Intermediate Glassblowing: (second class)
Individual Work:
Group Work:
We were put into groups, which we called our "factories" for the semester. Each factory was required to design and make a turn mold to use to create numerous mass-produced products and a free-blown cup design to accompany a mocktail recipe. My two teammates and I named our factory Glowing Glass.
Mission Statement:
Glowing Glass’s mission is to bring our customers unique glass pieces relating to nature. As college students, we understand that fellow students and potential customers of our age are in need of more nature in their surrounding environment. Our factory’s theme is about the interaction between plants and light, both natural and artificial, and their juxtaposition. Thus, we have incorporated natural and artificial light with the lush green world we see around us into every piece. In hopes of accommodating your drinkware and plant care needs, we have created various multi-functional products that you can use to contain drinks and plants. We wanted to create the most versatile, yet simple and beautiful pieces to bring art, life, and light into your space.
Mold Blown:
A light bulb-shaped vessel to be used for our customer’s plant needs, such as a vase or for propagation.
Our mold-blown objects have been produced by blowing molten glass into a wooden mold that we fabricated. We trimmed down a wood log and used a CNC machine to make a mold where the negative space, that the glass is blown into, is in the shape of a lightbulb. The light bulb shape references our theme of natural vs. artificial light and, while we advertise it as a glass vessel for propagating and containing plants, it has various functions to fit our customers' needs.
process of making the turn mold:
process of using the mold:
Free-Blown:
Cocktail glasses, inspired by more natural ingredients, all with a suggested recipe for use.
Our free-blown objects do not use any pre-fabricated molds, rather are entirely handmade. Because of this, each contains a unique set of superficial characteristics to them, while the quality remains steadfast throughout. They are made by gathering molten glass, blowing, shaping, heating, and cooling until the desired look is achieved. While we offer various styles, each has a subtle nod to nature incorporated within. Suggested accompanying recipes are included.
Final Factory Products:
Beginning Glassblowing: (first class)
This assignment was to create a vessel while exploring the concept of containers and what it means to be contained. I made stackable flower vases that all have small drilled holes where individual flower stems can be inserted, a larger hole at the top so that each vase can be filled with water, and a spout out of which the water can be poured out of. Each stacking vase is shaped to where the top is convex and the bottom is concave so that they can sit on top of each other. However, they did not stack quite as I had planned, so I did have to reinforce and stabilize them with some wire through the drilled flower stem holes.
FINAL PROJECT:
The theme of my final project is architectural historic preservation. My inspiration was the "Glass House Project" by the Menokin Foundation, in which they are preserving a house that was built in 1769 completely out of glass. The stacked shards of glass are supposed to represent a building structure that is falling down and barely holding up the ceiling element, while the column is supporting and holding up the whole structure. The ceiling and base are made from cut sheet glass, the crumbling wall is little pieces of glass that I glued together, and the column is made from a glass mold and a plaster column that I cut the capital and base off of. The goal of this project was to experiment with casting glass and to include mixed media in the final deliverable.
The rest of the photos shown below are other objects that I made throughout the semester of Intro to Glass Art that were not tied to a specific project but were part of either exercises that were to help teach a specific skill or were of my own interest. Starting from the top left and going down to the bottom right, there are 2 caterpillars, 3 pumpkins, a blown ring holder, a Christmas tree, 2 blown Christmas ornaments, and 2 cups and a vase.
