Watchful - Great Blue Heron

My inspiration for this sculpture is from the many hours I delight in watching the great blue herons along the banks of our lake - ever regal and watchful, they are very quick to swoop in for a fish.  I enjoy  watching them from the window, deck, patio and especially while kayaking.  

Did you know? The herons provide a critical litmus test of the water quality we all depend on — they also play a key role in the aquatic ecosystem throughout our watershed.

Artistic Process:

For the background, I cut multiple pieces of glass in different colors to create a certain effect for the water and a different effect for the shoreline. 

The glass "rocks" are made with grinder "sludge" and using certain shapes and temperature to get the texture.   

The heron started with cutting glass into the shape of the heron with a separate color for the head and beak.  I then added ground up glass in a few colors to get a texture to the wings and body.  The heron needed multiple firings adding more touches to get the color and texture.  The heron and the rocks on the front were tack fused to the background. 

The stand is made of multiple layers of glass that was made the same as the shoreline glass - extra thick with dams to keep it thick and in the shape.  The sculpture and glass rocks were epoxied to the stand. 

Back of the sculpture:  There are rocks on the shoreline and with light, you can see the back of the heron. 

Dimensions:  11" wide x 12" tall x 3.5" deep