01.
The Coldworking Room
Several months ago, this piece began life in a class at Bullseye Glass in Pasadena. Using two different projects, we learned to use every piece of coldworking (grinding or cutting glass while keeping it cool with water) equipment in this awesome room.
02.
Streak of Red
Because I did this during a class, I have very few photographs of it. But I chose from an assortment of pre-fused pieces and was immediately drawn to the opalescent red and black blank. Using an angle grinder, I carved the red streak by eroding away the black glass that covered it. At the far left edge I used the angle grinder again to create a sloped edge that revealed the red glass as a line. Then I used duct tape to create a protected area on the glossy black surface of the piece. Once covered, I sand blasted the rest of it, giving it a whitish and textured finish. When the tape was removed, the glossy strip that was preserved was revealed.
Results
Final Result
The folks at Bullseye slumped the piece into this square platter form. As expected, the sandblasted texture took on a much more subtle look as the piece was heated to a slumping temperature. I was super pleased about the three different finishes (glossy, carved, and matte) and this is still the most stark and striking design that I’ve done.
Close-up One
Even the carved area became more muted from the slump.
