryo’

2: Carving a design

3: Blowing the embryo into a sculpture or vase

 

The Embryo is made from glass.  First a coloured piece which is then coated in clear before being rolled in a thick coating of frit.  Brynn did this part of the process/

This is then left to cool down in the annealer.

Next it was my job to create a design on the glass.

I covered it completely with a good strong masking tape, then draw an illusion pattern design on it, before cutting it out with a super sharp craft knife.  

This took ages!  Much longer than I anticipated  😊

It was then off to the sandblaster to take off the top layer of glass – the frit rolled part.  This would then show through the clear layer to the colour underneath.

If I thought the cutting took a long time then the sandblasting took forever!  I was soon clocking up the hours on this piece.

Then I handed the piece back to Brynn, who removed all the tape and put it in kiln to bring up to 550 degrees so he would be able to blow it.

Once at the correct temperature it was lifted out of the kiln and warmed up some more in the Glory Hole.

Then it was time to blow…….

Brynn decided this piece would be a sculpture.  He has a little cold working to do to make the bottom nice and smooth and so it stands up properly.

All in all, a good result.