Third Year Project 2

This is again a really quick overview of what I made during my third year at university.

By this point in the year I had gained more confidence in my own abilities in glass and my designs. In the beginning of this year my work was focused on creating patterns on the surface of my glass using carving and sandblasting. I started to experiment more with shape looking at onion and garlic bulbs. In particular I was interested in what the bulbs look like when new growth appears, this is generally known as 'sprouting'.

From my initial drawings and photographs I generated a series of maquettes looking at a growing form. I made them a little weird and wonderful as at this point I was still quite a novice in glass and didn't know much about the limitations of this new material. Cutting into the pieces afterwards was also something I wanted to explore at a later date. For now I was trying to develop my form and use of colour.

After this came the fun bit. Hot Glass! I decided just to focus on one pattern, stripes!

These pieces were created using  techniques called Graal. For anyone who doesn't know what this means, Graal is when a hollow egg of glass is blown and left to anneal (cool down). This can then be decorated using a range of techniques such as carving or sandblasting. The 'egg' is then picked up again on the end of a blow iron and gathered over (basically coating it in a layer of glass so it can get bigger) this can then be shaped and blown out into your desired form.

The carved lines in this piece trapped air bubbles, a process called Ariel. 

Yes, Ariel just like the little mermaid.

I really like this one the colours and texture created by the hyacinth frit is great. Pity it looks like a Coca Cola bottle.

Hey remember that weird model I had on a piece like this but with holes cut into it?

Yeah, this one.

Well guess what?











I had a go at making it!

The colour isn't what I wanted this turned more grey than purple and the photograph doesn't really do it justice but the hole is impressive right?

This is the beginning of me stating to use glass canes to decorate my work. This one was made with translucent white canes on a coloured surface. This grey/purple was created using a powdered colour I next tried opaque colour on translucent canes.

And then I started looking and opaque white canes. I first tried this on a clear glass surface.

And this was the end of the project. For the next one I planned to cut into the pieces more and toying with the idea of a non functional vessel this also included going a little crazy with the neck on my pieces.

Third Year - Project 1

 Here are just some quick snaps of glassware I have made during my first term in third year.
I have been looking at adding layers of texture and pattern to glass using sandblasting and diamond wheel engraving.

Second Year Exhibition

For this exhibition I chose to continue a previous project based on geometric shapes and experiment more with mould blown glass with the intention of creating my own mould for glass to be blown into.

My work for this project was influenced by Whitefriars, an English glass company that was very popular in the 1960s.

These are called Banjo Vases from the 1960s Textured Range at Whitefrairs. I like these vases as they show off a very strong quality of line and bold pattern that matches the vivd colours chosen.

With this style of work envisaged I started looking at hexagons and bold primary colours as initial research.
First, as with all of my projects I started drawing in black and white.

My initial drawings still filtered into my designs. At this moment in time I was still trying to decipher what my final material was going to be, picking glass and textiles means there is not a lot of ways the two can be combined. I then started looking at bright colours and more retro patterns. 

I then experimented with applying these patterns onto glass tumblers using Lazertran. This is where I started my exhibition project from with the intention of transforming these patterns into hot glass.

I started by constructing glassblowing moulds out of plaster and malachite with a negative space of a hexagon, these moulds were then blown into. During the construction of these pieces I realized that I could have more than one area that my pieces could sit on for a bottom. With this in mind I considered my early drawings and how I could have a patterned surface on my pieces.

Sandblasting my glass was an obvious route for whilst my pieces were still made out of clear glass. I still had the intention of then converting these pieces into coloured glass and experimenting with different glass techniques and methods of decoration within hot glass. I also experimented with crystal glass cutting techniques.

The textures on my glass pieces were inspired by my early drawings and the mark making techniques I used.

However, due to the difficulty of getting a successful clear piece out of these moulds, I decided to stick with clear glass. I spent the time I would have used developing my work within coloured glass, practicing and attempting to get the correct thickness of glass for my final pieces. The shape of these moulds meant that it was difficult to get the right thickness of glass for the size of the mould. This contributed to a high failure rate of glass pieces being too thin to withstand basic coldworking techniques or too thick so that the air was squashed out of the vase sealing it.

Exhibition

I was happy with my final exhibition pieces but would have loved to experiment with bold, eye-catching colours like Whitefriars.

During this project I learnt a lot about what kind of work I like to create and the processes I wish to develop within my third and final year at DeMontfort.

The wonderful adventure of a textile artist that came to discover glass.

Hello there!

This is my first attempt at a blog showcasing my work. (Exciting!)

I am a textile artist turned glass blower currently in my final year studying Design Crafts at DeMontfort University.

Here are a few photos of my project work from my second year. I think if you see these you'll understand more about me and how my practice has changed.

For this project we were asked to work to a live brief. I chose one from the Sainsburys design team.

Our mission: To create three home ware products for either a kitchen, living room or bedroom based on design packs we were given. I was immediately drawn to the Sorbet Bedroom mood boards as they were delicate and  feminine.

I chose to make decorative glassware, textile prints for a dressing screen, and a sandblasted mirror.

During this year I experimented with cast iron moulds such as a ribbed and pineapple to create natural looking textures. I really enjoyed working with glass during this year as for me is was still quite a magical material that seemed to defy all my expectations. I quickly got hooked.

Here are some examples of my final textile patterns for the dressing screen. These designs were heavily influenced by the pastel shades of the Sorbet Bedroom mood boards and strands of pearls.

The mirror, well that was trickier than I thought it was going to be.

Getting the mirror was fine, casually picked up from a house nearby that was having a clear out.

Figuring out the design was easy enough, based on a lace rose tablecloth my mum had. (Thanks Mum.)

Sandblaster? Check, Vinyl? Got it! - Problem? How to do this in industry, make it cost effective and most importantly sellable. 

In the end I had designs and final samples of this piece but not a final mirror. This taught me a lot about biting off more than you can chew. And maybe next time sticking to cushion covers if you're short on time.

Well, thats all for now. I will soon be posting about my second year exhibition and what it taught me.