Why?
This page will grow as time goes by, but for now the "Why"
in question deals with design philosophy and technic. Why the things I
make look the way they do - some of those things that my work uniquely
mine.
I am not a random-type person - I like at least a certain
amount of structure and order. While I don't always sit down and draw a
design out (Ok, so I rarely actually draw a design out!) my pieces often
turn out very architectural in design. I use a lot of triangles, and a lot
of squares and rectangles. This means that I cut up a lot of tiny pieces
of glass into even tinier pieces of glass of a specific shape. Itty, bitty
squares and triangles can be a real challenge to keep track of and
manipulate, but to me the results are worth it. That said, the occasional
seemingly chaotic piece does crop up. Don't let it fool you. Even chaos
has its own order.
Most of my pieces also have more than a passing
acquaintance with the grinders before they are put up for adoption. Some
pieces beg to be left alone, to move on in the exact shape they found in
the first firing. Most, however, have little dips and bulges that must be
manipulated before they reach their true shape. After grinding, they are
fire polished to smooth out the grinder marks.
Most pieces go through two firings. Some are happy with
one, some want to be fired several times. It just depends on the
individual piece.
