Back in the Studio

 

Sunday, June 10, 2012 – Back in the Studio

After a break of many, many months, I finally got back to doing some art this afternoon.   I went down to the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton and worked on a fused glass piece.  It’s a medium that’s relatively new to me although I’ve always been attracted to the translucence of glass.  Many years ago (in my Boston days), I did some work in stained glass (small leaded windows).  Those pieces are currently packed away in a closet in the house, where they’re covered with a thick layer of dust.   In the intervening years, I’ve turned my attention to painting, drawing, and collage.  I’d never even heard of fused glass until I visited the Workhouse Arts Center a couple of years ago.  As soon as I could, I signed up for a workshop.  In the fall of 2010, created my first pieces of kiln-fired fused glass, two serving dishes.

Unfortunately, due to other responsibilities and our travel schedule, I had to delay taking another workshop until this month.  My four hours in the studio today were exhilarating.  Doing creative work of any kind makes me feel young again.  That’s not surprising – think of Elliott, devoting himself to art full-time when he reached his late fifties.  It almost certainly helped him remain youthful in mind, body, and spirit as the years went by. 

The piece I started today is an 8-inch square, photographed on the workbench at the glasshouse.  Before I left, I put it into the kiln for firing.  The extremely high temperatures will cause the glass pieces to fuse together.  For this particular piece, a second firing, using a mold, will produce a “draped” shape.  Working in the medium of fused glass requires a lot of technical knowledge that I’m just beginning to acquire.  I couldn’t have made this progress in fused glass without the assistance of my instructor, David Barnes, a wonderfully talented glass artist.  If you live in the area, you can stop by the glasshouse and see several examples of his work, along with work by other glass artists.  It’s a great place to find unique gifts.  

 This is the piece I worked on today.  It's ready for firing.

These are the two pieces I did a couple of years ago.  They got their finished shape from a process called slumping.