First project

I recently had an opportunity to create some Artist Trading Cards in clay for an exhibition held at the Norman McKenzie Art Gallery in Regina. I made and submitted five trading cards. After the exhibition, they were distributed to five other artists whose work was in the show and I got five cards back, one from each of the recipients of my work. It was really fun and I got some neat miniature masterpieces. The group in Regina are planning a repeat of this project next year, so I thought that it would be fun to do some fused glass cards this time.

Each card must measure 2.5 x 3.5" and fit in a standard collector's sleeve. So, to practice my cutting and prepare some tests for fusing, I cut some tinted cathedral glass for the base and added various bits of coloured glass on top. Nothing pre-designed. Rather, abstract responses to my trials and errors in cutting. Just to let you know, cutting glass in a straight line is no small feat, as I have discovered. Let your mind wander for a fraction of a second and, well you guessed it, so does your cut. I also determined that it is much easier to make a cut on a larger piece of glass rather that smaller. On a personal note, I've discovered something interesting about myself. Generally, I do not like to work small in clay. Way too fiddly. However, for whatever reason, I don't seem to mind to in glass. Hum....


I take comfort in knowing that learning can produce interesting results.

Creating space

In order to work with glass, I need a space that I can somewhat dedicate to it. In my studio, I have 3 work spaces. 2 for shorties like myself and one taller for Matt (my ceramic technician). As I only need one space for myself right now, I decided to convert the other for working with glass. This required clearing off the accumulated debris that seems to collect over time and cleaning the space. Then I needed a smooth working surface. As it turns out, I had a piece of masonite board on hand which was perfect. All that was left was to dig out all of my tools and lay them out . Voilà. Ready to go to work.

I am grateful for having things on hand just when I need them.

Tiny steps towards fusing

I have taken the first important step on the path towards fusing. I ordered my remote temperature controller. A Digitry GB1. Not inexpensive, but an investment. And while fusing can be done manually, everything that I have read (and that Lee tells me) is that it is far easier with a controller than without. It would require patience of Job to babysit the kiln and honestly, that has never been one of my inherent traits.

Thankfully, the Canadian dollar is doing better these days. Every bit helps. It also helps that the Mentorship program does provide some money to offset the cost of equipment and supplies. It should be here within the week. Then comes the installation. Already I can hear "colourful metaphors" coming from Ian, my husband, in the kiln room.

I am thankful for the opportunity to learn new things. It keeps the mind sharp and the body motivated.

A daily ritual

I find that daily rituals are an important part of my life, such as walking my dog, Rudy. I know that he certainly thinks they are the highlight of his day and he sulks when we don't go. I had planned to make these posts a daily ritual but some days are just crammed with too many other seemingly more important things to do. When I sit down and write, I can write several at a time. The words just seem to flow. It's just being disciplined enough to park my posterior at the computer and do it!

While part of writing this blog was to develop the skill to talk about my work, the flip side is that it takes time away from doing the work. What if I have nothing to talk about? I am working daily on learning about glass. Mostly reading at this point as I still have to purchase a controller for my kiln for the fusing. I brought home a box of glass from Lee's to play with, but so far, I haven't done much with it. So today is the day to get out the cutter and play! It is also the day to contact Skutt about the cost of a retrofit controller for my kiln.

I am comforted that each day is followed by another (so I can get done the things that didn't get done today)!

Misty Mornings

I love the fall. Every morning I take my border collie Rudy for a walk in our regional park. This morning the beauty of the olive and moss greens mixed with the golds, yellows and browns of the fall took on an ethereal quality as it was further blurred and soften by the morning mist. The geese and cranes filled the sandbars, waiting for that exact moment that they all seem to sense it's time to go; to continue the journey. They lift en-mass in huge graceful clouds, sounding their voices and heading in the direction of their winter homes with supreme confidence.

For me, with my senses honed towards the interpretation of my world in clay and glass, I perceived the landscape as a greyed pate de verre. Would it not work lovely in the wall jewellery designs that Lee and I discussed? Somewhere down the line I will have to order frits in that palate and try to recreate this morning's scene.

I am grateful for misty fall mornings walked along the river.

Play Date

When I was a child, I played with my neighbourhood friends. Now-a-days, parents arrange playdates. Yesterday I discovered the pleasures of the playdate.

Lee Brady, my mentor, and I got together to play. I travelled out to Lee's studio which is located just west of Saskatoon, nestled into a well treed acreage. Unfortunately, access to his place is by grid road. It had been raining all day which meant greasy, slippery roads and I am not a happy camper driving a grid road at the best of times. With a slow, white knuckled crawl, I traversed the 7.5 kms of gravelled road to his place. I had arrived!

The studio is a well organized, comfortable space with good natural light. The windows, unsurprisingly, sport beautiful examples of Lee's stained glass work. Fused pieces graced the table tops. With a cup of Earl Grey to calm my taut nerves, we began to talk about glass. How to cut it, equipment that I would need, the best type of controller, potential design possibilities, fusing firing schedules, etc... We decided that I would spend the next month practicing cutting glass and playing with fusing.

The Glass Workers Guild was putting in a group order so we spent some time looking at glass. We picked out a few simple panes of glass that we thought would work well with the smoked vessels. We also came across pate de verre which I really liked the look of. As it turned out, Lee has been wanting to try it out as well. He has the paste on hand so we ordered some of the necessary frits.

Left: Pate de verre bowl by Cyrille Morin

As Dr. Oz recommends taking 3 things away from his show, from the day I took: a box of glass scraps and a sheet of glass to play with; the realization that glass is way more expensive than clay and that I have to get a controller!

I am grateful for the pure joy of play.

First Provincial Meeting - Orientation Session

Our first provincial meeting was held Saturday, September 19, 2009 in Craik, Saskatchewan. It was an opportunity to meet the other participants in the program, as well as to learn about the various administrative requirements of the program.

This years eight pairings include: digital drawing/painting; painting; digital photography; sculptor; mixed media; 2 clay artist pairings and myself with clay/glass. While were each given 5 minutes to present an overview of our work, this part of the meeting went way over time. After all, give an artist an opportunity to talk about him/herself and their work... Well, we do like to talk. Wow! The work that I saw and the possibilities. It was amazing. It was also interesting to find in later discussions how we all found our own work to be pedestrian (we're too familiar with it) and all the other work exciting. At the same time, refreshing to see our work through another artist's eyes.

Our next requirement is to submit our project proposal to the office by October 15. Lee and I have decided to meet October 1 at his studio to lay out our plan.

(l to r) Kathleen Houston, Linda Gudmundson, Lee Brady, Ruth Sulatisky, Frances Robson, Jack Anderson, Susan Robertson, Paula Cooley, Iris Hauser, Kirk Loveland, Sharon Eisbrenner, Sally Greenough, Griffith Baker. Absent: Anita Rocamora and Gerri Ann Siwek.

Today I am grateful for inspiration gained from the exchange of visions with other artists.