Time for a New Mantra
In the fused glass world there is a mantra, "Never refuse to refuse." It's a catchy phrase, but I think it is often bad advice. I am not talking about the times when your painting needs additional highlights or line work, the powder fired too light in color, or one more design element will complete the composition. I am talking about things that go wrong. You drop a favorite (and expensive) piece of glass and it breaks into pieces. Your glass thermal shocks during firing. The layup of your design results in a large bubble. You know, the things that we, as glass artists (and likely many non-artists), look at and immediately recognize as a mistake that someone tried to repair. I'm sure some of you are saying, "But...Kintsugi!" Yes, Kintsugi. Originating in Japan, likely in the 1500s, as a means to repair ceramics that emphasized its imperfections rather than hide them. I have seen stunning Kintsugi art, both as a means of repair in older vessels and as an int
