glass

Glassmaking: Morganica (Cynthia Morgan) demonstrates the technical and creative challenges of making art using glass through fused glass, coldworking, and experimentation. Primarily focused on the casting of glass, including pate de verre and reservoir casting, she also discusses less-used kinformed glass techniques such as tack-fusing, kilncarving, and pattern-bar development.

24 03, 2007

Making color samples for pate de verre

2017-10-07T17:34:07-07:00

My color dilemma has me making more and more color samples for my glasswork. As I mentioned in my reactivities post, I do color samples in two ways. For regular kilnwork I make shallow clear glass trays with superglue, fill the tray cells with measured frit quantities, and wind up with 6mm color sample charts that are immensely useful when figuring out color-matching and what reacts with which. The set I'm working on now, though, are for pate de verre, and they look at depth and texture as well as color.

Making color samples for pate de verre2017-10-07T17:34:07-07:00
16 03, 2007

Stumpbowl completed: lessons learned

2020-02-10T15:35:49-08:00

So StumpBowl, my first playing around exercise in a long while, is done and I think I have managed to create the vitreous equivalent of the hooked rug. Humpftt. I've learned some valuable lessons, though.

Stumpbowl completed: lessons learned2020-02-10T15:35:49-08:00
11 03, 2007

Five Finger #1: Stumpbowl

2016-11-06T05:43:55-08:00

I'm taking a brief hiatus from my pate de verre while I figure out where I'm taking color in casting. Sometimes when I get stuck, playing around with the glass helps me kickstart work in the problem area. So...I'm playing, and I'm trying to concentrate more on texture than color. Hence Stumpbowl.

Five Finger #1: Stumpbowl2016-11-06T05:43:55-08:00
7 03, 2007

Emerging 1 and keeping it real

2016-05-16T01:01:54-07:00

Sometimes making the obvious easier makes other things much more difficult. These days I'm wondering if letting the glass manufacturer (in this case Bullseye) do all the work is really a good idea. I think the biggest challenge of working with kilnformed glass is that you often take the final appearance of your work on faith, since the glass may change radically between its cold assembly and the final firing.

Emerging 1 and keeping it real2016-05-16T01:01:54-07:00
3 01, 2007

Bad glass day

2016-05-18T14:55:46-07:00

I decided to see if I could do one of the most basic operations--putting a foot on a piece--during the slumping process. So I chose Bullseye's square glass bowl, a fairly deep slumping mold, built a foot at the bottom of it, and slumped a blank over it. Didn't work. The bowl looks exactly the way I anticipated...but it cracked on three of four corners. Drat.

Bad glass day2016-05-18T14:55:46-07:00
23 12, 2006

Reactivities

2020-06-21T13:37:31-07:00

Molten glass will respond to minute changes in temperature (that's how glassblowing works), to the atmosphere and to the presence of other substances. That’s why melting glass together doesn’t always deliver the same color as stacking the glasses cold. Red plus white may just equal black.

Reactivities2020-06-21T13:37:31-07:00
29 11, 2006

12 days of Glassmass

2017-07-29T20:52:57-07:00

Whether you celebrate the Christian/pagan day or not, best wishes for a festive holiday season, and much hope and joy for the last 5 days of the year and the 365 to follow. Here's what should be the last of my fractured carols for 2010: The 12 days of Glassmass On the first day of Glassmass my true love gave [...]

12 days of Glassmass2017-07-29T20:52:57-07:00
21 11, 2006

The last of the ring mottles

2016-05-15T15:17:40-07:00

A ring mottle is not some wierd kind of pigeon. It's a type of patterned colored glass used by some of the best-known stained glass artisans in history, i.e., Tiffany, LaFarge, etc. (I believe Tiffany's studio invented ring mottle, but don't quote me.) The ring mottles are gorgeous when you see them in person but I don't think they photograph [...]

The last of the ring mottles2016-05-15T15:17:40-07:00
18 11, 2006

Mom’s making her own glass

2016-11-06T05:43:54-08:00

Held an informal workshop in my studio a few weeks ago--enjoyed it very much and my "students" appeared to get a kick out of it as well--and Mom suggested that she would like to do some glasswork, too. She's a terrific ceramic artist; some of the pieces she's thrown for my birthday/Christmas gifts are among the favorites in my collection. Ceramic artists have a pretty ingrained understanding of the effects of heatwork, and we've often discussed the differences between ceramics and glass in that respect, so I figured she'd take to it. She did, like a duck to water.

Mom’s making her own glass2016-11-06T05:43:54-08:00
20 10, 2006

Studio tour

2016-05-14T22:13:09-07:00

One problem with being addicted to creating glass art is that it's not exactly a compact hobby. Coldworking equipment (grinders, laps, rociprolaps, saws, etc) take up considerable space and create a lot of mess, kilns also require some space, and you need somewhere to store extra sheet and frit glass, molds, mold-making materials and supplies, kiln furniture, tubs of abrasive [...]

Studio tour2016-05-14T22:13:09-07:00
Copyright © 2024 Cynthia Morgan | All Rights Reserved
No part of this website may be copied, borrowed, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the author (me).

Or, to put it in plain English, folks: Ask first. This blog is first and foremost a personal journal, a chronicle of my work with a fairly difficult technical medium. I'm happy (thrilled, even) to share what I know, and I'll help you with your own journey all I can... as long as you respect my groundrules.

I don't sell ads, products or services, and unless disclosed I buy all products/services mentioned in this blog, with my own money. I don't claim to have invented processes, tools, new artforms, or techniques (unless I specifically say so). HOWEVER, my writing and art (and any errors of fact or fiction) are my very own, original work. Don't blame anyone but me if I get it wrong.
Go to Top