It's been a very long time between posts! I've been super busy, and there's lots to show, but I've decided to use Facebook for future news and projects. here's the link:

www.facebook.com/GlenmarkGlassDesign/

  Hope you enjoy reading it, Glenys.

Back to the Future

I've gone all retro (for me) with this new range of Birds. I started my Glass Art career making Copperfoil pieces, and I've revisited that technique with the Birds:

 

I've always enjoyed decorative Soldering, and making these Birds gives me the chance to use it lots!

 

 

 

 

These Cranes look beautiful as a matched pair.

 

 

 

 

The bases are nice and heavy so the pieces are very stable.

 

 

 

BIRDS IN FLIGHT:

Well not really, but these can be hung outside to gently rotate in the sun and breeze - look fantastic!

 

Three -  Dimensional Pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two - Dimensional Pieces:

 

 

 

 

 

This Lorikeet hangs from its tail but the photo wouldn't rotate when I uploaded it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Larger Lazy Susans

I've had a request for a larger version of my Lazy Susans, which are normally 500mm in diameter.

This one is 600mm in diameter, which doesn't sound like a big increase but is actually 40% larger in area:

The bearing is larger too - I use a 12 inch bearing rather than the standard 9 inch one.

We sold the larger one to a Scrabble aficionado who places the board on it! Brilliant!

New Class Formats!

Well here it is: my new Class Brochure! Copies will be available in "Peace of Green" and "Seaview" Galleries as well. I hope you find it fascinating and informative.

AND: I've opened up the last Wednesday of each month (except December 25th!) for any of my previous Students who wish to come to my Studio, from 10.00 to 12 noon, have a cuppa and a chat, browse my library, see what new projects I'm working on and be inspired!

                   

Birdie Num Num

I've just made a new line - birds, standing on a rock. The bird's not any particular type, so you can call it anything you like! The "rock" is made of grout, enhanced with Inka Gold and decorated with shells and stuff.

Inka Gold is a new product that is amazing with anything porous from paper, wood, grout etc etc.
It's been so popular that it sold out everywhere.  I'm expecting my next delivery some time after the 10th October.  There are also new colours in the range too.

These birds are made using the Copper Foil technique, and decorative soldering. These techniques are going to be included in my new class format (among lots of other things).

MAANZ Symposium

Well we've been back home in Qld for a couple of weeks after driving to and from the Melbourne Symposium.

The car was packed to the gills on the way down with stock and then with shopping on the way home.  We did our bit for the economy.

Our first time as vendors was scary, enlightening and satisfying.  It was wonderful to meet and learn from the other vendors.  They gave us some great advice and encouragement.

I missed a lot of speakers while busy with our stall but the few I say were very interesting, especially Carol Shelkin whose talk about being an artist was very uplifting and positive.

The exhibition at Bundoora was outstanding quality.  There is never enough time to appreciate each piece fully but I was overwhelmed by the quality of the conception and execution of the pieces. 

Congratulation to all the worthy winners.

 

As a first attempt our stall was very successful as a platform to launch my new book and the products described within.

I was surprised how quickly some products sold out.

The Inka Gold importer has also sold out of this wonderful new product.  The next shipment is expected about the 9^th Oct and there are lots of new colours too!

 

Check my Facebook page or website for updates: https://www.facebook.com/glenys.fentiman;  http://thefentimanfamily.com/index.html

Also, because we just plain forgot to take any photos of the Symposium (duh) have a look at the MAANZ Facebook page as well:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mosaic-Association-of-Australia-and-New-Zealand-MAANZ/114290011965801.

 

 

 

The Book is Here!

Well my first book has been born! It's been a very interesting (and sometimes frustrating) process, but I'm very proud of it and if all goes to plan, there'll be many more to follow.

                                                                 Cover page (above)

                                       Introduction and contents on the second page (above)

I'll be taking copies with me to the MAANZ symposium in Melbourne on August 23rd to 25th., but also selling them direct for $23.00 including postage within Australia. Just email me at glenmark@internode.on.net if you'd like one.

Better Photos

These photos of my Mirrors have been Photoshopped to remove the reflection, so you can see the mosaic art more clearly. They will likely be published in my upcoming book, which is nearing completion!

It's Dawn!

Latest member of my Art Deco Series is Dawn.

Created using a combination of cut - in and overlaid pieces, Dawn shows a 3D effect if the light's right. Here she is with the incident light fairly straight on:

 

 

 

But if the light comes in from an angle, she looks like this:

Changes her character completely!

Here's a photo of some of the detail:

It goes without saying that the grouting for a piece like this has to be perfect!

Dawn is approximately 600mm x 500mm in size, and her substrate is rendered foamboard framed with aluminium angle.

Triptych

A tryptich is a three - piece work of art. Each piece may be individual, but when all three are displayed together they show the full picture. In its earliest form, the tryptich consisted of three carved panels which were hinged, so they could be opened for display.
Nowadays, the term can apply to any art medium and that naturally includes mosaic!
I've done several in the past, and here's my latest:

Each piece is 600 x 300mm and the substrate is rendered foamboard, so it's suitable for outdorr display.

It has been sold.

Dabbling in Photoshop

I've just finished a U3A course in Photoshop, and what an amazing world of playing with photos it is!

The course only scratched the surface of what's possible, but here's one way I've used it so far:

I made the sign using Photoshop (texturing and then adding text), printed it and glued it under the glass. Here's a more detailed view:

I'm looking forward to using this technique a lot more - the possibilities are endless. Imagine having a photo of you or something you love ( a '69 Mustang says Mark) placed under glass and incorporated into a mosaic!

New Art Deco - style Mirror

Meet "Red Ribbon"! I've combined glass - on - glass with an inlay technique to give more depth and 3D effect:

You can see the shadowing around the circles, which are placed on top. The red and the silver are inlaid into the background mirror. Size is 600mm x 650mm.

Another view. I've slightly elongated the photo to illustrate how it'd look in approximately 600mm x 900mm size.

 

New(ish) Dining Table.

We found (thanks to our lovely cousin Lisa) a dining table that fits our space much better. Square space needs square table! It came with swish chairs too - now we can actually seat 8 people in comfort.
However, being so large, it needed a super sized Lazy Susan so I made a 600mm diameter one, plus another 4 placemats, to complete the ensemble!

                                                       Many happy meals to come!

Petal Essence

Another new series! There's a lot more work in this than you might think - making the petals is quite time - consuming and also uses a fair bit of glass.
I think the result is worth it!

900mm x 600mm

Yes I know this mirror is sideways, but it's to illustrate that a lot of my mirrors can be hung either vertically or horizontally.

I can imagine this mirror at a wedding venue - the bride giving herself a final check before she walks down the aisle. It'd make a great photo to see her reflected in here, the white lacy design and the petals complimenting her dress!

A close-up of the mirror. You can see the iridising on the border and the swirls. Looks spectacular in the flesh.

                                                         Looks effective on a Lazy Susan too.

900mm x 600mm

Similar design to the white mirror, it can also be hung either way. The black grout accentuates the design I think.

                                                                600mm x 600mm


And now for something (not) completely different:

                                                               600mm x 600mm
Despite my best efforts this photo refuses to download in the upright position. Computers can be such jolly good fun sometimes.
Anyhow, using the bluish coloured glass of many hues puts a new slant on the design!

Detail of the above:

                                                                      Beautiful.




I know you're all breathlessly awaiting my next post, so hang in there (pun)!