another month another experiment

We wrote our goals for 2017 and it included an aim to do some more playing.  By that I mean playing with glass and new techniques and doing some experiments.  Some of these experiments are only new to me – they aren’t necessarily new to other clever people in the glass fusing and slumping world.

Another month another experiment

The very first thing you need to do when you are trying something new is assemble everything you need and to ‘prep’ your mold and so on.

I had everything I needed.  The mold (purchased from USA in 2016) and needed to be painted with a hake brush with kiln separator called Primo Primer.

large poppy mold from CP glass

I diluted the Primo Primer as per the instructions and carefullly layer upon layer coated the mixture over the  mold.  I left the mold to dry for several months – yes, months! – you really have to make sure the mold is completely covered and every nook and cranny of the mold is coated in several of the fine layers of kiln separator.  (This will assure that the glass comes away from the mold after firing.)

We weighed the mold empty, took note and then started to fill the mold according to the instructions supplied with the mold – first yellow in the centre, and then blue – here you can see the blue which has almost completely covered the yellow…

… and then transparent orange and as you can see colour after colour after colour….in different grades of ‘frit’ (powdered fusible art glass).

and then red in a coarser grade …another month another experiment

… and then believe it or not – a full layer of bright yellow!  We weighed the whole lot and it needed to be 11 grams heavier now than empty – it was 12 grams heavier.  Yay us!

another month another experiment

 

What you can see here is exactly how it looked going into the kiln (see the enormous splat clock that’s beside it?).

We put it in the kiln on a special firing schedule that came with the mold, and then we waited and waited and hoped.  I think its the hope and excitement that keeps you going!  The wonderment of it all.  Will it be lovely or awful or a waste or time and money or a lesson well learned and a technique that will become part of my portfolio that I’ll be able to share with my students for years to come?  Ah the apprehension of it all.  This is what all us glassies thrive on … the anticipation.

So I went to the studio this morning and found this:

another month another experiment

This is what the top looks like now that the yellow has fully fused into all the other layers – and then for the moment of truth.  Pick it up and turn it over, and voila! It pops out perfectly and the top looks like this:

another month another experiment

 

We are pretty pleased with the outcome – the poppy does have two tiny holes that developed in the orange area but for the first attempt at something new – well, I for one am extremely happy.

 

another month another experiment

 

The next step will be to shape it into a mold – maybe a freeform mold like the one I used for my most recent experiment (the splash shape).

 

 

What do you think should happen next?  Would you like to see the poppy shaped like this?  Feel free to let me know what you think, friends!

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3 Comments
  1. Joanne Collis 4 years ago

    Hi Jenie,

    We have done 5 of your wonderful glass classes now, every time we come and play we always have fun. We both love coming and creating beautiful things in glass. Thank you for making it great fun. See you 2020 for more fun and ideas.
    Have a fantastic Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

    Joanne & Stephen Collis.

  2. jeannie nicholson 6 years ago

    Oh Jenie, I love your poppy & the colours positively sing!
    What do I think you should do next? Well, for me it is obvious; offer a course for making it!
    I certainly would be signing up. Of course, I realize you need multiple molds in order for this to happen.
    So please get cracking girlfriend!

  3. Andy 6 years ago

    Oh My goodness Jen !
    That is … I have no words …
    I can’t wait to see what you do with this concept next, but as it stands. As is. It is already a truely elegant and inspiring creation.
    Wonderful

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