A river and a puzzle

This is my final version of the 'river of lenses' project. I've had to compromise as I couldn't use the windows as it would have meant tampering with the fabric of the building. However, I am begining to feel this solution will be better -- easier, cheaper and more controllable. It's out of the main thoroughfare (so safer) and the light above will throw some interesting shadows on the wall. I was never too sure the visual interference outside the window would have worked in its favour. All in all, this really is the best place for it in the Reception area. Next pic of this will be it in situ as it is full steam ahead now so it can go into the exhibition on 19 July first. And it's going to have a little puzzle hidden away in the lenses.

Exhibition flyer

Here's my PageMaker drawing board with the exhibition invitation in progress. What a nightmare! I don't know how many printouts I had to do to get it right, and then the WAES Marketing Manager tells us the college logo has to be in Helvetica Condensed whereas all the rest is in Impact. I just couldn't get it looking good. Waste of time. It's drained all the creativity out of me for today. Think I'll quietly go and batt wash a kiln shelf or do a bit of gentle engraving.
There's a Press Release online.

West Dean weekend

This what I was working on last weekend for the 'Blast & Scratch It' course at West Dean last weekend. Had such fun. The perfume bottle and the roundel both unfinished and there's simply been no time all week to get back to them and finish the engraving. Maybe next week will be less busy.

Our exhibition

The end-of-term exhibition will be at the Gallery at Morley College 19-23 July. It's been a matter of coaxing and negotiation. On Monday we will visit it as a group and possibly select the spaces we would like. I'm hoping for a window for mine, preferably where the buses pass. It's odd how now we have secured a gallery space (and very nice one too) it changes the last month's sprint to the finish of the course. Having not really wanted to do a fnal show, my mind is now turning to thinking about whether I could make a few things to sell.

Plagiarism in the glass art world.

It's about time I blogged a blog so here's a story about Dale Chihuly in relation to the current court case he is bringing against two glass blowers for imitating his creations inspired by the sea. Can sea forms belong to one person, runs the defence.

On the site I am linking to (but don't necessarily endorse), Chihuly is quoted as saying, 'Good artists borrow ideas. Great artists steal them.' Which, of course, isn't original. Before him is Stravinsky with, ‘A good composer does not imitate, he steals.’ Or Picasso’s notorious assertion that ‘minor artists borrow, great artists steal’ or T. S. Eliot with ‘Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.'

So I am not stealing a picture of his work, but using one of yours truly with friend at Kew.