November 2010
In early November we're due back on a weekend fused glass course where I'm hoping to try a full B301 and maybe a few smaller scale items...
[Saturday] We have just finished day one of the course and I have four small pieces melting in the oven as I write. I decided against a full B301 as cutting all those yellow strips would have driven me mad: if we buy a kiln I may well build it in sections - less risky as if something goes wrong I haven't lost the lot and £100 of glass. I'll post the four pieces when I bring them back tomorrow and there should be another five-or-so in the oven to pick up next week.
[Sunday] I brought the first four home tonight. B217 came out well, B241 and B173 ok, but B243 turned out a bit of a mess. Currently in the oven are B126 and B306, with B117, B235 and B152 in the queue.
[Wednesday 17th] I picked up the second batch yesterday. They all turned out pretty well, Im just waiting for the sun to come out to take the snaps [added two days later].
We brought home plenty of glass to carry on and plan to buy a kiln to cook them in. I am not sure whether it is possible to build the later works in miniature, but I aim to make most of the compositions. One course colleague kindly gave me a spare piece of green fusing glass and that reminded me of the so-called (by some) Composition with Green B215. Here's the story. It was a good green and that will be the first piece I make if we get a kiln.
August 2010
An obvious, remarkably effective, yet seemingly untried (perhaps that should be insufficiently realised) medium for the homage is stained glass. At the time of writing (5th August 2010) I am on a one-week course taught by the remarkable Lynettte Wrigley at the splendid Lead & Light. And, of course, I am making homages.
I'll get five test pieces done on the course and then the intention is to build a larger window specifically to fit over our front door.
I brought the first three home tonight.
6th August, stepping up to more detailed work, the variously tinkered-with (by PM) and renamed:
For the last piece, I was tempted to pursue one with just lines rather than colours, emphasising PM's point that the lines are as important as the spaces, and also toying with a fundamental basis of stained glass, which relies on colour. This was a key to the choice of the fourth piece which is mostly white glass. I considered Composition in Black and White, with Double Lines, 1934 or Composition No.1 Lozenge with Four Lines, 1930 [images to follow]. But in the end, stayed with splashes of colour. As previously noted, the choice is often glass-driven and I had just enough coloured fusing glass remaining to tesselate #5. Fusing projects need fusing glass, but fusing glass can be used anywhere. |