Fusing (not con-fusing)

It's no secret that I like coloured glass.  This wee selection is on display in the bedroom and I've blogged here about the stained glass piece I made last year which hangs in our hall.  There's a rainbow sun catcher in the lounge window and other decorative glass bits and bobs around the house.

When the opportunity to take a fused glass workshop with renowned Aberdeen glass artist Shelagh Swanson arose, I jumped at the chance.  Shelagh has produced beautiful artwork for Aberdeen's Duthie Park and I was able to see first hand her commission for The Silver Darling Restaurant on a recent lunch date.  Check out the photos of her glass herring shoal sweeping majestically up the spiral staircase in Shelagh's own blog - my pictures just didn't do it justice.

 

So, on the evening of the workshop, Shelagh welcomed me to her bright studio in Market Street in Aberdeen which overlooks the quay with its ever-changing array of colourful harbour traffic - and the occasional window ledge seagull!  

I took my pal Carol with me - she's a dab hand at stained glass so I knew this'd be right up her street.  Three other experienced glass workers joined us in the studio making our two hour workshop a sociable and creative experience.

 

First we had the opportunity to explore the studio and look at finished pieces to see what might be achieved.  We'd the choice of making four coasters or one larger panel of fused glass, and both chose to make the latter. For a little extra, the panel could be moulded to make a tea light holder but we both chose to create a flat piece for our first attempt.

Shelagh made sure everyone was working safely with the tools and materials as we got to grips with the cutting equipment and special glass.  This has to be able to withstand the high kiln temperatures required for fusing.  There's some crossover with the skills required to make stained glass so I felt reasonably confident handling the glass cutter and nippers.  However, the fusing powders and granular frits were quite new to me as were the tiny glass rods called stringers.
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I made a rough pencil sketch of the landscape I hoped to create and then got on with cutting my pieces and assembling my 'sandwich' of coloured bullseye glass, frits, powder and stringers.
   

Meanwhile, across the table, Carol was creating these lovely daisies.

Our precious panels had to be very carefully carried to the kiln once completed as most of the glass bits aren't stuck down or attached in any way.  No one sneeze please!  

With our very enjoyable evening at an end, we thanked Shelagh and left her to contact us once our panels had been fused in her kiln.

I was pretty excited when Carol told me she'd been to collect them.



Carol sent me these pictures so I could see how they looked and what mine looked like at her window with the light behind it.  Once I had my own panel home, I tried hanging it in several places before I was happy with its permanent spot.  This skinny end wall faces our inner front door so it's one of the first things you see on entering our house.



I'm really pleased with my first ever attempt to make something using the fused glass technique.

And it won't be my last as I'm going back this week to have another go!