Pampas Glass - an improvisation.

 

 When I heard about this assignment I smiled to myself - improvisation, it's what I do all of the time.  I have an idea, I don't have the bits needed to carry it out, so I improvise and change this for that, and that for this, until I have managed to come up with something.

So, I wanted to force myself to work a little differently.  

Based on this quote, especially the last bit.....

"Something that is improvised, in particular a piece of music, drama, etc. created spontaneously or without preparation."

I decided I would 'just do it', go for it, roll with the flow.  

I wanted to create a piece of Pampas Grass just out of stuff I had laying about.

First I started with a piece of found driftwood. I thought it was a nice shape to represent the Pampas stalk, once I had chopped the end off to make it straight.

Next I drilled holes in it.  First I started drilling holes the size of the glass rods I was planning to use, but very quickly realised that if I had holes that large (8-10mm) I wouldn't be able to fit many rods in and I wanted it to be quite full.  So I swapped to a 3mm drill pieces and drilled about 80 holes with that.... at a downward slant.

Have you ever drilled found driftwood?  It really is quite nasty.  The smell of dead fish, salt and rotting seaweed is not the nicest aroma in the world!

Once the holes were drilled I needed to sort out some glass.

I found a pile of glass rods in a nice creamy ivory colour which I thought would work well.

And the next step was to go and melt them on the torch.  I had two things to do, one was to round of the end so it looked a bit more natural  (and also wouldn't be sharp to work with) and the other was to melt the other end and pull it into a point so it would fit into my smaller drill holes.

So, off to the torch I went, melted my ends and then melted the centre so I could pull the two ends apart to make a thin section.  I then snipped this section to create two pieces which would stick into my wood.

Then all I had left to do was to assemble it.

I found a couple of old plant pots, stuck my driftwood in them and packed them out with little pebbles from my garden so the wood wouldn't move.

Then I started to stick in my glass rods.

But it some became apparent that I had totally underestimated how much glass I would need, I had way more holes than glass - and none of that particular glass left, so I had to improvise and use a different colour to make some more.

I wasn't too happy about this at first, until I had put a couple of the new colour in place, which was like a transparent straw colour, and realised it worked rather well.

And that is my improvised, finished piece of Pampas Grass..... although it looks more like a cactus.

If I had of had more glass I might have worked further down the stem with it, sadly I have nothing left in that kind of shade.  I think it works quite well in a way though.

I am calling it my Pampas Glass!

My finished Uni Cosmos / Universe piece

  I have finally finished my Cosmos / Universe piece.  I am calling this piece 'My Universe'.  It is made from glass, both cold and hot worked.

I think it worked out how I originally planned it.  My idea was to take a 'core' sample of the universe, how I depict it, and create a glass mobile to represent this small sample .

My rough sketch looked like this.  

And this photo was always in my mind as a guide to what I wanted to show.  A sample digging down into the earth from deep space.

I made five different layers, each representing something that I felt was there, but perhaps we could not always see.

Deep Space

My first layer was to represent Deep Space.  I would have liked to have used black glass, but unfortunately didn't have immediate access to any, so dark amber it had to be.  I deliberately designed it to have the open weave kind of effect rather than being a solid slab, because I wanted to show that there was more to consider even outside of what we know about the Universe and Space.  This layer was created cold in the kiln, then the kiln is turned on allowing the rods to fuse together within a large metal ring that measures 40cm in diameter.  

Nebula

The next layer I wanted to depict was Nebula.  The colours of Nebulas fascinate me and are actually quite easy to translate into glass beads, due to all the beautiful coloured frits (broken glass) and enamels you can buy.   

Using a hot torch and some glass rods I made a lot of coloured beads, mainly in blues and pinks and purples because I felt these colours worked well between the (supposedly black) top layer and the next layer which wasn't going to have any colour at all. I didn't plan any particular effect of finished bead, I just picked up whichever glass I fancied working with, and poked it, swirled it, allowing the colours to implode which in turn allowed the bead to design itself.  Almost like I didn't want any control over the final outcome, I wanted it to be as chaotic and self-forming as it could be... with only a little help from me.

Memories

The next layer I have called 'memories'. It depicts the fact that if you have lived in this universe then you never actually leave.  I have used the cremation ashes of a friends dog encased within clear glass. I would have liked to have used the ashes of a loved one, but I don't have any, plus I thought that some people might cope better viewing the piece knowing it didn't contain an actual person.

These 'memory' beads are made in quite a uniformed manner. It has to be a controlled make to ensure that all of the ash is well encased within the glass, otherwise the beads can have sharp little pieces sticking out.  When a loved one died we are taught to look up to the sky and assign them a star, so I wanted this layer to be hovering above the earth in plain sight.  These beads, like the Nebula beads, are made on a hot torch using rods of glass.

Earth

I felt that if I was doing a core section of the universe then I needed to include a planet, and the planet that I thought that would be recognisable by colours would, of course, be Earth.

So I started this off the same way by doing a 40cm mish mash of glass rods in a steel ring in the kiln.  Once fused down after one firing of the kiln, the piece then had to go back in to be slumped into the shape I wanted.   I re-fired the piece on a slumping schedule to allow it to drape over an upside down ceramic bowl.  I would have preferred a shallower bowl if I could have, but having limited supplies at home I was quite pleased with the shape I actually got.

Lava

The final layer I chose to do was to depict lava droplets within the Earth.  So I made small orange beads for this and hung them under the Earth's 'crust'.

I am pleased with the final outcome, there are a few things I would have done differently, as I have mentioned, had I have had the materials or tools, but on the whole I am pretty pleased with it.

I expect that a small explanation of the final piece might help people understand what I am trying to say, although it could be perceived in whatever way that people imagine their own universe to be perhaps.

The piece measures about 40cm across by 60 cm long.  All the layers are held together with nylon fishing wire, and it is currently now hanging from my shed roof.   :)

The Flame Off, Uttoxeter 2016

A couple of weekends ago we made our annual trip to the Flame Off.   Now, for those unsure, or for those that thought I was going to a massive BBQ  (I'm vegetarian!) or a Chilli eating competition (you know who you are) let me explain...... The Flame Off is a meet-up for glass melting people.  It is in the UK, but we get people from all over the world attending which makes it great fun.  It is hostyed by Tuffnell Glass and Totally Beads.

This years teachers and demoists were ....

Rashan O Jones from Albuquerque in New Mexico.  We watched him make the most magnificent wine glass and candy dish. 

Then there was Gay Massender from the UK, who made her famous "Ladies That Lunch" bead and a vase bead with flowers in!

Vera Roder from Germany was also teaching and demoing.  She made some beautiful beads with enamels.  I must try to recreate them from what I learnt.

As well as watching demonstrations, there is a torch area where you can play with the torches and glasses and make things.  Here is Hubster (iMarbles) making... marbles, funnily enough.

Deep in concentration.

He made some lovely marbles while sitting there.

And also learn from Theresa at Tuffnell Glass, how to make a jellyfish pendant.  Here is the work in progress.

And I had a go, I would show you the beads that I made but I have no idea where I put them!

It was great to meet up with everyone again, and looking forward to next year!

Flame Off 2013 (Picture heavy!)

Last weekend was the 6th Annual Flame Off event, hosted by Tuffnell Glass.

Usually the event is held at Towcester Racecourse, but this year it had moved to Silverstone Racing Circuit - home of the UK Grand Prix.

This will be the 4th one Andrew and I have attended.  Classes are held on the Thursday, followed by two days of demonstrations, glass shopping and playing with torches on the Friday and Saturday. On the Sunday there is a bead fair.
In the pic below you should be able to see the torches all set up in the back section of the room, ready for us all to play with.

On the Thursday took a class this year with Michou Pascale Anderson, a wonderful beadmaker who is well known for her brightly coloured beads..

It was a great class, playing with coloured stringers, murrini, presses and dichroic glasses. She demonstrated a couple of beads, one was a colourful parrot and the other a rainbow style bead.

The class at work.

The results of a days beadmaking.

 I made three beads - not great at all, but then my beads at classes never are.  You are in unfamiliar surroundings, using unfamiliar tools, the torches are different, the glass is sometimes different.  All excuses I know  :)

Still, the aim of the class was to take away something I could practise at home, and I certainly did that.

Every year I try to take a class, my first Flame Off class was in 2010 with Sharon Peters, then in 2011 with Michi Suzuki, and last year, 2012 with Patti Walton.

The Friday and Saturday was jam-packed with some great demos from some fabulous artists, in no particular order....

• Lucio Bubacco (Italy)
• Leah Fairbanks (USA)
• Michou P Anderson (Germany)
• Madeline Bunyan (UK)
• Sally Sutherland (UK)

You could also find some great artists working on the torches throughout the day, my favourite being Marshall Hyde (USA) who did a demo a couple of years ago that had people riveted to their seats, he has continued to support the event since by stewarding the torches and giving people advice.  This is Marshall at the torch, he was making a skull bead.

I spent a bit of time on the borosilicate torches, normally I work on a less fierce torch with a soft glass, Andrew works with boro, which is a harder glass.  It takes longer to melt, which for my impatient nature, is just no good :)  However I think I may have been tempted to go over to the dark side as I really enjoyed using the boro glass for a change.

Andrew making marbles.

I made some cabochons - I might set these into silver and try to make some rings.

I also made a borosilicate bead, which I was quite pleased with.

In the afternoon I went outside into the cold chilly wind to make a bauble, for Health & Safety reasons this glass furnace was not allowed inside Silverstone's nicely carpeted area - can't think why!

I enjoyed getting this close to a larger mass of hot glass, makes me want a furnace of my very own  :)

I made a red and purple bauble.  Andrew's was quite a bit bigger than mine, he must have more puff.  It was a real effort blowing into it.

I also had a go on a sandblaster, I stole one of Andrew's marbles and found an address label hanging about, which I then used to make a little pattern on the marble, stuck it in the sandblaster tent and gave it a good blast.  I was so impressed with the result that I bought myself a sandblasting kit  :)

Friday evening was spent catching up with Bead Buddies from the Bead Buddies Forum.

Let's just say that Saturday (and Sunday) was spent nursing a not-so-nice hangover :/

Sunday came around so quickly, and we finished the weekend off with a bead fair.

Right at the back of this photo, by the window, you can just make out Lucio Bubacco taking a class.  A genius at work.

Look at mad Laney, always guaranteed to make you smile, even with a hangover. Check out her glass beads HERE.

Oh, and Caroline's ceramic beads are just wonderful, you can find them HERE.

We did a few bits of last minute glass shopping, and set of on the 4 hour trip home  :(

Counting down the weeks until the next one.....