New Year, New Glass

Kaleidoscope Dish

I have been  spending the days between Christmas and New Year restocking my glass by making lots of decorations, dishes and Christmas decorations (yes, that's right!) Although my first public show isn't until April I need to make enough stock whilst I still have the time. Once I start my new job next week I won't have this luxury for a while.

I have been enjoying making glass dishes based on a kaleidoscope pattern and have these for sale in my Etsy shop. The patterns are great fun to design, starting with concentric circles on graph paper and "colouring in" the shapes.  

Kaleidoscope dish

The colour combinations are endless and I have just made a large fruit dish in greens and ambers. I will be posting the image as soon as I have photographed it.  Meanwhile, I am now playing with new ideas for Christmas tree decorations based on snowflake patterns which will hit my Folksy and Etsy shops from October 2014.  

Kaleidoscope dish

Anyway, Happy New Year to you. I hope 2014 comes up to your expectations!

Love Glass, Love Pinterest

 Duncan McClellan, glass artist

I am absolutely addicted to Pinterest and enjoy browsing for inspirational glass.  My favourite board, Glass I Love, showcases mostly hand blown or cast glass rather than fused glass because I have immense respect for glass blowers (and a bit of envy too).

Glassprimitif

I also use Pinterest to promote and catalogue my own glass and I try to remember to upload every piece of glass I have posted on-line. 

Glass Commissions

Bad Birdy

Scandi Birds

I love making these Scandinavian-inspired birds in rainbow colours and they sell out at fairs and events. They are made from transparent Bullseye glass with fused gold paint and have a copper wire hook to hang them in the window. 

Glass birds are so pretty and here are a couple I would love to own. 

Shane Fero

Oiva Toikka

But occasionally, glass in the kiln doesn't behave as it should and can slip, fracture or just not perform as it should. Something that ceramicists can identify with too! Here is Bad Birdy - you can see where the clear and coloured glass has parted company which means this birdy was consigned to the bin. 

Bad Birdy! 

My Birdies are available for sale at my Folksy Shop and you can also follow my birdy inspiration on Pinterest. 

Best of British on Pinterest

Charlotte Morrison Ceramics

I confess - I am addicted to Pinterest. It's a great way to store images of stuff I would love to own, love to make or love to redecorate my house with.  My latest Board is "My Favourite Makers", a showcase of top quality British makers, designers, jewellers, ceramicists, glass artists, textile artists and illustrators. 

Vinegar and Brown Paper

Designers and makers make a valuable contribution to the British economy, boost retail sales, export sales and offer something a bit different from mass produced goods.  Their designs are often copied by big companies, their work often stolen by manufacturers and their prices often hammered down by retailers, usually making the designer accept the VAT which they cannot pass on (small businesses who are under the VAT thresh hold are the most exploited).  Can you tell that I'm on my soap box?

Hannah Nunn

So I am celebrating the Best of British by showcasing "My Favourite Makers" on Pinterest and thoroughly enjoying scouring magazines, websites and trade fairs to find lots of lovely handmade stuff I would like to own. 

What's new on Pinterest

Roddy and Ginger

I'm really interested in Scandinavian design at the moment and am looking for ideas to redecorate my kitchen diner in a Scandi style. Loving the new kitchenware and cushions from Roddy and Ginger and can't keep away from Scandi  folk design! 
Here's a selection of some of the Scandi things I have been pinning on my Pinterest board. 

Can I live here please?

Sanna Annukka

Art in the Pen - it's official!

Today I received my pack of invites for Art in the Pen and the information for exhibitors so I am both excited and worried.  Excited because I have made all my glass for the event so I won't run low on stock. Worried because I don't have a clue about how to display my glass, even after years of setting up fairs and markets, when it comes to staging design I suck!  

I understand the principles of display such as making sure my display is at different eye levels, grouping in styles and colours, making sure the display materials don't overwhelm the glass, but when it comes to putting this into practice it is a different matter. I have been selecting ideas for display on Pinterest  but I will have to buy some furniture to make this kind of display. 
At least I have the opportunity to go to the Auction Mart next week to measure up my "pen" and make some decisions. If I can get the display right I will feel more confident about booking larger shows and events. Watch this space!