Exhibition preview

Just 4 of something like 30 pieces that are going into my show at Zest opening tomorrow. Having a solo show is pretty scary - and a very great deal of work. Just signing and packing them all up and loading the car took a whole day. There are some pieces I am very happy with and some that are quite nice. But one just doesn't know how it'll be received.

Close-ups

My collaborator at Blink Art has been working on details of my glass to create abstract pictures. I'm completely thrilled with the results. Top one and last one are in the exhibition, the larger one blown up to 1 metre wide - I have to say, they look fabulous.

Glass in Majorca

A furnace near Palma (same as anywhere else - output not inspiring), a crucifix in a bottle (never seen that before) and some apothecary jars in the monastery in Valldemossa where Chopin and George Sand stayed in the winter of 1853 (read her book while there and was struck by how little she said about him). A holiday that had nothing to do with glass - but you can always find something to do with glass to log wherever you go.

Corning

I'm back home now; this is my last day at Corning - with the pool I swam in on the one and only sunny day of the whole trip (luckily the Sunday when there were no lectures). The gallery where my swirl piece is showing - where we had a tame little private view. Oh and did I go the wrong way - no I don't think so (that's the Museum of Glass in the background).

Glass Art Society Conference in Corning

I am still in Corning so these pictures are uploaded unedited (and are rather poor). They're all taken in the Museum of Glass, where the conference was mostly held, and show some random choices from their absolutely stunning collection of glass. The fruit bowl is giant. They have everything there and it has been nice being able to browse about each day, rather than going through a whole collection at one sitting. The technological section was as interesting as the art.

The conference was very good - lots of ideas to take home and absorb. I think the highlight was a fashion show of costumes made with glass - copious imaginative bead work creations, corsets of kiln-cast elements, a bustle made out of a batch bag, a coat with plastic champagne glass stuck to it, a neon crinoline, a cast ballet dress, a glittering pyjama suit with dichroic panels sewn on. The whole thing lasted about an hour with one after another splendid creations and pretty girls (and the occasional chap) flouncing up and down the catwalk as if they were professionals. Fab.

Tonight is the private view of our exhibition, and a gallery here is interested in taking my two pieces after the show if they don't sell (they won't) so at least there will be an after life for them.

Three more sheets

I like these large sheets (about 2 ft 6 ins by 1 ft 6 ins). At the moment, I have one of them pinned to a window in my studio and it looks lovely as the sun comes round. There's some mileage here but I am not sure what yet. Or where to put them while I am thinking about it. I need a client with imagination who loves colour - they'd look good in a large space built into a dividing wall flanked by safety glass. Or instead of frosted glass in a space where you don't want people to look through a window but you want to let light in. Or over a door instead of leaded glass. Suggestions welcomed.

Autumn Swirl

The official title of this piece for the 'Same Difference' exhibition - now completely finished and in its stand - is The Colour of Autumn. It's because I didn't completely know what I would be showing when I had to submit my blurb. Perhaps I can change it as the Americans will put 'Color' on the list. Thanks due to three fine craftsmen who helped me with the various stages of this. It's looking good. I can't send the sheet, though. There was a little crack that has to be ground out and I've run out of time. It would certainly have broken in transit.

Abstract painting

(c) Artisan Studios

A professional picture of the glass sheet that came about as a result of that disheartening day trying to blow bullion when everything went wrong. If I can pack it up really securely (scary) then it is going to Corning in June. We've now done 2 more which aren't as nice (not professionally photographed either) so that gives me courage.

Got the T-shirt

The Corning T-shirt design was almost this one, with my piece on it. But in the end another was chosen by a whisker, I was told. However, they're going to make one up specially for me, since the design is already done. Well, that'll be fun - to wear it at the Glass Art Society conference at Corning in June. Someone might notice.

SOFA display

Returned home to a picture of the display cabinet at SOFA. The one of mine (middle, second row from the bottom) sold and so did another one which doesn't seem to be in this picture. Thrilling that they sold two pieces.

A mirror in Sicily

This is just an excuse to blog our trip to Sicily, shown here partly through a mirror. Not much other glass - a few Roman remains at Solunto, and lots of lush chandeliers in the baroque churches of Palermo; 100s of them (churches, that is).

Shadows

These are the shadows a little set of glass plates made on the wall, with the sun streaming in through the opposite window. I am sure something can be done with this effect - preferably in colour.

Bookbinding

The glass connection is the stained glass fragment of a luteplayer in our room at West Dean where we have both been doing a 5-day bookbinding course - the other pictures show me tooling, Stephen paring leather, and our joint display of finished books (my table left, his right). Very satisfying. I'll be using the blue one as my next glass notebook. Strange that the glass shows a lutenist yet neither of us noticed until the last day. Not only that, but the film on Edward James has a shot of the churchyard seen through this very window.

Site visit

Well, here we are in the reception area of the hospital and here's the wall on which my spinal structure is going to hang. It's good to have seen it like this because it is going to be so different in just 33 weeks time. Both my metal artist and I feel much more confident that it's all going to work now we've seen it. And there's a good 18mm of ply behind the plasterboard so we know fixing it is going to be fine. What a good thing we thought of that weeks ago and not have a shock-horror moment now. After that, we went on to the architect's new offices (light and airy) and talked about lighting. I think it's going to be OK.