Flame Working

I am absolutely thrilled about my glass classes. I started off enthusiastic and unsure of myself, and have just developed enough skill to feel proud about my work. Even as I type this, I am dressed in business casual attire and wearing a piece I made that happens to match my outfit. It somehow came out pink even though I don't have any pink glass. Not sure what happened, but I am happy with the result!

One of the first things I learned to make was a spiral pendant. This one has a loop made from pulling out part of the pendant itself. I had never done this before; all of my other loops are made by adding glass to form a loop. You'll see this below. This spiral includes a glow-in-the-dark color. (Sorry about the reflections in the surface - I'll find a better place to photograph my pieces next time.)

After sprial pendants, we learned to make implosions. This rather time-consuming method creates three-dimensional "petals" inside the pendant. Artists often arrange them to look like flowers, but not always. Here is an example of each, both containing glow-in-the-dark glass. Please remember the three white streaks in each are reflections of the lights and aren't actually part of the pieces.

Marbles are the most difficult things we learned to make back in the beginning class. They can take hours to shape into perfect spheres, especially the larger ones. I put a reverse spiral inside this one, it starts off in one direction then goes the other way. I never made another marble because this one took so long to make.

I am thoroughly enjoying the sculptural side of this class, despite the fact that this is the area in which I need the most improvement. I am actually very good at making turtles although I have no pictures to show for it due to the fact that I have given away every turtle I've made that didn't break.

My favorite things to make right now are glass flowers. They are simple to make in many ways, and at the same time can be rather difficult because they are prone to cracking as the artist focuses on one area and forgets to keep the whole flower hot. Here are some of the flowers I've made:

One of the most difficult things to make in flame working is a ring because of the tensions in the glass as it is pulled into a circle. Rings are highly prone to cracking, just like flowers, so what did I decide to do? ...combine them, of course! As an artist shapes a ring, the ends of the glass left behind look leaf-like before they are removed. I decided to leave them in place and add a miniature flower. This is something I have been attempting all quarter and have finally only yesterday managed to produce. The small white center of the clear glass flower glows in the dark.

These are only a few of the kinds of things I have made. I've been badgered for pictures, so here they are! Enjoy.