Inspiration: I am always inspired by nature. This spring I was walking with extra purpose to get my knees fully in shape after having both replaced at the beginning of the year. The trees began to bud as I began to gain strength. I enjoyed watch the buds become blooms on the trees as my speed increased and my walks became longer. The white blooms on pear trees and other blooming trees is the specific inspiration for this artwork.
Artistic Process:
The background was made by cutting 2 layers of glass to size and kilnfiring to a full fuse temperature so they are smooth and the edges are rounded.
The Blooms were made by cutting white glass into the shape of petals, arranging them into the bloom pattern, adding ground glass to the center and kilnfiring to a tack temperature so that all the pieces of the flower are permanently fused together. Each bloom was kilnformed into a round shape to look more like open blooms
The leaves were made by cutting green transparent glass into the shape of leaves and kilnfiring them on top of a texture mold to get the veins of the leaves.
The branches were made using modeling glass which is binders (liquid and powder) that are mixed with ground brown glass in powder consistency. This allows me to mold the glass just like clay. For the branches I rolled the modeling glass and shaped it. I have to make it bigger than I want as it shrinks when fired in the kiln. The branches were fired to 200 degree to dry then I could clean the dry edges, add some shading, etc and then I tack fired the branches in the kiln.
I added the branches and leaves to the background and kilnfired them to a tack fused them all together. The Blooms were added with 2 part epoxy. Funny story -- to hold the blooms in place as the epoxy dried - I used stacks of pennies -- perfect size and weight.
It is mounted on brushed stainless steel, wired for hanging with welded brackets to keep the artwork flat and straight on the wall with no tilting.
Dimensions: 16.625" wide x 14.875" x 3.25" deep
Be first to know about new work, sales exclusive offers and special events and other interesting news.
I will try to send out news periodically.
Don't worry, I hate spam too! You can unsubscribe at any time.
