Recent events have been encouraging. The acceptance in to the Biennale was a boost, and further selection of Big Bird for Essence, the extension show at London Glassblowing will give the work more exposure.
Maybe I am beginning to get somewhere at last, who knows. The medium is new to so many people; I have to give people time to become accustomed to seeing it. I just hope if I keep sticking it under their noses and continue to produce new stuff they will get it, and start to collect.
Looking at the Humpen and then at Big Bird, the connections between the two are evident. although I do not have a pic of an old glass with an eagle on, maybe you get the idea. The eagle was represented very often as it was the symbol of the dominant Hapsburg Empire. Reverse painting and gilding on glass in Germany and Bohemia was widespread at the time drinking glasses, known as Humpen, were being produced. The larger, more ornate ones were used as commemorative, presentation glasses. Decoration, in the form of enamel painting, was applied to the outer surface and fired, to bond the paint to the glass.
The techniques I most often used are cold, so the decoration has to be protected by its application to the underside of the glass. But how to gain access to the underside of a blown glass?
I have resolved this problem in a variety of ways; in the case of the Humpen, I made a series of horizontal cuts in the glass and after decoration, reassembled it.
The common use of the Hapsburg eagle led to my use in this work of a big bird.
I am venturing into new waters: jewellery. This is very exciting and I believe has colossal potential. I have decorated a series of optical testing glasses that I was given by a kind friend. For a long time they sat on the shelf, then the penny dropped. They are thick and curved and perfect for imagery.
Here are 4 of them, ready for the jeweller Paul Simmonds to set the mount. He will make silver and gold plated bands to fit around them. I am in the process of assembling beads and chains and all the necessary to make a fine piece of jewellery. It is quite a business, and I have to learn silver working and bead threading. The possibilities are very exciting, as through history cuff links, buttons, brooches, pendants and rings have all been made with églomisé.
The first collection will be shown at Handmade in Britain (end Oct., Chelsea Town Hall) where I will be most interested in the reaction of the public.... and hopefully sales will follow, at last!
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