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Studio Update
I’ve been at Shed 2 Studios fifteen years this October!
When I first moved in, I shared my space with my lovely friend Nic, who I met at university.
It was really more a place to keep all my glass, tools and equipment. This was ever growing, and taking over the house. But I quickly loved to be in the space, and started to make more use of it. I got asked to run workshops, so I would do these on weekends when Nic wasn’t in her side, to give students a bit of room.
It was a fairy natural progression when Nic decided to move on, that I would take over the whole space. Loadsa room, right? Wrong!
More room meant I could buy more tools, equipment and of course glass (being able to buy bigger sheets, saving money). It also meant I could run classes more often. It didn’t take long before I was making full use of it all, and a few years ago, began to spill out in to the communal areas – much to the chagrin of other studio members, sorry guys! So when a space came up, I decided to take a leap of faith and jump in. It’s right next to my own studio, but on the other side of a stud wall. Whether I will eventually take that wall down, I don’t know yet.
The plan for now, is to get a roof on as soon as possible. Shed 2 Studios is an old Victorian factory building. It has an open, high apex roof; a lot of heat goes up! And sharing with three woodworkers, a lot of dust comes down, too!
The new area is going to be the main teaching space for taster and shorter workshops. It is going to have large storeroom/cupboard. As it’s more out of the way of the communal area, I am going to use it as a consulting space. When someone wants to discuss a commission, for example.
The bit I am most excited about though, is that it is also going to be used a mini gallery space. I finally will have the chance to put my work on display, rather than hiding in boxes. This will inspire students, and give them lots of ideas.
I also plan to open the studio as a pop up shop once or twice a month, so that people can come along and see my glass art ‘in the flesh’. It also affords me the opportunity to design new and experimental pieces; having this creative freedom fills me with joy!
But first, operation tidy up, paint, put up shelves, and the small matter of a roof…. wish me luck!
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Is Glass A Liquid?
The subject of whether glass is a liquid comes up often when I am teaching glass fusing workshops. In fact, I incorporate a little bit about glass structure in the information I give out on my full fusing experience day – because it partly explains the properties of glass, and why we can do what can with it.
It’s actually an ‘amorphous solid’ – its molecules don’t set a regular crystalline structure like many elements and compounds (MIT refer to it as a ‘highly resilient elastic solid’ – read here) – although elastic solid does sound like a bit of an oxymoron doesn’t it?
So why do people – and I’ve sadly heard other glass artists say this – think glass might be a liquid? The most common ‘evidence’ cited is medieval glass windows being thicker at the bottom. The glass must have flowed down, right? Wrong. They made it that way.
Prior to the invention of float glass in the mid 20th century by Pilkington Glass, window glass was hand made. Two commonly used methods were cylinder and crown glass. Read more about crown glass here, but essentially, it results in a disc of glass that is of uneven thickness – and sometimes, that thicker bit is at the bottom! Yes, it is that simple.
Here’s picture of Crown Glass being made
You can lose yourself down a rabbit hole with the whole history of glass, the development of the window (it’s that exciting, I wrote my dissertation on it!) – this is just a quick look, and an attempt to explain that variance.
Are You Absolutely Sure, A Tour Guide Definitely Said The Glass In Church Windows Moved?
Yes! If glass flows downwards in matter of a few hundred years, why aren’t the ancient glass in the British Museum just a puddles on a shelf? They predate the Middle Ages by a millennia and more. The Portland Vase dates back around 2,000 years. This mosaic dish is even older at circa 300BC
Find out more about the Portland Vase here, it’s got an interesting history (And no, Natalie from Great Pottery Throwdown, Josiah Wedgwood wasn’t the creator of the original cameo vase!)
Also in the British Museum – this dish is around 2,300 years old.
Conclusion. Glass is NOT a liquid. It doesn’t move measurably over time. Pretty much the only way to make glass flow is to get it warm…. like 600ºC and above, warm… which is what I do!
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Glass On The Go Gets Going!
I’ve just recently created a pricing structure for my Glass On The Go workshops, where we bring creativity to you!
There are lots of options within these packages, but it gives a clearer idea and starting point if you’re thinking of inviting me to come and do a workshop at your place!
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A Few New Dates Added
If you’ve been on the look out for some new workshop dates, I’ve just updated the booking page over on Craft Courses:
