Moving Right Along on Hispanic American Window

Still cutting, painting, and firing glass but we are moving right along on the 2nd window for the Hispanic American set of 5 panels.  This window measures approximately 4'x4', has painted elements in the butterflies, plant life, and portrait depicting Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Still to cut are the hummingbird, flower, and greenery.

One panel is complete, one is almost finished leading, another is partially leaded, and this one will be leaded soon.  We have one panel that is yet to be started.

Like all glass... slowly but surely it is getting done.

Pat

Trillium In Crushed Glass

This posting is a little late, but I wanted to post the pictures of my trillium panel since I posted all of the photos I used as inspiration. 

Like the other crushed glass pieces, this was very fun to create.  I am planning on using this theme for the room in my house that faces the south.  I am actually making pieces that will go on the corner pieces for the window framing in that room and will follow that up with a transom or hanging panel that will go in the large window.

The top photo shows a close up of the panel prior to being installed into a beveled glass framework.  I like this picture because it shows all of the detail in a very clear way.

The next one shows the glass from a horizontal view and reminds me of rock candy.

And finally, you can see how it looks when the hanging is completed.  I used a series of 1" and 1.5" bevels to surround it and finished it in copper channel surrounded by rebar to keep it from warping over time and giving it a something sturdy to hang by.

This is one of the panels I created for a show in Little Rock Arkansas for the months of June and July.  More of my crushed glass panels can be viewed on my web site!

Pat Deere 

Links:    Crushed Glass Panels

Hispanic American #3

Moving right along on my Civil Rights Windows.  This is the middle panel for the Hispanic American Window to be installed in the bus depot in Flint, MI.  This section is about 21.5"x55" and has been constructed using 1/4" lead came from Streuter Technologies that is preglazed with an adhesive product.  Using this lead eliminates the step of cementing and this is the first large scale project I have used this lead on.  Because the budget was so tight on this project, I have been exploring all avenues I can to create a quality window at the lowest possible cost.  Glass I used included that from Uroboros, Bullseye, Spectrum and Kokomo.

Tayleen, my student from Siena Heights University in Adrian painted the the glass where needed.  For the most part, I cut and constructed the panel myself.

This photo was taken with the glass against a glass easel against a wall so there is no sunlight from behind. I don't have any pictures with natural light coming through but it looks great.  Can't wait to get the other 4 panels done so it can be delivered.

Most importantly, the design was created by Greg Perez and altared where needed to fit a stained glass design.  A great window begins with a great design and beautiful glass.  Thanks Greg for a great beginning!

Pat Deere

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.