River Rock Bowl

Our Cache Valley Winter Gift Market is just around the corner, and I have been busy getting pieces ready for the event. The past several months I have been trying to work "thicker" with some of my pieces (more layers of glass) to achieve depth and interest, as well as making them more substantial. I currently have one of my pieces on display at the Logan Fine Art Gallery's 2012 Salon d'Automne. (Note that my piece is not shown on the web site since it was not one of the "winners", but I was excited to be accepted into the gallery exhibit, which runs through January 2.)

One of the latest pieces pulled from the kiln is what I call my River Rock Bowl. I love the depth and texture of the piece, and of course, the pieces I create that are representative of nature are the ones that most speak to my heart.
The base of the bowl is a sage green
opal glass (I use System 96 glass). 
I began by cutting two layers of clear topped with a coarse sage frit for the "rocks". Dark green and bronze fine frits were sprinkled over the rocks and some of the clear. This base piece was fired, and then flipped and fired a second time with another piece of clear and the sage base. The "flip and fire" technique resulted in very distinct definition of the rocks, and the layers of clear gave the piece depth that makes it appear as if the rocks are underwater. After the second firing the edges were cold worked on a lapidary grinder (first with a 120 grit and then with a 400 grit). After lapping, I further refined the edges with a 400 grit diamond hand pad, and then fired it a third time to slump it to the shape of a mold. Each time the piece was in the kiln, it was fired for 12 to 14 hours, plus additional hours of cool down time once the kiln was off to keep the bowl from cracking due to thermal shock.

The River Rock Bowl, as well as sushi platters, small soap and candle dishes, Christmas ornaments, vases, jewelry, and wall hangings will be available for sale at the Winter Gift market, which runs Friday December 7 from 6 to 9 PM and Saturday, December 8 from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Bullen Center in Logan. Friday night's event coincides with Cache Valley's Center for the Arts Downtown Gallery Walk.

The gift market features many talented local artists, including potters, soap makers, jewelry designers, textile artists, wood workers, and artisan foods (honey and jam, yum!). Stop by and enjoy the art and live music, and support your local artists while checking off items on your holiday shopping list!

Dana

Resources:
The bowl in this post included techniques from Bullseye Glass Educational videos.

Learn more about Bullseye Glass Educational Videos!
Bullseye Kiln-glass Education Online

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