Functional Fused Glass!

Land Sea Sky

 This recent commission offered a unique opportunity to really exploit the properties of the medium of kiln-fired glass.

 The location is a small home in Huntsville.  Openings had been cut in interior walls to allow natural light to move through the home.  These “interior windows” open into the main living space from a bedroom and a bathroom, so the owners understandably wanted a solution that would provide privacy, look good from both sides, and still let the light flow.
 

Fused glass has a slightly “pebbled” surface on one side from being fired on a clay shelf in the kiln.  This subtle texture obscures the transparency of the glass, so for bathrooms especially, fused glass is an ideal window treatment.

The panels are 37 and 43 inches tall, and just 10 inches wide.  These are challenging proportions to design for. We decided on a beach theme for one piece, and Birches for the second.

For the beach theme I worked impressionistically, incorporated vitreous paint and chunks of glass for texture suggestive of cresting waves, watery depths, and an ambiguous horizon line blending into sky.

Spring Birches

I’ve done birch themed fused glass on many occasions, and each one has its own character.  I particularly like the cheerful Spring colours, and the texture in the birch bark, achieved with vitreous paint and frit.

Spring Birches detail

Apsley Autumn Studio Tour

In about a week I will be packing up my work and hitting the road for Apsley Ontario to exhibit at the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour.  This is an outstanding studio tour with many talented artists and artisans eager to open their studios and share their work with the public.   I am a regular guest artist at my friend Molly Moldovan’s painting studio, and I’m looking forward both to seeing her recent work and to meeting the many people who will be coming through the door on their own art adventure.

Pictured is my studio set up for my own recent studio tour, and a few pieces in the kiln awaiting their final firing before heading to Apsley. 

 My “Northern Lights” themed pieces are very popular. When completed,the ones below be free-standing art pieces in iron stands, like the pieces on the right in the image above.

in the kiln for "fire polish" firing

Finally, is a piece that I just composed but is not yet fired.  It will look completely different after it’s fired, ground, polished and mounted.  Meet me at studio “M”, September 16 & 17 and see how it turns out!

A Successful Collaboration

HFA Award

Earlier this year, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts, a cornerstone of culture in Huntsville, decided to celebrate the convergence of its own 25^th anniversary with Canada’s 150th, by recognizing the contributions of its volunteers and sponsors with a specially commissioned award.  Both sculptor Brenda Wainman Goulet and I were invited to make proposals, and we decided to offer a joint project, incorporating my glass and Brenda’s sculpture together in one work.  The prototype was received with favour, a final design was approved, and production began on 25 small sculptures in our two separate studios.  

The sculptures, now known as HFA Awards, incorporate a musical note (representing the Festival) embossed in a glass Northern Lights sky, mounted in an iconic northern landscape sculpture. Each glass component was individually made, so they have variations while maintaining a consistent overall appearance.  They were presented at the Festival’s season opening on July 5^th,, at a concert by The Canadian Brass.

detail showing embossed note

the completed glass pieces

2017 recipients of the HFA Award

Brenda and I have both created commissioned art for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts in the past, and it was an honour to have the opportunity to contribute once again.