10” x 10”
Dish up sweet fun with this refreshingly fun wood tone berry bowl.
Breaking free from the ho-hum square is easy when you start thinking beyond the limitations of four straight sides. The fastest and easiest way to jazz up any project is to give it a unique shape. The shape doesn’t have to be super complex to get attention. Just add a little unexpected something to the edge and you’ll have a project that everyone admires.
The bulk of my projects are assembled on a single, solid base layer of clear glass. The second, design layer is usually made up of pieces that create a pattern. The third layer is minimal and made with a few accent pieces. This type of construction is convenient because I can comfortably put the project together on my worktable and then simply carry it to the kiln when it’s ready to be fired. It’s a quick easy way to build strong pieces, but the straightforward perimeter shape can lack originality.
For this project we’re going to break tradition and shake things up with an irregular edge that flatters our sweet strawberries. In this type of construction, the base layer and the design layer are both made up of multiple pieces. What makes this project even more unique is that we’ll use the same pattern to make both the base and design layers. We simply cut the base layer out of clear glass and the second layer out of a warm colored streaky glass that mimics aged wood.
To make this project, the clear base layer is cut and assembled on a primed, or shelf paper lined, kiln shelf. The design layer is cut and then turned 90 degrees, so the glass overlaps the breaks in the base layer. It’s then stacked on top of the base layer.
Now for the sweet part. The red strawberries and green leaves are cut according to the pattern. They’re ground to improve the rounded shapes. The strawberry’s seeds are detailed by applying black paint with a fine applicator tip. Next, the berries and leaves are arranged on top of the brown glass.
For added color and a nice linear detail I bent yellow stringers in a candle. The stringers represent a wild vine. I bent them and placed them so they would frame the bowl.
Bending stringers is fun and easy. The trick is to hold the stinger in the candle flame and apply a little pressure until the glass bends. Then move the stringer through the flame until you have a shape you like. Keep in mind, the stringer will be hot within an inch of the flame. And, it’s a lot hotter than you think, and a lot longer than you think it should be. I bend a bunch and set them aside, so I’m not tempted to pick the bent stringers up before they’re cool to the touch.
The bent stringers are sized by snapping them by hand. The pieces are then arranged decoratively around the berries. The assembled glass is full fused and then slumped in a square mold.
Fusing Guide
Segment 1: Ramp 300 F/hr to 1300 and hold 30 min.
Segment 2: Ramp 500F/hr to 1465 and hold 10 min.
Segment 3: Ramp 9999(AFAP*) to 960 and hold 40 min.
Segment 4: Cool to room temperature.
*As fast as possible
Slumping Guide
Segment 1: Ramp 300 F/hr to 1265 and hold 10 min.
Segment 2: Ramp 9999(AFAP*) to 960 and hold 40 min.
Segment 3: Cool to room temperature.
*As fast as possible
NOTE: Kilns fire diffidently. Test fire these guides in your kiln and then make adjustments as needed.
Oceanside Glasstile Compatible Glass
100SF Clear for the Base Layer
60-5005-96-4 Chocolate & White Streaky for Design Layer
60-2503-96 Red Opal for Strawberries
60-755-96-4 Green Opal for Leaves
Yellow stringers for Vines
I used black Glassline Lining and Shading Material to make the strawberry seeds.
You got this!
Happy fusing!
Lisa
Follow my blog for more tips and tricks!
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhOifd7wukk
Facebook www.Facebook.com/LisaJVogt
Twitter https://twitter.com/lisajvogt
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lvogt_originalsinglass/
I’m offering a 4-day workshop with a focus on sculptural fused glass. You’re invited to join me and take your fused glass to a sculptural level.
Sculptural Fused Glass, 4-Day, Hands-on Workshop
October 15-18, 2019
Register www.lisavogt.net
Wesley Chapel, Florida, 4-Day, Hands-on, Class size is limited.
This class is for you! Any skill level can attend. Beginner, intermediate and advanced students alike will learn how to advance their glass fusing skills and expand their artistic style.
In this class I’ll show you all the pro tips and tricks I use to make stunning 3-dimnesional art. You’ll learn how to combine advanced techniques in new ways to create extraordinary sculptural pieces of art.
But it’s so much more than that! You’ll get personal instruction. I’ll show you pro tips and tricks to improve your glass cutting. We’ll mix different fusible materials.
On day 1 you’ll make a free flow. You’ll be firing your first project before lunch. Learn how to use Skutt’s Touchscreen Controller and the KilnLink app. Then you’ll design and cut glass for a combed piece.
On day 2 you’ll comb molten glass and weave glass. You’ll love the personalized class structure. You get to pick your own glass colors and get to choose the style and shape of the sculptures you make. I cater the class to each individual student’s skill level, plus their unique needs and artistic goals. I have 35 years’ experience teaching glass art. It’s what I love to do.
On day 3 you’ll design, build and fire your sculptures. You’ll also slump components for complex pieces. I’ll show you how to use slumping molds in new ways to create unique shapes.
On day 4 you’ll put your slumped components together and learn how to photograph your art. In this hands-on class you’ll learn how to load, program and fire kilns. You’ll fuse, slump and tack glass together. Plus, learn how to make graceful glass stands to display your pieces of art.
You’ll love the stunning three-dimensional results you get from combining all these concepts.
Materials are included, that’s a $150.00 value! Plus, a professional photo shot of your artwork is also included.
You’ll leave class with several completed glass sculptures, my custom firing guides and a deeper understanding of sculptural fused glass fabrication. You’ll have the knowledge, confidence and inspiration you’ve been craving to take your artwork to the next level.
Come to my glass studio and we’ll make beautiful sculptural art together. This is the turning-point workshop you’ve been waiting for.
Join me October 15-18, 2019 and we’ll get fired up!
Creative Slumping Webinar
November 19, 2019
In this detailed Webinar, I’ll reshape the way you slump and drape glass. See how thinking outside the box and using readymade molds in new ways offers numerous and exciting opportunities to produce unique forms.
You’ll learn how to make your own graceful, free-form shaped molds from readily available materials with no laborious measuring or messy mixes needed. Taking you one step further, I’ll show you how to use these different approaches, in combination, to transform ordinary projects into inspiring, sculptural pieces of art!
Watch it NOW! Start fusing today!
Downloadable instructional videos for every skill level.
Check out my eBooks for elegant patterns and detailed fusing instructions.
This looks like a fun easy project! Hope I can manage to follow & do a strawberry plate like yours!
It’s easier than it looks. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.