To this day, after 45 years as a teaching professional, people still don’t take my job seriously. They think because I call myself an artist, I don’t actually do any real work. Recently a distant aunt said, “It’s so nice you’re doing something with your hobby.” She’s old, she meant well, and she lives far away. She doesn’t get it. I understand. But I still felt compelled to validate my career choice by rattling off the numerous tasks I do to keep my business going and my career relevant.
I’m guessing a lot of you have experienced the, deer in the headlight look from someone after revealing that you’re an artist. “Oh. That’s cool,” they say. Then they panic and look for the easiest escape route. Then, while you’re punching your password, they ditch you before you can prove your worth with the pictures stored on your phone. I get you.
We’re artists. We’re proud. We’re a strong, viable community. And we work hard.
Just because we love what we do doesn’t mean we’re not business minded. Our attitude about our trade is just more abstract.
With our plight in mind, I’ve compiled some tips you might use to assert your profession.
5 Tips: How to be Taken Serious as an Artist
1Wear flamboyant clothes. Billowy and bright make the best statement. Finding flashy garb is easy. Head to the back of the store; it’s hanging on the deep, deep discount rack.
2Think like an indecisive squirrel crossing the road.In conversation, don’t be shy. Speak your creative ideas and random thoughts freely, uncensored. Having two sentences follow the same train of thought is for geeks. (No offense to geeks; I respect their straightforward approach to fixing my computer.)
3Have crazy hair. The wilder the better. Let it go. Give your straight iron to your accountant.
4Explain to friends, in detail the deeper meaning of a wet lump of clay.
5Surround yourself with original art that speaks to you. Don’t fall prey to mainstream home decor picked by an interior designer from a catalog for the masses. If you really want to make a statement and show how invested you are to your profession, display your own colorful art with pride.
You got this!
Happy Fusing!
Lisa
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With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d share a new heart design idea. This dichroic dazzler is made with a fun variety of fusible materials that I had in my studio. It’s fast and easy to make.
Hearts are the universal symbol of love. Because I love glass fusing, the heart is a pattern I enjoy repeating often to bring unique beauty to an old favorite.
The wonderful thing about this simple, easily recognizable shape is it can be made using a variety of fusing techniques and always promises spectacular results.
Day to shine.
Take my lead. Search your studio for small, colorful scraps of fusible glass left behind to shine another day. Collect cut offs and odd pieces you knew would come in handy. The beauty of this project is it transforms mismatched leftovers into sparkling, hanging pieces of art.
I gathered miscellaneous fusible materials that I knew would bring attention to my design. I used dichroic pinwheels for my anchor design details. The delicate circular patterns add visual interest and sparkle to the design. Dichroic Firestrips add flash and playful diagonal lines. The twisted cane adds striking color and a three-dimensional quality to the bouncy grouping. The characteristic round shape of the murrini adds structure and direction that encourages the viewer to interact with the assorted materials.
How-to assemble.
Cut the base glass shape out of clear glass. Grind the glass to improve the shape and remove any sharp edges. Clean the clear glass before stacking glass on top. Select your anchor design details. These are the flashy accents that make this piece unique. Arrange the anchor pieces on the clear glass base. Glue them down with fuser’s glue. I use Elmer’s White School Glue. I apply the smallest amount of glue possible with the tip of a toothpick.
Design tips for pro quality results.
Attention to detail matters. Cut or nip small glass pieces to fill in the background. Layout the pieces with purpose to give the art structure and create design continuity. Don’t just dump scrap on top. Plan the background design with care. Make curved patterns, stripes, or rows of dots. This is key if you want a polished piece and not a messy mosaic.
Fill in as much of the background as possible. This type of assembly delivers consistent project thickness and uniform edge quality after fusing.
Hanging Made Easy
Handy Hangers are a great quick solution for making hanging fused glass art. They’re compact and strong. Just tuck the hangers between glass layers leaving the loop accessible. Fuse the glass project as usual.
Link the three hearts together with wire rings or string. Tie a string to the top loop and hang your beautifully crafted art with pride and confidence.
If you’re lucky, you have already made or purchased gifts for your family and friends. If not, I’m sure you’re busy preparing for your holiday get togethers. With that in mind, I’m sharing a bright, wintery project to usher your creative spirit into the new year. This way, when the time comes to get back to your studio you’ll have a fun, easy project waiting for you to enjoy.
Cardinals are a bright, cheerful sight in the peaceful winter months.
This colorful little fellow will bring joy to your home all season long. And you’ll love how fast and easy this delightful project is to make.
Let’s get started.
Detailed projects like this one are easier to make if you work from a pattern. Preparing the pattern may seem tedious, but the increase in accuracy and fit really improve the overall quality of your finished project. Plus, patterns make more elaborate designs manageable, so even the most intricate design is still fun to build.
Make two copies of the pattern and then number the patterns. (Timesaver Tip: Number the pattern before making the copy. Don’t be like me and forget to do it before heading to the glass studio 🙂
To maintain consistency in the thickness of the finished art, this freeform shaped project is made with two layers of glass. Using the pattern as a guide, cut the base layer out of clear glass. Cut the oval shape first. Then cut clear pieces for the tips of the pine needles that extend outside the oval shape. Cutting these little pieces, and adding this extra step, ensures that the narrow pine needles will keep their shape during firing. Without the clear base, they’ll shrink disproportionality to the rest of the project and be fragile after fusing.
Now that the base is cut, let’s move on to the second layer. Cut blue glass for the sky to the same shape and size as the clear oval base. Grind the cut glass to remove any sharp edges and improve the shape.
Use scissors to cut one paper pattern into the freeform shape. Draw a line around the pattern on a primed kiln shelf, or on a fiber paper lined shelf. Arrange the clear base pieces on the shelf inside the pencil line.
Set the shelf and assembled glass aside.
Here comes the fun part, cutting the pine needles and cardinal. Cut the pattern up. Glue the pine needle pieces on green glass with a glue stick. Cut around the pieces, cutting them as close as possible to the edge without running into the paper. Remove the excess glass with pliers.
Glue the cardinal pattern pieces to red glass. Cut the cardinal out. Grind the cut glass to improve the shape and the fit of the pieces. Remove the wet pattern from the ground glass. Clean and dry the glass with a towel. Arrange the bird and pine needles on the spare pattern and set aside.
For a fun added detail, use a paper punch to make snowflake shaped flurries. Press the snowflakes out of Thinfire fiber paper. Scatter the snowflakes on the clear base. Stack the blue on top sealing the snowflakes between the layers. (FYI: I have not tried this encasing technique with other fiber papers. If you use a different paper your results may vary.)
Using the paper pattern and pencil line as a guide, stack the pine needles and cardinal on the glass. Hold the pieces in place with a small amount of fuser’s glue. This keeps the pieces from moving when you carry the kiln shelf and glass to the kiln. Spoon white frit on the pine needles to represent snow. Use a small paint brush to clean up the top edge of the snow. Sprinkle a little white frit on the blue sky. For a little sparkle, place white dichroic frit on top of the snow and on the sky.
Fire the assembled glass to a full fuse temperature using the guide available on my website.
I love the crisp, vibrant colors of the finished piece and the extra detail the encased fiber paper gives the sky. The Thinfire shrunk lightly during firing and left a delicate star shaped, snowflake pattern in the background. The sparkly dichroic frit adds a little magic to this winter wonderland.
This season when you’re feeling the icy chill of cold winter days, create your own warmth. Snuggle up to your kiln and make this cheery Cardinal and Pine Tree.
This pattern is just one of many seasonal delights you can make in the book Home for the Holidays now available as a download on my website.
At this over scheduled time of year, we’re all longing for the peace and tranquility we associate with more studio time. Well here’s your excuse to log in more hours with your glass cutter and kiln. Don’t let these charming projects fool you; these flashy little beauties are fun, fast and easy to make. Plus, they make great gifts for family and friends.
You’re a Mean One Plate
These darling plates are great for table decorations or for serving sweet treats. The dishes photographed here measure 10-inch by 10-inch. But these smart designs also look terrific in 12-inch or 8-inch sizes. Feel free to adjust the size to fit any slumping mold you may have.
Star of David
To make these seasonal plates, cut a 10-inch by 10-inch piece of clear fusible glass for the base layer. Select your design and glass colors. Cut the design layer using the specific pattern you selected as a guide. Glue the design layer on top of the base layer with a small amount of fusers glue, or another appropriate adhesive. Set the project aside to let the glue dry. (I like to use a tiny amount of white Elmer’s school glue and apply it with a tooth pick. This glue dries fast and when used in tiny amounts burns off without a trace.) Using the pattern as a guide, cut the accent pieces that make up the design you selected. Grind the cut accent pieces for a nice, clean fit. Clean the glass with water and then dry it with a towel. (I prefer to use water over detergents or other solvents that could leave residue that might burn onto the glass surface during fusing.) Glue the accent pieces to the design layer with fusers glue. Let the glue dry before moving to the next step.
Christmas Tree
For Cookies for Santa, Star of David and You’re a Mean One, select the appropriate power frit colors. Wearing a dust mask, sift your chosen powder evenly over the glass. Using a small dry paint brush or the tip of a pencil draw your message in the frit like you would draw in the sand. Remove any frit that might have fallen on the surrounding glass pieces with the dry paint brush.
Snowman
Chill out with this friendly winter visitor. This plate is fast and easy to make no frit needed.
Full fuse and then slump your plates using my firing guides available on my website.
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
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