End of first term

I shall go quiet now until 10 January. Here is my final piece:
a 3-D copper-foil construct with sides in degussa enamel, lustre painting, stencil sandblasting, engraving and lamp-worked beads. It's OK, but not exactly my 'thing'.

I welcome now having a few weeks to think about what I have learned so far and where I want to go from here. We have been running hard to catch up with all the different techniques we have been learning, so reflection time has been scant.

However, there's the Festive Season to get through first. And will I or won't I do a glass-themed Christmas card? [Afternote: Reader, I did -- shaped like this box.]

Assessment flurry

Everybody is running around this week trying to fulfill the assessment criteria. These are bullet points couched in vague language -- ergo, management speak. All the tutors want to pass us, but they are bounded by management protocol. Which is passed on to us. These criteria have quite little to do with personal learning, nor do they take a rounded view of the activity we are engaged in. Most of us are fulfilling what we think is required of us for the sake of the staff and the college and its future. Not for us.

That said, I don't mind forcing myself to play the game, to fulfill my part of the bargain, but the creativity or education in this? Where is it?

Work in progress

Here are a few finished or abandoned pieces. 1. The object I wrote about in 'Taking a trail' saved by the inscription, 'from tiny acorns great oaks grow'. 2. The squirrel in colour.











3. A slumped piece (don't like it). 4. Experiments with lustres (also not satisfactory).

Cameo glass

An interesting afternoon in the workshop and then to Broadfield House to look at and talk about the techniques of cameo glass. I don't think I want to go down the Portland Vase route (base disc pictured) -- I couldn't acquire any of the skills -- but there are some interesting sculptural possibilites developed by modern makers which is might be fun to explore. We have been given a small square of blue glass coated in white to have a little try-out.