Thursday, August 26, 2010

Cast away



I know it's all seemed very quiet here, but as ever - it's the opposite. I've been a busy bee with work, so I just thought I'd show a couple pics of what I've been up to.

I currently have two casting projects and a fused window too - so hot glass in the hot summer!

The pictures are of a border strip of cast glass - cast in clear glass. It's kind of organic, with a loose starfish and some pebbles, and the other picture is of a plaster mold, which is how I make the cast glass. Both are from different projects.

If I was terrible organized, the pictures would follow the process - but alas, I'm not! So I shall describe it briefly anyway:

I sculpt a 'positive' out of wet clay (so it looks as I want it to) and then I cast the positive in plaster (this plaster is the 'negative') When the plaster has dried, I kiln wash it (thats the funny purple color on the plaster mold) Then I can fill it with glass and cast it in the kiln. These are 'one offs' as I loose the wet clay when I pull it out of the plaster mold, and I pretty much always loose the plaster mold after it's been cast once (when It comes out of the kiln and I pull the glass out!) So If something goes wrong - I have to start over, which can be frustrating, but there it is!

I will try and post pictures of each project - when they are complete, so you can get some context!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Seeing double!


Just had to share this crazy picture!

On a recent day trip to Carmel beach, we came across this little dog called Bella. Both us, and her owners could not have been more surprised by the similarity of Bella, and our Cookie. Cookie had just had a trim, but they were the same size, color, eye color - just amazing!

Our Cookie was found as a stray in San Jose, with a broken leg, and terribly thin - we then found her at the Santa Cruz ASPCA, where she had been sent for rehoming. We got talking, and were amazed to learn that Bella had been found, not just in San Jose, but the same street as Cookie - so they HAVE to be related. Either Cookie is Bella's Mom, or a sibling from another litter.

Cookie is the most friendly and sweet dog, but strangely when her and Bella met - they completely ignored each other! like they couldn't even see each other - it was the oddest thing.