I thoroughly enjoyed a jewellery making course I took last November, and I was so pleased with the results (a sterling silver spinner ring) that I figured I must be a creative genius! This revelation fueled me to sign up for a similar hands-on type of class, in which we learned how to design, cut, and put together a small stained glass panel. Now, I absolutely love stained glass artwork, so I had a vision in my head of coming home with a brilliant piece that I could display proudly, perhaps even somewhere in my oasis in Canmore. Well, the final class was last night, and all I can say is..... REALITY CHECK!
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| Week 1 - Design and Cut Glass Pieces |
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| Week 2 - Grind and Foil Edges |
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| Week 3 - Solder Pieces Together and Frame |
Much of the work was quite a bit easier than I anticipated. For example, scoring and cutting the glass was not at all difficult. Granted, my pieces consisted of straight edges only, no curves, but the material isn't hard to shape when you use the proper instruments. Grinding went well, once I figured out the stone I was using was dull, dull, dull and switched to a new one. Foiling the edges was tedious and time consuming, but I learned the technique quickly and managed to get it done without slicing my fingers on the paper-sharp foil edges. Soldering..... okay my soldering skills are in the range of 'non-existent' to 'in serious need of improvement', so this step of the activity was the weak link for me. It went off the rails early in the process, as by the time I realized a few of the pieces were off-square, I had already tacked them together. D'oh!
At any rate, my somewhat sad first stained-glass creation will likely sit unobtrusively on an out-of-the-way shelf, but in the end it was a fantastic learning experience and I would not hesitate - in fact I would love - to take another crack at this craft.
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| I chose to display it on a small iron easel rather than attach hooks and a wire for hanging it. Boooo. |
Next on the agenda.... The Art of Welding Metal! Yup, I am not being deterred whatsoever by this recent minor soldering fiasco - I'm jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Truth be known, I registered for the week-long welding course a while ago, but it begins in July so I have plenty of time to practice up! LOL!
Cheers!
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| Gettin' pretty bored with the arctic climate as of late..... |
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| Dreaming of places I'd rather be! |
2 comments:
well I have to give you A+ for tackling that art. I have no idea how you come to like stained glass, cuz you sure never got any encouagement from your upbringing.
Anyway good for you !!! And your creation looks pretty good to me.
Good luck and Have fun in your next course of welding....I am sure you will create something fantastic there.
Love you my dear Cheryle. mom
I would hang it on wall in your CANMORE CONDO,,,,IT IS DIFFERENT AND an art creation and ... there is not a duplicate AND Canmore is an artistic area and it should be displayed there,,,,it would also look nice in your reading room in RED DEER,,,,display it somewhere,,,,you my be disapointed ; I THINK IT IS A GREAT FIRST TIME PROJECT,,,love ya lots....dunkster,,,,,,
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