The Kiln is on but nobody's home....

Yikes! Only six days left until the Saltaire Arts Trail and I have more glass waiting to be fused than time to fuse it in! 

I have now finished making decorative hangings and cocktail swizzle sticks but the number of dishes waiting to be slumped is growing and I have two very large dishes still waiting to be fused AND slumped! Well, if it's not finished, it's not finished - not a lot I can do about it. Just waiting for the gift boxes to arrive this week. Gulp! 

Rainbow Cocktail Swizzle Sticks

If you are thinking about visiting the Saltaire Arts Trail then I strongly recommend that you go. Everything is FREE yes, free! With The Makers' Fair in Victoria Hall (I'll be there, hopefully near the cafe and in sight of the cake) Open Houses around the village, three exhibitions, free family activities and choirs singing outside, this is the most vibrant and exciting weekend in the calendar of Saltaire. 

Hope to see you there. X

16 Days to go!

Victoria Hall, Saltaire

Only sixteen days to go until the Saltaire Arts Trail, when I shall be showing my glass at The Makers' Fair in Victoria Hall. So, NOW is not the time to be thinking about making new designs in glass..... but I am!

I am working on some new glass hangings and "swizzle sticks" but will I get them made in time for 25 - 27 May???

Glass Fairs 2013

I have been sorting out this year's shows and fairs and trying to plan ahead. Here is a list of dates and venues where I shall be during 2013, although it is still a work in progress. 

Otley Courthouse Designer Craft Fair Sunday 28 April 
This coincides with the Otley Famers' Market and is inside the Courthouse from 9.30 am to 1pm

Saltaire Makers' Fair at Victoria Hall, Saltaire 25 - 27 May 

As part of the prestigious Saltaire Arts Trail, I will be at Victoria Hall as part of the Makers' Fair from 10am to 4pm

Art in the Pen at Skipton Auction Mart 17 - 18 August

My second year at Art in the Pen. This year will be bigger than last with 30% more stalls selling handmade and original art

Headingley Heart Centre 14 September and 14 December

A busy venue with a lovely cafe and a great atmosphere

Please come and see me at Glassprimitif at one (or all) of these events) or check in to my News page 

See you at the Fair...

Close up of Retro Metro dish

This weekend will be very busy as I will be at Saltaire Makers Fair from Saturday 5th to Monday 7th May as part of the Saltaire Arts Trail. 
This is my first big event of the year and I have been planning and making glass specifically for this. It will be a good opportunity for me to test out my new designs and my pricing structure.  It has been at least two years since I exhibited at the Makers Fair so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my previous experiences there (I've always done well in the past). 
I have also been given the good news that I've been selected for Art in the Pen  in August. This is really exciting because I have never applied before, although I am an annual visitor.  The event is over two days at the Auction Mart in Skipton and the standard for selection is really high (gulp)!  This event is slightly different from Saltaire Makers Fair because I have to design, bring and install my entire stand which is in an animal pen. Watch this space to see how I get on with that! 

So if you are coming to Saltaire Makers Fair please come along and say hello to me. I will be in the Evans Room at Victoria Hall and I'll be very pleased to see you. 

Glass Paint Experiments

Glass paints before fusing

I love doodling and drawing and, for a while now, I have wanted to combine this with glass fusing. I tried a black glass pen for float glass but the results were too messy and very disappointing so I finally invested in red, blue, yellow, black and gold Glassline pens from Warmglass.co.uk

The colours are chalky when they are applied but the results were surprisingly good. I had to practice quite a bit until I could squeeze the colours through the nib with a steady hand but, fortunately, any mistakes can be wiped off. Also, any large blobs or wobbly lines can be tidied up with a cocktail stick when the colour is dried, before fusing. 

Drawing

The fish was drawn using Glassline pens and a nib on float glass. The periwinkle blue is a bit too pearly and is thicker than the other colours.  I'm going to dilute it slightly and try to get a better flow.

Drawing

Gold, black and red Glassline pens. The gold fires to a lovely shine - I wish there was silver too. 

Fired glass

The glass on the top left hand corner has been painted with Glassline with a brush. I'm not keen - it's too pale.  The glass on the bottom right hand corner has been sponged across masking tape before the tape is removed and then fired. It's a nice effect.

Fused Glass fish

If you are visiting the Saltaire Makers Fair on 5th, 6th, 7th May you will get a free funky fused fish if you spend £30 or over on Glassprimitif products. Hope to see you there. 

Come and See Me

at Saltaire Maker's Fair in Victoria Hall from 5th to 7th of May 2012. Visit Saltaireartstrail.co.uk for more information and to find out who else will be there. 

Who else will be there? 

Bell Amour

Dove Street Pottery

Dizziebhooked

Prefab Designs

Kitschen Sink

Alice Fox Textiles

InkyLinky