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Glass fusing is more popular than ever. The originality and quality of work I’m seeing in galleries, on websites and in our fusing groups is amazing. With so many enticing techniques to try it’s tempting to copy other artist’s work.

We all want guarantees that our limited time, hard work and expensive materials will produce dependable, beautiful results every time. And so, we play it safe and continually make the same reliable projects. Or we take the easy route and reproduce other’s work that we find attractive. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can develop your own individual design style. By applying a few simple concepts, your finished work and the time spent creating it will be more rewarding and exciting. 

1. Be Original!

It’s all been done before you argue. How can I be original, you ask? Yes, it’s all been done. But even the simplest techniques seen through your special artist’s lens and executed with your skilled hands can produce all new results.

To advance beyond routine projects begin by examining art that you admire. When you see a piece of art that really speaks to you, study it. Reduce your admiration down to the most basic attribute of the art. What really captures your interest? Is it the color, the shape or the imagery? Take that feature, hold on to it, then put it aside temporarily. Look at another piece of art. Identify the specific characteristic that you find attractive and put that feature aside temporarily. Do this for a third piece of art. Study it until you know exactly what trait appeals to you. Then take those three characteristics and combine them and you’re guaranteed to design your own original art.

2. Shape Up!

One of the fastest and easiest things you can do to make your art stand out is to give it a unique shape.

The most common shape for fused glass projects is the square. Primarily, because it’s economical, there’s no waste. And, because there’s very little cutting, it enables you to get right to the fun stuff, building the design. It’s also popular with beginners and hobbyists with basic cutting skills. By moving away for the square, you immediately increase the visual value of your work.

The rectangle is popular for the same reasons. If you change the shape of your square or rectangle, even slightly, you’re sure to engage the viewer longer.

The circle is traditionally a very pleasing shape. It requires a higher skill level to cut and therefore is more unique. But it also benefits from innovative thinking and a fresh approach to the perimeter shape.

How do you come up with new shapes?

I like to draw quick, no obligation sketches on note book pages. I resist the urge to self-edit or limit the creative flow. The pencil just glides over the paper making a mess of the previously clean white space. The first few sketches usually resemble familiar, safe shapes and designs. But once those are out of my head, suddenly there’s room to be more creative. All new shapes begin to develop.

During these exercises I’m free to draw the impossible.

I then take bits and pieces from the shapes that I find interesting and remix them to create my own new, project profiles. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, I even manage to figure out how to build the impossible ones.

3. Combine Fusible Techniques

Putting it into practice.

The beauty of this approach is the techniques don’t have to be super difficult to have a positive impact on your new work. We all have our favorite, trusted, go-to techniques. Start there.  

Using a complimentary color scheme, make three individual pieces, using three different methods. Cut the pieces up. Reinvent their roles in your art. Move them around. Change the composition a few times. If nothing thrills you, set them aside and let your creative subconscious have a turn.

Don’t force the grouping. I find that once I relieve the pressure to solidify a design, one presents itself. And the new composition is usually one that I otherwise would never have thought of. In cases like this, I believe the physical, ready made pieces guide and influence the discovery of innovative designs. Try it. You’ll be amazed how this abstract assembly opens your mind to fresh ideas.

Trust yourself.    

Design with confidence. Resist the impulse to compare yourself or your work to others. Instead, blaze your own trail and don’t look back. Take pride in your individuality and what you contribute to the craft.

Take risks to further develop your personal design style. Nurture your unique artistic perspective and your creative spirit will flourish.

Happy fusing!
Lisa & Niki

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The magical thing about glass fusing is you can work with the same materials for years and all it takes to fascinate you again is the introduction of a new component. The round Christmas ornament is far from a unique design. But add a new twist, a little bling and amazingly you have a delightfully fresh version of an old favorite.

At this hectic time of year, we’re all looking for fast and flashy projects that make great gifts. These easy to make ornaments are your ticket to wonderfully productive studio time. What makes these simple pieces so attractive is the paring of traditional holiday colors along with lively patterns.

Making the Ornament Bowl

Begin by cutting a 9-inch circle of clear glass for the ornament base. Cut 2 clear pieces of glass to represent the bail of the ornament. Select your murrine and cut it into 1/8-inch-long bits with mosaic nippers. Choose your holiday colors and cut them into strips. Arrange the strips on the clear base. Separate the cut strips with twisted cane. For added interest, include a strip of murrine.

Then, just for fun, rearrange your materials. Try different combinations until you have a pleasing pattern. I love this spontaneous type of assembly as it always produces a more dynamic design than I originally imagined.

Using a 9-inch round paper pattern as a guide, draw the circle shape on the strips and cane with a marker. Cut the strips and cane to fit neatly on the clear base glass. Cut clear dichroic to represent the bail of the ornament.

Cut narrow strips of dichroic on clear. Arrange the dichroic strips on the wide band of color to make the snowflakes. Be sure the dichroic coating side is down so it won’t scratch when the bowl is used.

Place the assembled glass in the kiln on a primed or shelf paper lined kiln shelf. Stack the 2 clear bails beside the circle. Overlap the white and the clear bails with the dichroic bail to bridge the parts when fused.   

Making the Dichroic Ornaments

I plan to use these little beauties as festive spoon rests in the kitchen. The dichroic coating is fragile and will scratch if not protected by clear glass. When making functional art with dichroic glass, I assemble the projects differently. Unlike the first ornament, which was built on a clear base, the base of these small decorations will be made up of pieces. The pieces will then be capped with a single piece of clear glass to ramp up the dichroic colors and protect the coating from scratches. 

Begin by cutting 4-inch circles out of clear glass. Cut 2 bails for each of the ornaments out of clear glass. Set the circles and bails aside. Cut a fun assortment of 4-inch squares of dichroic on black into strips. Rearrange the strips to make four unique ornament designs. Add a few twisted canes for a lacy effect. Turn any textured glass strips over. Using the clear circles as a guide, trace the circle shape on the back of the dichroic strips with a silver marker. Cut the glass and cane to match the circle. Turn the cut glass over and rearrange the strips and cane. Cut a bail for each ornament out of dichroic on clear.

Place the dichroic and cane layer in the kiln on a primed or shelf paper lined kiln shelf. Cap the dichroic glass with the 4-inch clear glass circles. Stack the 2 clear bails beside the glass. Overlap the clear cap and the clear bails with the dichroic bail to bridge the parts when fused.

Full fuse all five ornaments using the guide below.

If any of the circles are uneven, grind the edges as needed to improve the shapes.

Place the fused glass in slumping molds. Slump using the guide below.

I love including functional art in everyday life. And the kitchen, being the hub of family activity that it is, is a great place to enjoy personal, hand-made holiday decorations.

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 differently. Test fire these guides in your kiln, adjust as needed.

Here’s the glass I used to make these ornaments.

Glitzy Ornament Bowl, 9 Inch Round

Oceanside Glasstile 96

Clear, 100SF, 1 Sq. Ft. for Base

White, 200SF, ½ Sq. Ft for Design

Dark Green, 220-76SF, ¼ Sq. Ft for Design

Flame 60-602-96, ½ Sq. Ft. for Design

Twisted Cane, Assorted colors, 17 for Design

Murine, Red, White & Green, 1 for Design

CBS Dichroic on Clear, Scrap

Glitzy Ornament Dishes, 4 Inch Round

CBS Dichroic on Black

Assorted colors, 4 – 4 Inch x 4 Inch for Base Layer

Clear, 100 SF, 1 Sq. Ft for Second Layer

Ceramic Slumping Molds

1 – 10 Inch x 10 Inch Square

4 – 4 Inch x 4 Inch, Square

Happy fusing!
Lisa & Niki

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6” x 8.5”

Let the festivities begin! Fall is a season for celebrating family, friends and feasting. At my house, the dining room table is the center of attention at this time of year. Accordingly, I like to decorate the table with a special piece of art that brings cheerful energy to our gatherings. This brightly colored turkey is the perfect adornment for such joyous occasions. It may look complicated, but it’s actually fast and easy to make.

To get started, cut out the paper pattern with scissors. To make the base, trace the turkey shape on clear glass with a marker. Cut as much of the clear glass as possible by hand. Use a glass saw to detail the inside cuts. The clear base layer can be made up of pieces if you don’t have access to a saw. Grind the clear glass to remove sharp edges and improve the shape.

For the colorful design layer, cut the pattern up with scissors. Affix the paper pieces to the appropriate colored glass with a glue stick. Cut the pieces as closely to the paper as possible. Cut a second turkey body out of patterned dichroic on clear. Then grind the cut glass pieces to improve the shapes and remove any sharp edges.

Place the clear base on a second pattern. Apply a small amount of fuser’s glue to the clear base and then assemble the colorful design layer on top. Stack the dichroic body on top. Allow the glue to dry until the pieces are secure. If you move to the next step too soon, the glass pieces will slide around when you apply the frit. This causes blurred edges that I feel distract from the design.

Using a spoon, pour a small amount of fine frit onto the turkey. Work the frit down into any gaps with a paint brush. This step gives the finished artwork a nice added detail. I selected a complimentary yellow to highlight this bold color palate. When using this technique, I intentionally pick fine frit instead of powder. The excess fine frit is easier to clean off the surface of the project than powder which tends to stick.

Next add a dichroic dot for an eye and a yellow triangle for a beak. Now for a little bling. Nip wavy Firestrips to size and place them on the turkey’s feathers for a flashy zinger.

The assembled turkey is fused and then slumped over a barrel shaped mold. The slumped turkey is then glued to the front of the clear candle shelter. Colored fused glass strips cover the remainder of the clear candle shelter to give it a festive flare all the way around.

Using a strip cutter cut 16 strips total ½” wide, 5 7/8” long out of red, orange and green glass. Cut 16 strips of iridized clear the same size. Stack the clear iridized strips on the color strips.

Fuse the turkey and strips to a full fuse temperature using the guide below.

Slump the fused turkey over the ceramic mold.

Glue the slumped turkey to the clear candle shelter with E6000 adhesive. Tape the fused glass to the clear shelter to ensure it doesn’t slide off. Let the glue dry overnight.

Glue the fused glass strips to the remainder of the clear shelter. Tape them in place. Let the glue dry overnight.

Double duty. This fancy turkey project can be used as a candle holder or a flower vase. Either way, it’s a beautiful seasonal addition to any decor.

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 differently. Test fire these guides in your kiln and then make adjustments as needed.

Oceanside 96 Glass

100SF Clear for the turkey base layer, ½ Sq. Ft.

Oceanside 96 Glass

60-2700-96 Orange/Clear for turkey and strips, ½ Sq. Ft.

60-6120-96 Grenadine/Clear for turkey and strips, ½ Sq. Ft.

60-7550-96-4 Fern Green/Clear for strips, ¼ Sq. Ft.

61-00-96-IR-4 Clear Thin Iridized for strips, 1 Sq. Ft.

F2-2602-96-8 Yellow Opal Frit, Fine

CBS System 96 Dichroic Glass

Pebbles Pattern on Clear 4” x 4”

Wavy “Firestrips”, 2 – 14-inch-long pieces

Tools and Materials

Ceramic Slumping Mold 10 ½” x 9” x 4”

Clear Candle Shelter 6” Tall, 4” Wide, 12” Around

Fuser’s Glue, Marker, Glue Stick, E6000 Adhesive, Masking Tape

Pillar Candle or Flowers

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa & Niki

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Frit is your friend!

Fusing glass is amazing. We fusers cut glass and super heat it to make cool designs all our own. Solid colors make bold projects, but once you start playing with frit and see all the new and exciting possibilities, you’ll be eager to add this small material to all your big projects.   

Frit is crushed fusible glass. Oceanside Compatible frit comes in 5 grain sizes: powder, fine, medium, course and mosaic. Each size is available in 8.5 oz. and 4 lb. jars. Each frit size has unique visual characteristics that you can push to ramp up your fused glass projects. Let’s go over the many possibilities one size at a time.

Powder

Powder has the silky consistency of confectioners’ sugar. It appears smooth and has uniform color coverage after fusing. Powder can be used as filler between cut glass pieces, to add shading, to add patterns and even as a repair tool. I use powder when I want super strong color saturation along with multiple color blends.

Shere Power is a great example. Wherever I wanted tight control over my line quality and solid color saturation, I used cut glass to represent the design. The cut glass was fixed to a clear base glass with fuser’s glue. The glue keeps the pieces from moving when applying the frit. Once the glue was dry, I poured powder frit between the pieces and blended the colors with a wide, dry paint brush and a palate knife. The blended powders give the art a beautiful painterly quality that dramatically contrasts with the solid color fields surrounding it.

Other fun uses include using powder to add shadows to a solid base color. Apply medium and dark green powder on top of light green glass to add shading to your design. Or sift the powder over a stencil to add a crisp and intricate pattern to your project.

One of my favorite uses for powder is to fill inconvenient gaps between my cut glass pieces. Think of it like grouting tile. It’s easy and affective. Work a small amount of powder into the gaps with a narrow paint brush. For added pop, use a bright color that contrasts your design’s color palate.

Powder Pros: It’s fast and easy to create subtle or dramatic color blends that support your specific creative vision. Adding shading and pattern is a snap.    

Powder Cons: Cleanup is time consuming. The powder requires meticulous cleanup to ensure the surrounding solid glass color isn’t muddied. After removing any excess power with a brush, I go over the surface of the glass with the corner of a damp towel or a damp Q-tip depending upon the size of the surface area being cleaned. 

Tips for working with powder.

Don’t be skimpy when you use powder frit. For bright vivid colors, it’s necessary to fill the space between your cut glass pieces to the top edge, in effect making the frit 1/8 inch thick. 

Be daring and use high contrast colors, they display better in the finished piece.

Opal glass colors tend to give a more dramatic effect than transparent colors. 

Know your glass colors. Powder frit specifically, looks lighter in the jar than the actual glass color. Light blue and dark blue look the same just as transparent light green and opal dark green look the same. If you’re not sure of the intensity or opacity of a powder, look at a larger size frit like, medium or course. Or find a piece of sheet glass with the same color code number, compare it to the frit and the frit color and shade will be obvious.

Powder in high concentration, like in a casting mold, looks milky after fusing. If you want to use powder in a mold, layer it with clear in medium, course or mosaic size frit. Using this technique will improve the transparency of the cast glass project.

Fine Frit

Fine frit has the consistency of granulated sugar. It appears grainy, like small uniform dots after fusing. Like powder, fine can be used to fill gaps between cut pieces of glass. The larger grain size makes it faster and easier to clean up than powder. Fine is also great for shading when you want a slight textural look to the shadows.

Fine Pros: Cleanup is fast and easy. In the same application, it takes less material to do the same job with fine than it does with powder. Fine is a great filler to use between larger frit. It gives you complete color coverage and prevents the base glass from peeking through.

Fine Cons: Color blends within this same size have a grainy appearance after fusing.   

Tips for working with Fine.

Use both transparent and opal frit glasses together for greater visual depth and to create shading.

Use fine frit together with other frit sizes to produce visual textures.

Medium Frit

Medium frit has the texture of course sand. When fused, medium frit retains the sand-like visual appearance. I use this size frit when I want to fill in larger areas with strong color quickly. It can also be used to create shading and color blends provided you welcome variations in the coverage which depend on how much frit or how little frit is applied.

Medium Pros:  Medium frit provides you with quick, easy coverage of large areas with strong color saturation.

Medium Cons: This frit has a grainy look, and the base glass may peek through the frit unless your layer is thick.

Tips for working with Medium.

Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to create shading.

Use medium and fine frit together for new color blends and to add visual texture.

Course Frit

Course frit has the consistency of small pebbles. The pebble look remains after fusing. This frit is great for filling large areas where you want visual texture to contrast solid fields elsewhere in the project.

Course Pros: Course frit covers a lot of area fast, and it leaves an appealing pattern behind after firing.

Course Cons: The base glass will be visible between this larger size grain.I fill in around course with both medium and fine frit to intensify the color and hide the base.

Tips for working with Course.

Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to create shading.

Use fine and medium frit together with course to produce pleasing textures.

Mosaic Frit

Mosaic has a wide variety of glass shapes and sizes within the jar. This frit leaves a vein-like impression after fusing. I use mosaic size when I have a lot of space to fill and when I want to create an organic pattern.

Tips for working with Mosaic.

Clear glass layered on top of a color dilutes the color below. It’s like adding water to paint. I like to put clear mosaic pieces on top of select elements in my work to create subtle, lighter variations in the original glass color.

During assembly, glue the mosaic pieces down with fusers glue so they don’t move when you fill in the spaces in between.

Use both transparent and opal glasses in combination for greater visual depth and to build interest.

Use fine, medium and course frit to fill gaps and produce interesting color combinations and exciting textures.

Put it all Together.

Frit is a terrific medium for making landscapes or other images where you want to create an engaging depth of field. In nature, objects in the distance are lighter in color, and they visually have less detail. When making landscapes, I use the different frit sizes to emphasize those subtle differences.

I use powder to render the sky because I can get smooth, gradual color changes. I use fine frit to create the tree line and other filler foliage in the distance. The grain size stands out in front of the powder and yet doesn’t compete with the foreground. Medium frit works well for the mid-range elements that require more intricate detail, like bushes or flowers. Course frit is well suited for objects in the foreground, such as flowering plants or sweeping trees. These design elements carry more visual weight and tie the design together. Mosaic frit is great for specific up-close subject matter like a path or bridge. Such solid, recognizable focal points lure the viewer into the design.

Oceanside Compatible frit comes packed in 8.5 oz. and 4 lb. jars. For the larger sizes like course and mosaic you may consider crushing your own frit. The advantage to working from the jars though, is you have uniform sizes within the jars and one single color throughout. Plus, there’s no risk of contaminants like dirt or metal shavings that are present when you crush your own glass. Personally, I prefer to jump right into the design and fabrication phases rather than spend time swinging a hammer and sifting glass.

I hope this round-up entices you to start incorporating frit in your new work. It is such a versatile and easy to apply material. You will love the creative flexibility it affords.

Happy fusing!
Lisa & Niki

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What does sculptural fused glass mean anyway?

Sculptural fused glass is the creation of three-dimensional forms that rise above a flat plane. Artists create 3-D works by using multiple methods and techniques with complete freedom of materials and process. 

Sounds exciting, right? All you have to do is stand your art up and it’s miraculously sculptural. Sure, you can do that. The word “sculptural” sounds exotic. Add it to any piece of art and suddenly it has a mysterious aura surrounding it, and a significantly higher perceived value. But like most really exceptional work that looks easy, there’s more to making impressionable art than just erecting a flat piece of fused glass.

The real difference between art and craft is the depth of immersion the creator puts into the creation of their art.

Hobbyists copy. They follow outlined directions and build pretty pieces according to a pre-tested recipe. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with doing that. Hobbyists want to know they’ll be successful and have beautiful results. Especially after all the time and money they’ve spent on a pastime.

I’m a hobbyist when it comes to other popular activities like singing, flower arranging and astronomy. That’s how we learn. By following the pros and picking up their tricks, we learn how to make things we’re proud of and admire.

And if you become hooked, maybe you take your hobby a step further. You try new techniques and experiment by mixing techniques or combining ideas that inspire you. This is the threshold of advanced learning and the blossoming of self-discovery. You wonder, what can I do? What can I make? How far can I go? And the real question is, what am I capable of, artistically?

Hobbyists often start a hobby to relax and enjoy quiet time. They are content to stay in the shallows where it’s safe and they are successful. And that’s admirable. 

Artists, on the other hand, take their commitment more seriously. They’re drawn to a medium by an invisible magnet. From the start they’re compelled to learn as much as possible about that art form. They have every intention of progressing, to work on bigger, better, more advanced projects. They head for the deep end without looking back and, sink or swim, give it all they have. 

What does this have to do with sculptural fused glass?

Sculptural fused glass is the product of such artists. They’re the ones who go above and beyond. They challenge convention and push boundaries.

You may think it takes extensive experience and an impressive glass studio to be one of those pioneers. You’d be wrong. Your most valuable assets are a positive attitude, insatiable curiosity, and a fearless willingness to try. Just try. Trying is worthy of celebration and cheers.

How to get started.

I recommend making small 2 inch x 2 inch samples using different, new techniques that intrigue you. This gives you construction and firing experience with these new methods to see how they fire in your kiln. Then consider mixing methods that you’d usually do independently. Take these component pieces and cut them up. Then put them back together in a new way.

Slump plain clear fusible glass over molds in unique ways. Try combining different shapes to make sculptural groupings all your own. Again, start small. You can always take a successful project larger. Once you have a winning combo slump your component pieces the same way.  

Take notes and pictures so you can repeat your successes and learn from mistakes.

Your biggest obstacle is likely you. Get out of your own way. Start small. Make tiny changes. Results are results. They don’t have to be monstrous to have enormous value.

If you’ve come this far in your craft, if you’re continually seeking inspiration, knowledge and community, I believe you have it in you to create your own unique sculptural fused glass.

Want to jump start your sculptural glass fusing? Join me Tuesday October 12, 2021 for my Fused Glass Sculpture Webinar.

You got this!  

Happy Fusing!

Lisa

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