2016 Texas State Fair winners!

So excited to announce that Jasmine, my ocelot, has won first place in glass fusing.   Paul Bratescu, a wonderful wildlife photographer, was kind enough to let me use his photograph taken in Costa Rica. My daisy bowl also won a first place in glass slumping.  The pieces will be on exhibit in the Creative Arts Bldg during the entire run of the fair in October.  Please come visit!

Pansy Bowl

Pansy bowl is a new creation using a Creative Paradise mold.  The ladybug is an extra touch.  I'm hoping to come up with a bowl that i feel worthy to be my entry in the Texas State Fair this year.  They've added back the "slumping" category

so fusers will have two categories in which to enter.

New Bowl in a large 13" mold

Love this new bowl and shape

Picture on my sloppy worktable shows the real size

Sunflower and Daisy bowls

I wanted to show you my newest creations.  The mold is by Creative Paradise, GM88, a large organic slumper.  Don't let my pictures be misleading as the bowls photograph to appear quite large.  They actually measure about 3 1/2" deep and about 9" across.  It takes time to develop a pattern that fits a mold and then experiments in firing to be sure it slumps correctly.  This piece requires two firings.  I'm still working to perfect it and once done, will consider writing a tutorial.  I am photographing every step so i'm headed in that direction.

Iris

My love of iris continues.  This iris photographs slightly blue but it's actually a lavender and white opal streaky.  The lower petals were fused and the slumped on a Creative Paradise mold and the top, just as in the iris below, was draped over the top of a stainless cocktail shaker.  I'll eventually have my bouquet of glass flowers for a basket.  

Iris

Here is my iris in glass!  I hope to do many more perfecting the coloration to be as realistic as possible. I was an avid iris grower several years back and at one time, i had 5 acres of over 500 varieties of tall bearded, hybrid irises.  Tour buses would show up when i separated and sold bulbs.  So, i should know my iris.  For those of you that fuse glass, the bottom of this iris is done on a Creative Paradise mold.  The top is my creation.  The flower is attached to copper tubing which can be found at any home improvement type store.  Stay tuned, more iris 

to follow and i'm also working on a glorious daffodil.

Lillies

Flowers have always been my passion so here's my first attempt at fused glass lillies!  This was done with a mold from Creative Paradise.  Glass cut and flower first assembled as a glass round. Powder streaks done and yellow in throat then glass round fused to a tack fuse.  Next, the flower round is placed on the mold and draped.  The stamen are made of wire and the stem is copper tubing.  My next project is to figure out orchids and irises.