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EXPERIMENT - Term 3 Project Brainstorm (Part Two) - Wands

Collection of depictions, symbolism and museum artifacts of wands/staffs within magickal history, particularly from Crowely era.

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EXPERIMENT - Term 3 Project Brainstorm (Part One) - Semantic Cues

Ritual objects / ceremonial / sacred objects / altar tools / amulets / talismans / rowan cross / ward / spell / wand / athame / portal /

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Design Influences Overview - Term 2

End of term wrap up / collection of design influences from various sources, credits listed in order of appearance in caption.

Images 1-6: Robyn Campbell, Images 7-14: Jennifer Mathews, Images 15-18: Chris Lux, Image 19: Nina Hartmann, Image 20: Nick Mount, Image 21: Kirstie Rae, Images 22-25: Mary Shaffer.

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Nine - DROP THROUGH MOLD

Nothing to share for this week! I came into class and was having an off day, so needed to leave. I might try the drop through technique next week if time allows, and pending how other students' experiments went.

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Eight - STRINGERS

Considering my design for the part sheet task was quite noodle heavy, I chose to strip back for this task and did a simple crosshair design. This fuse will be used next week to experiment with drop-through molds, so I kept the design brief and clean, knowing the design is going to morph/alter with this technique.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - respirator, eye protection. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - glass cutter, ruler, fusing glass, noodles. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Cut a clear fusing glass square for a base layer. 🝯 Cut red fusing glass to the same size as the base layer, to create a 6mm fusing. 🝯 Measure, cut and place noodles as desired. 🝯 Place on kiln shelf. Enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION This one came out nicely, I love how the red fusing glass comes out of the kiln as a rich, dark cranberry colour with a beautiful gloss! Funnily the noodles didn't come out super sharp and have a ripple effect in the centre, I imagine this is due to them balancing on each other rather than sitting flush on the glass layer below. I probably could have been more ambitious with my design but after last week I just wanted to try something clean and simple.

images: progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for hot colour oceanside glass, black oceanside glass & primo kilnwash

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Seven - COLLAGE ASSEMBLAGE

Following on from last week, I've decided to continue with the tartan pattern by incorporating larger strips of colour to add to the base of the grid fusing, to create a collage effect. Other students cut and reassembled their first fusing, but I'm thinking of approaching collage with layers rather than the former. Again, for this task I am just leaning in to playing with colour and pattern for experimentations' sake. In my work I really like to work with neutrals like black/grey/white/brown, and bolder hot colours like red/orange - so I'm using this task to try to challenge what I am usually drawn to, and see what happens.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - eye protection. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - glass cutter, ruler, fusing glass, running pliers, grozing pliers. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Cut fusing glass sheets to the same footprint of the prior fusing, so they are the same size. 🝯 Assemble glass as desired, and add the prior fusing on top as the first layer. 🝯 Place onto kiln shelf. Enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION Unfortunately I am not completely satisfied with this piece, in retrospect I wish I had just left the first fusing as it was without adding an opaque/transparent collage base. I think design wise, the linework created by the noodles and ceramic underglaze pencil was visually busy enough, and didn't necessairly require more line work underneath to be interesting or visually balanced/pleasing. The next step is to slump this over a mould to create a shallow dish, but I'm not sure I will as I'm not overly attached or connected to the piece - so I might prioritise other kiln work instead. In future, when combining lots of different glass together, I might try to strike more visual balance by using less layers or a more unified colour palette.

images: progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for white oceanside glass, purple oceanside glass, hot oceanside glass & primo kilnwash

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Five & Six - PART SHEETS & COLD WORKING

Today we are cold working the edges of last weeks' thick fused squares, to remove the texture created by the kiln paper lining the kiln straps/gyprock. I started coldworking mine, but we are also making our part sheets today - so I didn't finish. I'll pick it up another time. For the part sheets, because we're layering/cutting/collaging them after this fire, we're encouraged to just play with line and colour rather than fixitating on a finalised design during this step. I'm playing with noodles and ceramic underglaze pencil to create a grid effect, reminiscent of fabric tartan, and trying to play more freely with colour as an experiment.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: (Part Sheets) 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - eye protection, respirator. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - fusing glass, noodles, clear powder, sieve, ceramic underglaze pencil, glass cutter, ruler. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Cut clear fusing glass base layer. 🝯 Sandblast the base layer to prepare for underglaze pencil, so the marking has something to "grip onto". 🝯 Using a pencil, draw repeating straight lines length ways. 🝯 Measure, cut and place noodles into place as desired, along the opposite edge to create a grid effect against the pencil lines. 🝯 Sieve fine clear glazing powder evenly as a top layer to the design, to help seal in the pencil markings and create a glossy finish on top. 🝯 Place work onto kiln shelf. Enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION Overall I am fond of how the noodles and pencil interact with each other, particularly on clear glass. My cutting accuracy wasn't consistent across all noodles, resulting in some noodles not meeting the edge of the base glass. To mitigate in future, I will need to pay closer attention to cutting glass accurately to the mm and take extra care when loading into the kiln to avoid any movement across the layers. Next week we are due to collage this piece, then we will slump into a dish mold.

images: progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for clear fusing glass, hot colour fusing glass, kilnwash and underglaze pencil

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Four - KILN CASTING / FUSING THICK

I'm really exciting to try thick fusing, particularly because the illusion of depth you can create is really beautiful with this technique! Coming into this task, I didn't come in with a fixed design plan, but rather just wanted to experiment with colour field and depth to analyse how glass and colour behaves when its thicker. Our kiln footprint is pretty small and limited to making a square to simplify the firing process with other students - so instead of coming in with a complex conceptual idea, I purely just wanted to play with colour and try the process. In my design, I am referencing abstract painter Mark Rothko's approach to colour field painting, in particular his red/orange/black works, as those are colours I am really connected to working with in my practice at large.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - respirator, eye protection. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - gyprock, kiln paper, kiln straps, stanley knife, ruler, glass cutter, adhesive glue. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Determine how many layers are required, and cut individual layers for fusing and arrange on top of each other in desired order. Sparingly add adhesive glue between layers if required to hold in place. 🝯 Cut an extra top layer in clear fusing glass, 3mm shorter on each side to encourage a rounded capping of the fusing. 🝯 Cut out and place kiln paper for the base layer of the fusing onto the kiln shelf. Additionally cut out kiln paper barriers to place in between kiln straps that are bordered around the footprint area to create a barrier/container for the glass (dam). 🝯 Cut gyprock board pieces to size in conjunction with the use of kiln straps to create dams in between other students' glass pieces. Similarly cut kiln paper to size to add a barrier between the glass and the gyprock board pieces. 🝯 Insert the thick fusing between the straps, gyprock boards and kiln paper, ensuring each side is flush and square. 🝯 Enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION I like how this piece came out - my desired affect for a colourfield-esque result was successful, and I like the subtle thin red line in the centre of the work. I like the tactile result of this technique, and it's rewarding to be working with glass in a thicker/more robust state compared to 3mm/6mm. I've love to continue working with this method to create interesting objects, and I'm keen to cold work the edges of this particular work to experiment with satin/polish finishes to see how that further alters how the work reads and looks in space.

images: progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for grey fusing glass, clear fusing glass, hot colour fusing glass, kiln paper, kilnwash and gyprock.

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Three - COLD CONSTRUCTION

I didn't come to class with a solid plan for this task - but rather wanted to know what was possible on varying scales. Beth's presentation highlighting artists utilising this method within their practice was useful, there are lots of applications with cold construction that I haven't thought about before. I like how the technique is applied to assist with creating sculptural pieces. For the sake of this task, I trialled putting grey float into different configurations just as a starting point. While not required, I also decided to fire it in the kiln after construction, just to see what would happen.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - eye protection. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - glass cutter, adhesive glue, ruler, grozing pliers, running pliers, 6mm float glass. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Cut float glass as desired. 🝯 Apply adhesive glue where desired to create forms with glass pieces. 🝯 Avoid handling to allow glue to bond to maximise strength. 🝯 Place work into kiln, enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION As expected, firing this piece just turned it into a blob, but I really like learning by trying regardless! Interestingly, when fired, the glass took on a metallic-like quality. I quite like the grey toned 6mm float glass and would love to use it again in other applications. As for cold construction, I'm intrigued to try it again in different contexts - especially to create sculptural pieces, or simply creating a separate base that another glass work can be attached to as a stand/container of the work.

images: progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for black primo kilnwash & 6mm grey float

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week Two - DESIGN DOWN

I am intrigued by the concept of myth-making and magick, and how using/reproducing/creating symbols + objects contribute to myth and animism lexicons. To experiment with the design down full fuse project, I used the alchemical symbol for lead as my design for a quick test of the process. I haven't used frit before, so have decided to use it to experiment with its materiality and capabilities.

STEPS FOR PROCESS: 🝯 Prepare a tidy and functional workspace. 🝯 Gather required PPE - respirator, eye protection. 🝯 Collect required tools and materials - kiln paper, fusing glass, frit, glass cutter, sieve, stanley knife, ruler, pencil, adhesive. 🝯 Prepare kiln - remove previous firings, redress shelves if required. 🝯 Cut kiln paper to size for base layer, 1cm more than glass. 🝯 Draw design onto paper with pencil. 🝯 Spray adhesive onto paper to hold frit in place. 🝯 Tap sieve to place frit onto paper where desired. 🝯 Cut and place 3mm clear fusing glass square onto top layer. 🝯 Cut and place another 3mm clear fusing glass square onto top layer, as frit alone doesn't bring the total thickness to 6mm. 🝯 Place work into kiln, enter firing schedule and fire. 🝯 Tidy workspace and return all tools and leftover materials.

RESULTS & REFLECTION I was actually expecting a very different result - I hoped that the frit would melt together to create a sharp and bold design, but the frit virtually didn't alter at all, and left the design looking sandy and messy. I prefer sleeker and bolder line work, so I regret using frit instead of cutting sheet glass. I think I misinterpreted what would work well with the properties of the design down approach, and used the wrong materials for the desired outcome.

images: design reference, progress photos, firing schedule and MSDS for black oceanside frit, neutral oceanside frit, primo kilnwash & kiln paper

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INVESTIGATE - Term 2 Week One - COURSE INTRODUCTION

What do you want to make? This year I am interested in enhancing my leadlighting and potentially stained painting skills, further deep diving into sandblasting, further developing kiln-forming skills and some glassblowing in Ruth Allen's trainee program. I would also like to incorporate some metalworking into my work - welding, plasma cutting, etc.

What techniques are on your wishlist? I would love to learn lost wax casting, coldworking techniques, stack firing/thick fusing and using molds.

What areas do you want to skill up? I would like to gain more confidence in consolidating my knowledge about annealing, firing schedules, and improving my ability to match conceptual frameworks with physical output.

Overall goal for the year? I have my first solo show at the end of the year, and I'd like to make a number of pieces that contribute to that body of work as well as stand on their own coneptually/aesthetically.