Framing

Mark has been delving into the mysterious art of framing. It seems there's a pitfall waiting at every possible stage of the process, but after a few practice efforts which will only ever see the inside of the rubbish bin, some quite acceptable frames are appearing on many of my pieces:

I think the frames add a new level of professionalism to the work and we'll be experimenting with different types of frame. I've also found a dual - level frame which I can use to create a true 3 -D piece - watch this space!

Glass Girls

It’s all about the hair! With a very limited palette of coloured glass to work with, particularly in skin tones, I decided that photo – realistic portraits were not my “thing”.

I have developed my own stylised designs, and made each girl’s hair the most striking element of the piece. My first two (“Amber” and “Beatrice”) were so much fun to create I’ve decided to make them Number 1 and 2 in a series with each piece named for a letter of the alphabet.

 

  Amber

 

 

 

                                                                          Beatrice

 “Celeste” is next!

Each girl in the series will be unique in shape, size and colouring.

Headland to Hinterland

A stylised representation of the vista from Caloundra to the Glasshouse Mountains:

                                       Size is 1200 x 600mm and the substrate is fibre cement board.

 It has been framed using a resin based material which is moisture resistant, so the piece may be displayed in a protected outdoor setting.

Magic Carpet Series

I love the challenges involved in producing this series.

                                                900 x 600mm, rendered foamboard substrate.
                                                              

                                               900 x 600mm, rendered foamboard substrate


Creating this series gives me the opprttunity to use many different techniques and skills:

• Cutting skills - I use my Taurus Ring  Saw to make some of the intricate internal cuts and spirals
•  Reverse Painting - I paint an image or design on the reverse side of the glass
• Gold and Silver leaf applied to the reverse side
• Millefiore - tiny glass rounds in an infinite variety of patterns
• Bevels, Glass Nuggets and Crystals
• Photos under glass - can be included to personalise the piece
• Plus all the ones I haven't thought of yet!

Some examples of these:

                                                         Reverse Painted Bevel

                                                                    Intricate Cut

                                                           Gold and Silver Leaf

                                                       Millefiori as Flower centre


Arriving at a pleasing balance of not only the colours but also the textures and shapes sometimes proves very challenging, but the piece always ends up telling me which way it wants to develop!

Each is an original. I don't think I could produce two the same even if I wanted to!

Magic Carpet pieces are three sizes (in millimetres):

1. 1200 x 600
2. 900 x 600
3. 600 x 600

                                                      600 x 600mm, MDF substrate


The substrate for the smallest one is MDF and the others are on rendered foamboard with an aluminium frame. The latter can be displayed in a protected outdoor situation.