Trillium Are Not Endangered In My Woods

Just a few photos that are my inspiration for the next crushed glass panel.  On Mothers Day in our woods the Trillium look like a carpet of white in some areas.  I like to walk the woods then because the flowers are so abundant and the bugs are not.  Give it another week and you have to wear bug spray or run faster than them... which takes away from the joy of walking in the woods.  This was like a gift to us when we first moved to this property 22 years ago.  I would walk the woods daily at that time and was surprised to find these wonderful little flowers everywhere on Mothers Day.

I am planning a 4 panel set for this next crushed glass project.  They will be intended to be sold separately or as a set of 2, 3, or 4 panels.  The goal is to fire them just enough to keep it together and let the texture show.  Off to work now...

Pat Deere

Last Day Of Kayaking On The Pond

 Ok.  I am kind of excited about this panel.  One of my favorite things to do, when there is no ice on the water, is to kayak.  I got started years ago when we went white water rafting with a group of about 50 people (I think).  On that trip I did not kayak but we went white water rafting on the Gauley and all around us people were kayaking and it looked like so much fun.

Their boats were short and meant for doing tricks and rapids and what not.  Mine is a 14' boat meant for rivers and open water.  Last year I rented my kayak from the Tecumseh Community Center.  I got hooked.  For about $20 I could use it Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and again on Monday before they opened.  The photo I created this piece from was from a picture I took on my last trip in the Fall of 2010.

The top picture shows what my layered glass looked like just prior to firing.  The picture below here shows the process close to the beginning.  You can see the frame I use to keep the glass in place while layering.  I have been using a clear layer of large glass and very small powdered glass to make it solid.  From there, I layer colors and clear to get the effect I want.  I love these pieces because they have a lot of dimension and you can see the layers of colors when looking at it closely.


The next set of pictures is my Mt. LeConte piece after firing.  The first one was taken while back lit and the 2nd one was taken with lighting from my room, sun, and flash.  I think I like the picture that is not back lit best for this panel.  So, I believe I am going to try a wall mounting system for this piece with light shining on it.

Because I was so focused on creating these pieces, the glass I had in my other kiln got way over fired.  They were some of the glass pieces I needed for the Flint , Hispanic American window I am currently working on.  Luckily it doesn't take time to recut or paint what I ruined.

Pat Deere

Crushed Glass: Mt. LeConte from Clingmans Dome

 

I love the "before firing" pictures of my crushed glass panels.  This one is going to be pretty heavy.  I used a new mold and it will end up being quite a bit thicker than some of the others but I think I am going to like it.

Kayleen, a friend of mine climbed up Mt. LeConte in Tenessee and this is the view from the top.  Most of what I create comes from places I have been, but this is one created from a picture of someplace I would like to go. 

And, because the picture was taken from a mobile upload, I am sure the color is nowhere near what she actually saw during her climb.   Can you sense a little jealousy here?

To backtrack a little bit, I have been invited to participate in a gallery exhibit at Legacy Fine Art in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  In order to do that I have to have 13 pieces of art ready and shipped by May 22nd.  That doesn't give me much time.  I have quite a few already done, but have to have a new piece in my kiln daily to reach my goal. 

Tomorrow, I hope to post a picture of this window successfully fired in the kiln!  And, I will have glass crushed and ready to create another panel using this photo taken while kayaking in Tecumseh for the last time last fall.

Pat Deere

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be free!

Window #2 of 8 windows is completed.  You can't really get an idea of the color and how it will look with light coming through, but this is the closest I could get to having a complete picture up until now.  Today I am working on the Hispanic American Civil Rights window.  Feels good to actually have some completion and a deadline I can work with.