Wednesday 4 July 2012

So a couple of weeks ago Kirstin and I went to our amazing photographer friend Tom with some of our glass for him to photograph.

I took some of my black pate de verre and also the veiny looking ones and look what a great job he did! I lovesss them!

On it's own.

On it's own too.
Moody group shot.
Veiny group.
Black group.

 Thanks Tom! I recommend his skills to everyone!

Tuesday 3 July 2012

As promised... photographic evidence from the Concrete Project!


The team! (Minus Austyn)
From left to right: Dan, Me, Kirstin, John and Alice... we are just missing Austyn!

So there we are, standing around our collaborative concrete creation. We lovingly called our project 'Fat Lady Legs', the idea being that by using rings of glass (glass input) to constrict the material tubes (textiles input) we could make columns (architectural input) which could be used in St Peters Seminary to support the deteriorating structure of the building (collaborative output!).

When we started to do drawings we realised that if the inner circumference of the rings was smaller than the tubing that they were placed on, then it would create the elasticated look of tight stockings squeezing on fat limbs. With the results of the test pieces the idea really started to take shape...

Fat Lady Legs are born!

So in preparation for the final pieces, first we made the glass components...

Casting glass onto the marver.
Sand casting.

Then we utilised the effects that printed material could have on the concrete and made ALOT of textiles for the tubes by printing with opaques, foils, elastil and aqua-suede. That was a fun day!

Alotto printing.

Glass rings placed on the printed patchwork tubes.

And after alot of filling, vibrating and rubbing (sounds dirty) finally, we made them! So here is a sexy photo of the team because we loved our columns.

Making love to the camera.
Stubbed out cigarette.
This one was more successful than the other. It has been totally unwrapped of material so the pattern and colour that you see is what has been made by the printed textiles... clever, eh?

Detail of glass rings constricting the material & of pattern left on concrete surface. 

Sunday 10 June 2012

Yet again I have neglected my duties and haven't posted anything new for a while!

Since I am currently procrastinating during my train journey from my family home in Milton Keynes back to Edinburgh I thought it was about time that I got on it!

Sooo since my last post I have finished my degree, got my results (2:1 wooooop) and presented my work at the ECA Degree Show 2012! Busy, busy but all good!

Here are a few pics of my degree work to delight your lovely eyes...

Chapter XI

Blackness

Saturated

Detail of Chapter XI

As a complete installation, this work is called 'Chapter XI'. I have used black sand and float glass to aid the presentation of my kiln formed glass predominantly because it fits with the narrative which inspired my work this year... but also because hopefully it looks a little different to the average plinth! Thus people will look at it / remember it.

My plinth is 1220 x 1440 mm - a fairly vast area to fill with glass. The other day I when I was looking after our room at the exhibition, I was bored enough to count what I had actually got on the plinth: 73 clear pate de verre bowls (made from 15 different moulds in various quantities), 4 pate de verre bowls with black veins, 3 black pate de verre bowls and one massive black cast piece! So that's why I have not posted in this blog for a while... I was making all that lot!

Elements of this work will be going to London for New Designers in June. I need to scale down the quantity to fit the space that we have been allocated as a department, also I will be displaying it differently (not telling you how, it's a surprise) mainly for my own curiosity because I will be able to compare the reactions of Edinburgh to London. Should be interesting!

The next post will be on the results of the Concrete Project: a collaboration between the Architecture, Textiles and Glass departments at Edinburgh Uni which I am currently participating in... I am loving it! I am very excited to see what happens this week after last weeks preparations which involved a site visit to St Peters Seminary in Cardross and also experimenting in the textiles and wood workshops.

Saturday 28 April 2012

It's hard to believe but it is definitely true... I only have two weeks left of my degree!

I have been busy working on my glass since my last post which was way too long ago. This week a few of my class and me went to Shannon Tofts photography studio to get a professional photograph of our work done. I am very happy with the result!


I decided to get some of my pate de verre bowls photographed to get a picture for my press releases and websites and business cards. I have also created an online portfolio on Arts Thread which will hopefully help with publicity before the event. I will post up links to the other sites when they go live.

Tomorrow im going into college to make my last load of pate de verre bowls and to get my big solid piece out of the kiln - I hope it has worked! Pictures to follow...


Monday 5 March 2012

 Hello! 

 Welcome, and a good day to you.

This is my first ever blog post!

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I took this picture in the plaster room on the first significant day that I felt inspiration had fully struck for my final major project work. 

The 7th February 2012 was, for me, the day that I had actually started to make the beginnings of work that had the potential to develop into something good. It had been a long time coming, and alot got done on that day!

(07/02/2012) This is what I call a successful day in the plaster room!
So, as I am now fast (much too fast!) approaching the end of my degree in Glass, I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog. I plan to post bits and bobs about what I am up to with my work: my own creations, other inspirations, recent visitations and the such like... But seeing as I meant to post this a month ago, I shall post it now and come up with something new in the near future!

But I think stuff is, in general, coming along well...



These were the results of some of my first pate de verre tests.