My reaction to this lockdown period has surprised me. The very sudden cancellation of all my classes and fairs and my trade stand at BCTF etc caused me to lose my creative 'mojo' for my usual fused glass jewellery. Instead, my allotment has been my place of peace and calm! I have still got my creative mojo but for experimenting with new things instead so I have a few new ranges added to my website shop recently that are very different to my other glass.
Glass comes in many formats and colours. For fused glass I use 2mm or 3mm sheets of glass which I cut to size, layer in different ways and add my chemistry magic – these layers of glass go into a cold kiln and the temperature schedule takes it up to about 800C to fuse together and round off the angles to produce my fused glass jewellery.
Last year I spotted a different type of kiln on Ebay which was being sold with a whole starter kit for enamelling. Enamel powders are just a type of powdered glass so I can keep my business name of 'Sarah Greening Glass' – Phew! The powdered glass colours are sifted onto de-greased copper shapes and put directly into a kiln at just under 800C for a minute or 2 and then taken out – CAREFULLY! to cool down and then the other side is done. You can add multiple layers of sifted powder and I often do, in order to create the textures that I am aiming for. Although it takes some preparation time, the effects are very immediate and after some finishing of edges I can make into jewellery and add to my online shop – 1 sold last week the day I had made it!
Yesterday I posted a range of new glass cocktail stirrers – from sales of these I am donating 50% of profits to the NHS fundraising efforts and I already have my first few orders of these so I'll need to get on with making some more! So glad of the orders for momentum to keep myself creating – the mojo is returning….
Please do visit sarahgreeningglass.co.uk and have a look around!
