About MeI'm a high school senior at BASIS Oro Valley. This is my senior project. I hope to become familiar with the design process for differing types of artists, such as how artists working in 3 dimensions formulate and execute ideas, and how this is different and similar to those who work in 2 dimensions. I will also, potentially, make a piece using the knowledge I obtain from this project.
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Blog
Week 9
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4/9/17
I learned more about cold work through this week. I learned how to operate the diamond saw and the grinder, which combined give solid glass work a flat sturdy bottom. The grinder has various textures of grit on it so you can choose what finish the bottom will have. The diamond saw is there to cut off all the sharp edges at the bottom. In addition, this week I worked on drawing things from observation in the glass studio. |
Week 8
4/3/17
This week I cleaned glass art, wrapped it in newspaper, then put it in boxes, so it would be ready for shipping. This was for a large order for the University of Arizona. These hummingbird feeders are what I primarily packaged, as there was over a hundred of them to send out. I also worked on my individual art, painting canvases.
This week I cleaned glass art, wrapped it in newspaper, then put it in boxes, so it would be ready for shipping. This was for a large order for the University of Arizona. These hummingbird feeders are what I primarily packaged, as there was over a hundred of them to send out. I also worked on my individual art, painting canvases.
Week 7
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3/26/17
I started learning out cold working. This is the process after the glass pieces come out of the oven. It involves signing, smoothing edges, and polishing; using equipment like diamond saws and sanding machines. I spent time observing this and also helping to clean and pack finished work for shipping. |
Week 6
3/19/17
The last week of glass blowing has arrived. At Fire Ranch Glassworks they quickly worked on using the remaining glass and created various colors of cups and dishes. When it came time to shut off the furnace, they took a large iron scoop and shoveled all remaining glass into the disposal barrel. From now on I will work on painting and cold work. |
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Week 5
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3/12/17
This week I worked on the canvas burning technique (As described in "Week 3"). I used the actual glass that created the burn marks and painted the back of them. I then placed them back onto the canvas. The burn marks in the background are there to help create movement for the piece. Below are the results. After this week we will move onto cold work, the furnaces are being turned off as summer approaches. |
Week 4
3/4/17
This week started off by "charging" the furnace. Which is a way of saying restocking on molten glass. The furnace heated up to 2200 degrees then they would periodically put more pellets into it every 45 minutes to an hour. This process took all day. Afterward, the artists began working on larger paperweight pieces as an extension of their current order. They took larger gathers of glass over time and slowly began shaping them into eggs, using various molds and equipment. Due to the size of the pieces, they needed to be heated quite frequently and also required large amounts of manpower to manipulate. Day 2
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Day 1
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Week 3
2/26/17
Week 3 at Fire Ranch Glassworks was similar to that of previous weeks. But this week I began experimenting with burning canvas using molten glass to create organic shapes. This will heavily factor into my final work, as I plan to use this technique. This involves wetting a canvas then quickly bringing a gather of glass to drip onto the canvas. Afterward we quickly remove the glass and look at the remaining burn marks. Early test canvases are pictured to the right. |
Week 2
2/19/17
My second week at Fire Ranch Glassworks was a mixture of the same thing as last week, but with the addition of post production work. Each piece had to be cleaned, signed, and labeled. I was tasked with moving and cleaning some of the hundreds of hummingbird feeders for the current order. I also had to blow into the pipes, put glass patches on the bottom of some pieces (in order for them to be more easily removed from the pipe), and put color on the end of each pipe. In order to help create fluted bowls (pictured below).
My second week at Fire Ranch Glassworks was a mixture of the same thing as last week, but with the addition of post production work. Each piece had to be cleaned, signed, and labeled. I was tasked with moving and cleaning some of the hundreds of hummingbird feeders for the current order. I also had to blow into the pipes, put glass patches on the bottom of some pieces (in order for them to be more easily removed from the pipe), and put color on the end of each pipe. In order to help create fluted bowls (pictured below).
Week 1
2/11/17
During my first week at Fire Ranch Glassworks, i became more acquainted with the process of blowing glass. First, you "gather" some glass onto the end of your blow pipe, then mold it into either a tube or egg shape (depending on the piece). Next you reheat and gather again, until you have the correct shape and size to mold it. After molding, you use the "jax" (a device similar to tongs) to form a line where you will cut off the glass. Soon after, you reheat again and blow into the tube expanding the size. Once the piece is completed you put it into the oven where it can cool down below 500 degrees.
I have come to realize that as much science is involved as there is art. Each color of glass has a different melting point and certain colors from different brands are incompatible with one another. Each piece of work took about 45 minutes to complete. At the end of each day I learned how to work with a small amount of clear glass, but getting to the point of being able to create a piece on ones own can take up to a year.
During my first week at Fire Ranch Glassworks, i became more acquainted with the process of blowing glass. First, you "gather" some glass onto the end of your blow pipe, then mold it into either a tube or egg shape (depending on the piece). Next you reheat and gather again, until you have the correct shape and size to mold it. After molding, you use the "jax" (a device similar to tongs) to form a line where you will cut off the glass. Soon after, you reheat again and blow into the tube expanding the size. Once the piece is completed you put it into the oven where it can cool down below 500 degrees.
I have come to realize that as much science is involved as there is art. Each color of glass has a different melting point and certain colors from different brands are incompatible with one another. Each piece of work took about 45 minutes to complete. At the end of each day I learned how to work with a small amount of clear glass, but getting to the point of being able to create a piece on ones own can take up to a year.
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Phone: (520) 981-4275
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