Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 11

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 10 - results

So here is the what that stack of 8 layers of glass looks like after the firing.  

And then After the diamond saw.

Colour tests for parasitoid.

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 10

Slumping (sagging, bending) and block stack. for Bullseye/Spectrum glass.

The golden rule in slumping is "stay lower longer". Slumping takes place at a lower temperature than a full fuse, though higher temperatures will pick up more mould detail.

The thicker the glass the lower the temperature (weight does it for you) Temp range 590-670C.

Hold range 10-20 minutes..if it's not working..hold temp for longer before going up.

annealing schedule is the same as fusing and remember all kilns are different.

 Primer / release / batwash

50% Kaolin 50%  alumina hydrate

Whiting is Calcium carbonate.

 

Material	Product ex.	Pros	Cons	Release / primer
Stainless steel	Woks, sheet metal, found objects, corrugated sheets	Lasts for a long time		Must	Warm metal in sun, thin mix with metho. Liquid dries on application.
mild steel	Found objects		Flakes disintergrates over time and corrodes	Must	“” as above
Aluminium		Melts at a low temp – do not use
Galvanized metal		Gal finish is toxic – do not use
Cast iron		Probable thermal shock use with caution
plaster / silica	Hand made moulds 1:1:1 Plaster:silica:water	Comes in any shape you make No primer needed Use over and over	Must pre fire	None
ceramics	Bisque fired (1000deg) objects or moulds, clay pipes. Glazed homewares (sandblast off glaze then prime)	Pre made moulds very available Specifically for glass and as production items.		Must
Ceramic Fibre products	(fibre board blanket, paper)			Can	to prolong the life of add rigidity to product
Fire bricks	Insulation bricks	Carvable (hacksaw etc)		Must
concrete			Due to air inside would probably explode

Today's prac was a block stack (not a technical term I assure you)....these are the stages of layers, have to wait till monday before I can see the result.

Kiln formed glass proposal - Draft

What: 

Wall panel

Why:

How:

Use beeswax honey comb sheet to mould a simplified human face mask and border.

Use that to make a plaster mould.

Kiln dry mould.

Test mould with clear bullseye.

I think that a double thickness of glass would be good so...fuse two layers then slump.

Cut slits or spaces at mouth and eyes.

Use black beads on thread or wire that coil at the back that spill out of the gaps.

Fasten to the wall ???

The need for 'thinking time'

Our classes with Kirstie Rea in Kilnformed (not warm but hot) glass started  here with this

 

picture of young wasps emerging from a cocoon. I have found it difficult to work with this image, the reasons being partly the detail and trying to find a way to express what actually I find fascinating about it..which is not evident in the picture..but in the description of the photo. (it is not thier coccoon but another creatures that they have devoured)

So our assessment task is a work that is an accumulation of ideas and technique..I have been working on some ideas..that were all right..that kind of fitted the bill but felt a bit forced. However on Mothers Day I had at least 4 hours of public transport and 'mulling time' and something popped in my head on the newcastle train..yay!

I know it's the right thing so when Deb suggested a trip to Finns, I went along and bought my glass (Bullseye medium Amber transparent B1137), running pliers and I have ordered the Bees wax honeycomb sheets to make the mould out of.

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie - 9

The set task for this week has been delayed somewhat by a late order of glass..however the idea is to layer 7-8 pieces of glass creating depth and the opportunity for illusion.

Pieces we had all ready created were sliced, cut, ground and engraved....the kiln is being set for a fire polish.
Diagram's and pics to follow. Next week we are to start on our self directed piece. Using the themes and techniques of the semester so far we are to make a 'work'.. hmmmm

Kiln glass with Kirstie Rea - 8

More texture and depth

This mornings class started off by making some slab moulds for carving into. We made two so we could try out the difference between 'wet' and 'dry' plaster.

I have to wait till tuesday to see the results.

We also had a look at 2 glass artists who predominantly use kiln formed glass.
Lisa Cahill ( Who Deb was using in our presentation the next day) and

Jessica Loughlin at Bullseye (who's work I wrote an essay about last year)

Also Kirstie is keen for us to be able to go to the 3 openings in Canberra tomorrow... So I thinkw e may be able to swing changing our class next week..which would be awesome. I've known about Holly;s opening since Feb and before our classes were set..yay!

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 5

Today's lesson is being replaced by attending the 3rd year presentations of their proposals for this year. Should be interesting. The 3rd year studio has been looking fascinating in the past few weeks.

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 4

This week we worked in colour. Taking our Neutral colour combinations from last week we transferred the design to a set of clear colours and a set of opaque colours. With the opaque colours we filled the gaps with black fine frit. The neutral coloured one from last week, we cut  a border in black and back in the kiln. The idea is to see how the image changes once framed.
The last pic is some stuff Deb and i are mucking about with

Kiln formed with Kirstie Rea - 3

This week we took image and seperated it into tones. Black, white and grey. (I forgot to take a photo)
The next part was to add colour. It was easier to cut curves than I thought. Not using oil in the glass cutter is great and so is the confidence Kirstie has in not using a ruler. Now that I've tried it...much easier!

Below is my cutting plan and the coloured piece before fusing.

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 2

I got up early this morning to bake cup cakes, my turn for the class sweet treat (Kirstie brought banana cake last week).This week was about transforming our designs through different mediums of bullseye flat glass, powder and stringer.
Using combinations of clear and white glass and black powder and rod we experimented with transferring and transforming our images and words to 3 more surfaces. The powder was unusual but exciting to use as you can push, fluff, scrape, pull and scatter in application. The rod was quite minimal and angular (to be expected) but a telling exercise of reduction. Below are pictures of our work pre fusing.

Kiln formed glass with Kirstie Rea - 1

"Students will need to bring to week one, a colour image of something that inspires them, an image of something that they would like to investigate and work with. This image should be printed out or photocopied in B&W and also enlarged several times to A3 size."

I wavered between a few images though apparently according to Dougie he knew which one I would choose all along, it's nice to be so predictable isn' it? I ended up choosing an image of some about to be hatched wasps inside what was once a moth pupae.

The steps below came one by one so each task is unaffected by thinking about the next.

So the process goes like this:
1. Choose colour image. (our class ranged from: burlesque, plant life, church signs, magazine adds, minerals, abstract and figurative and textiles)
2. Enlarge to A3 in black and white.
3. Show image to class with a little explanation why you like it ( or just say it to your self or the cat)
4. Think of ONE word that captures for you the essence of your image and your feeling to it.
5. think of another.
6. Then 8 more.
7. Extract 3 from your 10 words that really draw the meaning from your image. (be flexible, if you find other words come to mind that are more suitable use those)
7.a Think of artists (at least 3) that evoke those words/themes to you in their work
8. Make a sentence from those 3 words.

9. Write a paragraph (for next week).

10. Make a view finder with 2 'L's cut from paper or card.
11. Select a section of your image. this can be long and narrow, square..whatever, as long as it is no more than 150mm - 200mm. (we all have to fit into one kiln). If you wish you can enlarge your image further. Blurriness is fine.
12. Cut a piece of float glass (provided) to the size and shape of your selection.
13. Sandblast one side.
14. On the roughened side draw in pencil a version of your selected piece of your image. Think of the words you have been playing with in this process.
13. When finished spray with hairspray to fix the pencil.

Next week we will be working with Black, white, transparent and opaque.

So here we go...The cocoon shape thing that the wasps are cradled within IS a cocoon but someone else's, a moth that was pupating. The female wasp laid her eggs inside the cocoon. These newly emerged wasps have been consuming the moth alive in its time of transformation. If we imagine this in human terms it is quite a horrific process but the wasp is just providing her offspring with a good supply of food. I'm quite fascinated with the planned focused way that insects do things.

My words are DEVOUR, planned, beauty, death, renewal, sacrifice, flight, pattern, parasitic, amoral, focus, precision programmed.

Chosen 3 are : Devour Beauty Amoral
Sentence: Amoral beauty devours the unwary

Paragraph: Her beauty in flight is precision and focus. Her sculpted, patterned form searches with diligence and tenacity for the most perfect spot. Her decision is purely practical, each requisite ticked off by a delicate antennae. Her need is greater than all others, nothing short of death will detract her from her task. In the most suitable of chambers well stocked with succulent provisions she leaves her innocent offspring to consume the unsuspecting occupant who is the new home, that is readying for it's own magnificent transformation. The devoured is not known and will never be known, it's life subsumed by another. It's flesh feeds the growth and development of her progeny. Her children fill the stolen space until it squirms with life. Bursting out of their cukooed home the newly hatched begin their own amoral journey.

Artists
Adrian Arleo, because her work gives me the sense that something is being eaten.  Angela Jarman & Zaha Hadid both describe a beauty combined with a slightly edgy, insecty feeling. Amoral is giving me a problem though!

Adrian Arleo

Angela Jarman

Zaha Hadid