Spring fusing

This spring I found a great fusing center, Helios, and have been taking classes galore. So many class projects in fact, that I've had little free time to fire up my own kiln. In fact, I still to finish this awesome paper weight from a class that ended in April.

I think the classes are paying off and my work is going to a new level. Below are a few of my projects from this spring. They aren't representative of all the classes I've taken (some classes are technique classes), but you can see how the work has progressed.

This is from a powders and frit class. I used frit (small pieces of glass) to recreate a scene from Hawaii. Aloha!


This was an enamel painting on glass class. You trace a picture on the glass and then paint in the detail. These are the dogs on the jetty at Port A.


Doug also took the enamel class; in fact, he got way more in to it than I did. This is Umlaf Sculpture Garden in Zilker Park.


My hand, from a textures class. You use kiln wash to make a design and then place glass on top. I made this for Doug's birthday.


Project one from the paper weights class. This takes a lot of cold working, which means using power tools to shape and polish.


Woven bowl -- pieces of glass that look woven together. There was also another project where the glass is actually woven together, but the piece isn't finished yet.


Strip bowl. You cut strips of glass and then turn them on their edge for a different look.

Of course, I have more classes on the horizon.On Sunday I start a two-week mica and enamels class -- not painting, but using mica and enamel powders to create art. The hand piece here is a great example of using micas. Thursday is the start of a pattern bars class, where you fuse glass together to make interesting elements for other pieces.

Classy lass

This morning I will be going to my third glass fusing class in as many weekends. On Wednesday, I will finish my four (extended to five)-week strip bowl class. I also have another weekend class later this month, and will start another a four-week class at the end of the month. From mid-February until the end of March, I will have taken, or at least started, six glass classes. Needless to say, I'm feeling a little out classed.

Actually, it really is all good. There is this t-shirt I saw with a guru, holding pieces of glass and meditating, with the saying, "Therapy with sharp edges." I love that! I would have bought that shirt except it was for a stained glass shop, not a glass fusing shop. Who knows, I still might get it. Still, that's what I feel like when working with glass. I can get into my little zone and not think about anything except the little pieces of glass in front of me.

I had really wanted to take my fusing to the next level, and it's getting there, at least in my mind. I haven't had a chance to work on anything at home yet. I found this place in January, Helios Glass Studio, owned by Paul & Karen Tarlow. Paul has a national reputation, so I feel like I am learning from a master. There were things I wanted to learn, but since I don't learn well from books, I was a bit stuck. Now I'm learning them, or soon will be, can ask a lot of questions and try things out. I'm most excited about learning cold working, which means working with power tools. I can't wait until the end of the month when I learn to sandblast a piece!

So it's all good. I'm just busy, but I'm definitely one classy lady.

Happy birthday to me

This was a whirlwind birthday weekend. Doug and I left about 4:30 Friday night, driving to the Ft. Worth area for the weekend. Doug bought a glass class for my birthday, which we took together, to learn about working with powders and "paint by light." Jody Walker, a nationally renown glass artist, taught the class. The two-day class was very intensive, and while we didn't come out with any finished pieces, we came out with about 19 test tiles and a new way to think about glass. Now I just need to find some time and get after it.

Last night we celebrated my birthday by first meeting my sister Chris and her husband Mark, for drinks. We actually had a great time chatting. It's the first time ever that I didn't feel like the little brat sister. Maybe because it was just two couples and not the family dynamic. I wish we could have stayed longer, but Doug and I had dinner reservations.

We went to Bob's Steak and Chop House. This has been named one of the top steak places in the nation and it didn't disappoint. Man, that was some of the best ribeye I've eaten. And for as good as the steak was, I was blown away by their carrots. I know it sounds weird, but that was a damn good carrot. The server said the carrots were marinated in cinnamon and orange juice. I believe it. I told Doug I thought it tasted like Christmas. To round out dinner, we had a Napa cab from one of my favorite wineries, Silver Oak. The dinner was outstanding!

The glass class finished about 2 p.m. today and we headed home, exhausted. After two days being the only guy in a class of eight women, Doug is out having a beer and getting some much needed testosterone time. I'm home, checking email and watching Gladiator on high-def. Tomorrow we'll be back in the grind.

Latest fusing projects

My kiln has been busy since Christmas and I wanted to share a few of my latest pieces.

This first one is a commission piece, meaning my friend Pat bought the glass and asked me to make 10 plates for the American Heart Association (I donated my time). Needless to say, it took several weeks to make all 10.


For this next one, I fused iridized glass, face down, on a textured tile. I really like the crinkle effect.


This last piece is my favorite piece I've ever made. The photo doesn't do it justice. The green, aventurine, is darker, almost a forest green. I fired it on lava cloth so the bottom is textured. I originally made it to donate to the Heart Ball auction, but now I love it so much I don't want to depart with it. I guess I can always make another to keep.

I need to coat my kiln shelf now so I can make some more. I'm also looking into some advanced classes as I'm ready to go to the next level.

Latest projects

Below are some of my latest fusing projects. The first two are Christmas gifts for my sisters, the next two are candle holders (Christmas gifts as well). The last two are just because I found a couple of cool slumpers when I was in Ft. Worth. More of my fusing work can be found on my Web site; I will add these photos to the gallery later this week.

Finding my heart in the art

One of my fused pieces will appear in the Find Your Heart in the Art show. The show is Nov. 1 and is a benefit for the American Heart Association. Show details can be found here.

Christmas plates

Not everyone received jewelry this year. I also fused glass into 7-inch plates. Here are some of the ones I gave. Unfortunately, I forgot to photograph two of my best plates before wrapping and some of the others didn't photograph well.

Christmas jewelry

This year I got into glass fusing and jewelry making. As such, most of the Christmas presents we gave were hand crafted. Below are samples of pendents I fused and then made into jewelry.

The jewelry below, I didn't fuse, but I did make.