Emma Olivia

Bits and Bobs

2011-01-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

Flattened wine bottles...

(The two on the right are joined together!)

A few more coasters.. why not?!!

I had some spare glass left over and I decided to just try some new coasters which I could do reatively quickly. These were simply enamel between two pieces of glass, and after they had come out of the kiln I then sandblasted the back of the blue ones above, and one side of the ones below. They are not my favourite, but it was good to try something different.

First attempt at stained glass!

2011-01-14T10:44:00.000-08:00

James Lethbridge

Stained glass was the first new technique that we learned in second year, and it coincided with our Inspiration brief. I had done initial research on a few artists for inspiration and James Lethbridge was one of them.

For my stained glass 'cartoon' (accurate template for the glass to be cut to), I simply photocopied a page of my sketchpad on which I had drawn one of James Lethbridge's pieces, and using the lines within the drawing, separated it into sections which would then be the pieces of glass.

I worked on the glass in a variety of different techniques; the first being screen-printing (black), which directly transfers an image onto glass. I chose sections of the drawing that would be screen printed, as I wanted build the image up in layers, and I decided to leave the text on, as it would then be a working drawing, and I thought it would add to the sketchiness.

The second layer was silver-stain (yellow/brown), which I think adds a depth to the glass:

Close-ups:

Leading Up...

The finished piece:

I'm really happy with how this panel has turned out, particularly the bottom half simply because of the colour and the depth that has been created with the layering effects.

A Second Stained Glass Window!

As I liked the bottom half of my first stained glass panel so much, I decided to blow up the same drawing I had used initially and do another panel just of this section on a larger scale.

I used the same processes; screen-printing, silver-stain, sandblasting and engraving:

These photos below were taken on a wooden table rather then the white background on the photos above because it shows up the sandblasting and engraving where the previous photos don't.

The finished piece:

I much prefer this one to my first attempt, I think the first one had a bit too much clear glass on it whereas this one has much more going on and is vibrant and exciting.

Inspiration Continued..

2010-12-21T07:31:00.000-08:00

David Flower

I had chosen to look at David Flower as my main inspirational artist for this brief after seeing these blown pieces he had done (example above). It was the contrast between the controlled, structured shape of the pieces and the busy, spontaneity of the interiors that drew me in to his work. It wasn't until closer inspection that I realised there was metal inclusions in Flower's work, and from what I could see this is what had caused the bubbles after he had blown through a material or mesh of some kind.

Luckily, I had been offered a placement at the World of Glass in St. Helens, where I could go every wednesday and help the glassblowers while in return I could be trained and use the facilities for my own work. This was perfect timing for this brief, where I could use the hot glassblowing facilities to try to create a piece inspired by David Flower's blown forms.

Talking to the glassblowers at the World of Glass, they advised me on the best methods on how to carry out a piece using wire inclusions, and we came up with the idea to create a copper cage which could be attached to a small gather of glass, have more glass gathered over the top and be blown through to create the different sized bubbles seen in David Flower's pieces.

Below you can see the first copper cage I made, and I had tried to make them relatively loose and random, so that once it was blown through, the effect would be entirely spontaneous.

This was the result of the first blown form. As you can see it has not come out much like David Flower's piece at all, as the copper had got so hot and soft in the glass that when it was blown into it just stretched with the glass instead of the air going through the gaps in the cage. Despite this though, I really like the effect, and I also love that the copper has turned a purpley red colour.

Close-ups:

With the second attempt, the glassblowers at the World of Glass suggested I colour the glass, and I wsn't a hundred percent sure that I wanted to do this because I like the simplicity of the clear glass and I didn't want any strong colour to take away from the copper inside. Therefore I chose to colour the glass very very slightly, and with a neutral colour, which has worked out well because it just looks like a different type of glass.

Also, what I find interesting is that the copper in this piece has not all turned a reddy colour, some is still the same copper colour which I think works well.

Close-ups:

The one thing I wasn't too keen on was the actual shape of the pieces, I thought they looked a bit too much like lightbulbs for my liking! So I (well..Brian!) cut the tops off at an angle, which made a huge improvement in my opinion.

Now all I had to do was decide how to display the forms, and what I was actually going to do with them! I toyed with the idea of putting them with a fused glass panel which also had copper inclusions in it, and I did do a few test pieces for this but it wasn't something I was excited about, and my gut instinct was that these pieces should be left as independent forms, and the idea of having a flat panel would be taking away from the shape and form itself.

So then I thought of somehow incorporating the copper cages I had made and used for the inclusions but using and attaching them to the tops of the pieces. So I decided to make copper rims for the tops of the glass which the copper wire could almost be sewn through tiny holes.

These rings took me so so long to do as I had to use a piercing saw which are absolutely TINY!! Literally the saw didn't even look like it was moving!! But I got there in the end and it was well worth the pain and effort-

I had measured the rings to be a few millimeters bigger than the size of the glass, to allow for the copper wire to be fed through and back up again into the cage.

SO happy with the results!!

Glassline Chalks

2010-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few experiments I did with my new glassline chalks- chalks specifically designed for drawing on glass. I was really excited about these, because I love creating textures on the surface of glass, and these chalks seemed like they would create the perfect effect for my work. They have to be used on sandblasted glass so that the chalk has something to grip.

I had a white chalk and a grey chalk, as well as black and white glassline pens (literally a pen for glass!). The brief we were doing at the time was 'Inspiration', and so I chose to draw some pieces of work I was looking at for the brief, and therefore work that inspired me.

I have included a photo of the piece before it was fired, as well as the images I was inspired by and used for a basis:

Bocci

David Flower

Experimenting with Silver Stain

2010-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Here are a few test pieces I did at the start of this year, experimenting with silver stain which stains the glass yellow-brown; the darkness depending on the temperature of the firing and the consistency of the mixture. I don't particularly like the effect when it turns the glass yellow, but I love this particular amber result:

After they had been fired, I then sandblasted some areas to remove the silver stain to finer lines than I could have painted it on to. I sandblasted both sides of the glass and I actually really love the results. Even though these were only experiments, I could imagine using these techniques to produce a layered finished piece.

More, better, coasters!

2010-11-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of some more recent coasters I have made as gifts and to sell. I have used inclusions in these coasters, which I have never used before in coaster form, however I loved the effects it created from the experiments I did last year so I thought I would try it, and they've worked out really well!

This particular coaster (above) has copper leaf, silver leaf, gold leaf, brass sheet, copper tape, and even part of a Ferrero Rocher wrapper trapped inside two pieces of glass.

I love the unpredictability of the materials, as different things happen to them depending whether they're overlapped, and what in particular they're overlapped with.

Because of this, it can be hard to identify which material is which after it has been fired, because they change in appearance so dramatically!

Also, I have bought an engraver for me to sign my work, woo!

End of First Year

2010-11-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

As I have now started my second year, I thought I should finish off the blogs from last year and show what I did for my final piece. My last brief was based on Protrait and Identity, and I was primarily looking at the idea of subtlety in faces, and not necessarily at first glance identifying a face in an image. Because of this, I was looking at the work of Francis Bacon, and taking the abstraction of faces from his work.

To begin with I drew some of his paintings in my own style of drawing, and from these I decided to try and incorporate the spontaneous mark-making I had created.

To do this I decided to create layered pieces which included a multiple of techniques such as sandblasting, engraving and UV Bonding, as well as screen printing (look at previous blog!).

These are the results-

This is how I arranged my pieces to be exhibited.

I had also done 3 layered pieces with White Opal Flash Glass (clear glass with a thin layer of white glass on the surface which can be sandblasted through to create interesting effects). These were done solely with sandblasing and engraving, and I really liked these until I added the coloured glass panels at the back.

I did this because these were some of the colours Bacon had used in his paintings. However now I think it takes away from the simplicity of the clear and flash glass.

Glass Screen Prints

2010-05-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

As another experiment for my Portrait and Identity brief, I decided to try and screen print onto glass some of my drawings that had been inspired by and based on Bacon's portraits. Above is my screen with the two images I was using.

Screen printing was something I had wanted to try since I found out we could actually do it, so I was very excited about this.

I used a variety of colours- blue, green, white, flesh pink and black, and I even tried combining some of the colours together to see how this turned out...

Really like how these have turned out and will definitely use this technique again in the future.

A Third!

2010-05-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

This was actually the first piece I did with a plaster mould, however the design on this mould was primarily exploring the variety of textures I could achieve, and so does not represent a specific image.

Again I was trying to be more abstract in the way I cut and placed the glass on the mould, rather than just slumping a flat piece over it.

The Result!

I was really happy with this when I first saw it, as the textures had been picked up really well which is what I wanted to do. However looking back on it after the other two pieces I have done, this one seems much flatter and not as exciting.. in my opinion anyway! :)

Smashed Glass Bacon Faces!

2010-05-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

For our recent Portrait and Identity brief, I chose to look at Francis Bacon's portraits, and generally work towards something abstract, maybe so abstract that only I knew what was actually being represented. These pieces were a part of this process.

I had drawn directly into wet plaster with the intention of making as many marks as possible, but keeping a certain image in mind: my take on a Francis Bacon Portrait.

When the plaster moulds were dry enough, I then filled the moulds with a smashed glass and coloured frits (deer brown, aqua and cobalt blue).

In parts I also added some copper and brass wire, following the lines I had drawn into the plaster, and trying to keep the original images in tact .
To add some rigidity I also placed some larger pieces of glass on the top and fired them like this.

The Result!

I was totally unsure of how the pieces would actually turn out and whether the would actually hold together after the firing... but they did! I am really pleased with the result of these pieces, love the colours and the way they catch the light. This one is my personal favourite...

and here are a few close ups...

I also turned the pieces around and surprisingly they work this way too. The colours are much more subtle and I think they give a really nice effect.

Also, I love how the original image is not immediately evident.. the distinguishable facial features have been distorted so much during the process that they are no longer present.

Life Drawing with Clay!

2010-04-23T14:43:00.001-07:00

One of our life drawing sesssions was to build up a drawing from a slab of clay. This seemed a daunting task to begin with, but in actual fact it was a very relaxing and almost therapeutic activity.

From this I cast a plaster mould and removed the clay once it had set.

I then cut glass to the size of the mould and placed it in the kiln so the glass took on the shape of the mould, so basically having a glass version of the clay relief. I was pleasantly surprised with the result of this, because some of the clay had fused to the glass and given it more depth and distinction, which I was worried it would lack.

Life Drawing

2010-04-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Finnish Glass Workshop

2010-04-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

We had a workshop with a Finnish glass lecturer in February, and she taught us some brand new techniques to consider for our new brief 'Portrait and Identity'.

The method involved painting onto fire blanket with specialist glass enamel and placing a pane on top of the fire blanket which would fuse to the glass once in was fired. Above was my first attempt with just a single layer, and it eas supposed to be a fleshy colour but instead it decded to turn a horrible brown!

We then tried a two-layer and a three-layer piece, which was more difficult than I initially thought because you have to remember what you did on each layer and try to match it up with the others. I really like this two-layer piece, and I decided to engrave into it after it had been fired just to give it some further detail and depth.

This was my three-layer piece which I am not too keen on, because it didn't come out how I expected it to. Still, I loved the workshop and it definitely taught me a different technique I would never have tried otherwise.

The Final Table!

2010-04-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

The Final Plates!

2010-04-23T05:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the final plates I made for our table. When I made them I hadn't intended them to be the final product but I loved them so much they had to be used! Again I have used silver leaf, copper leaf and copper tape, but I also used a Ferrero Rocher wrapper! I really like the layered effect and the colours that have been produced.

The one below is definitely one of my favourites, just love the textures and the balance between busy areas and more subtle, simple parts. This one also has brass sheet in it, which I hadn't used before and wasn't sure how it would turn out but in fact I think this is the best feature of the plate! (The very top section is covered by brass sheet).

As much as I loved the results of all the plates, I felt as though some were slightly more successful than others and I think this is because some were too plain. So on two of the plates I took aspects of the Chinese patterns I had been looking at throughout the brief and sandblasted them on the areas that I thought needed a further dimension, and I think this has worked really well...

This one again is one of my favourites, I just think it is well balanced and the pattern on the surface almost seems part of the intended design. Also I love my little Chinese symbol in the top left (meaning year of the Ox!).

Embossed Porcelain Bowls

2010-04-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

These bowls were made for our table setting. I had embossed Chinese patterns into the porcelain and then slumped them over different sized and shaped moulds, the intention being that they could all fit nicely into the hands.

When it came to glazing the bowls I chose a Celadon glaze (pale green and typically found on Chinese tableware), Copper Red and Titanium (White).

I used every combination of glaze on the bowls and overlapped them- partly for experimentation and partly because I really like the loss of control and uncertainty of how they will turn out.

Where I had embossed the print, the glazes were supposed to pool and pick up the detail. However, this didn't seem to happen as well I was expecting and I was quite disappointed but the textures are still nice.

The bowl below has started to pick up the detail of the pattern quite nicely. Also like the dripped glaze effect here.

A few close ups of the textures...

And another..

2010-04-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

This was another test piece-again using embossed copper sheet, silver leaf, copper leaf and silver wire. I love the effect of the copper leaf and silver leaf overlapped, really effective.

This time, though, instead of sandblasting an intricate pattern over the details of the inclusions, I sandblasted the entire back of the plate to see how this would work. I don't like this one, I think the frosty appearance takes away from the detail of the inclusions.

Here are a few close-ups:

Experimenting With Inclusions

2010-04-20T08:24:00.000-07:00

Before and after!

As we were learning new techniques at the same time as doing this brief, I tried to incorporate these new methods somehow. This was another test piece experimenting with inclusions. This particular plate has embossed copper sheet, silver leaf, silver wire and copper tape between the two panes of glass and I was amazed at the result as it was such a difference to how it looked before it was fired!

I then covered the whole piece with sticky-back plastic and used a scalpel to carve out an intricate pattern which was then sandblasted. A long process which required patience, but it paid off- I really like this effect, and this was definitely a technique I would use again.

Test Plates

2010-04-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

The first brief of the second term was to set up a table for eight people based on a revolution of our choice. This was a group brief and we had to include evidence of at least glass, metal and ceramic work, with the opportunity to add other materials if we decided it suited our designs.

Our group decided on the Chinese Revolution of 1949 and we brain-stormed a lot of initial ideas for our table setting, but the best way to see what works was to just get making!

This is a glass plate I made as an experiment of slumping over kiln paper. I cut the Chinese symbols out of the kiln paper and placed the glass over the top where I wanted it to go. I used two pieces of glass to make it thicker and between the two panes I placed "egg shells" (very thin glass shards in the shape of eggshells), which I thought were clear but when the piece came out of the kiln they had turned this brown colour which I'm not too keen on. Really like the effect of the Chinese symbols though :)

Coasters

2010-04-12T03:16:00.000-07:00

World of Glass, St. Helen's

2010-04-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

We had the opportunity in November to go glass-blowing at the World of Glass in St. Helen's, and I immediately put my name down as it had been something I had wanted to do since starting the course. We had a fantastic day, taught by some of the best glass-blowers in the country as well as watching them practice what they preached doing demonstrations to the public. During the day I made a paperweight which I absolutely love, all greens and bubbles swirled round together.

I also made a marble and had a go at sand-casting (carving a design into wet sand and pouring molten glass over it). As we had not actually had the chance to blow any glass, at the end of the day they let us have a taste of what it was like and how thin the glass can get. So they gathered glass for us and told us to blow as hard as we could...

This was the bubble I managed to blow, and seconds after the photo was taken it exploded because of the immense pressure inside. The glass was so thin it was extremely flexible and just felt like plastic packaging. Can't wait to go back and do some more! :)

Microwave Cufflinks!

2010-04-02T03:01:00.000-07:00

During a two-week workshop in glass in the first term, we were given a demonstration of microwave kilning. This is where you are able to make small pieces of glass perfect for jewellery by using a microwave kiln and cooking on high power for approximately 8 minutes. It is a very quick process, and you can get some beautiful results. I decided to turn my microwaved glass into cufflinks for a christmas present, and I love the effect.

The blue ones are definitely my favourite, they are transparent and catch the light really well. Plus I just love blue! Would definitely use this process in the future for small presents or even just to make use of any scraps.

First Post

2010-03-28T09:02:00.001-07:00

Just testing and seeing if I like this background!