Midsummer Niagara XIV

Midsummer Niagara XIV is a wall piece of fused and slumped glass. My work is often inspired by images of water. Imagine standing on a bridge overlooking a stream. What creatures might float by? How will that particular place reflect the sunlight? What plants grow on the banks of the stream?

At first, my pieces look like a jumble of shards of glass. I use (and reuse) parts of former pieces. I also create "set ups", images I think might be useful, out of threads, frit, and sheets of glass. My studio may look a little chaotic because if the pieces of glass I have available aren't right in front of me, I don't know what is available!

I fuse the shards together on a large kiln shelf, in the shape of a boat. Then, the front surface is sandblasted and the piece is slumped into a mold I build of softbrick covered with fabric that can be fired. The slumping is done at a temperature that slightly melts the sandblasted surface so that it glows. I fabricate glass tubes that are epoxied onto the back and metal hangers with hooks that match the tubes. My pieces are easy to hang.

10in. w x 40in. h x 3in. l

http://www.janetkelman.com

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