Novation Glass

Fresh Start...

Its changing seasons and I'm changing direction. When winter hits Vermont life moves to a slow crawl. Summer and spring practically fast forward as we all try to squeeze as much fun into the brief season. Without the break in the seasons I doubt I would get anything done, winter is my time to recoup and decide on new directions and new products for my fused glass business. I create all sorts of fused dichroic glass jewelry, and small gift items from coasters to nightlights to silly little flower pockets and ornaments. People love the larger pieces, and I get a lot more satisfaction from making them, so when I get time I fuse and slump large bowls and plates.


Right now I'm focusing on my glasswork, new designs and products for next seasons run of craft shows. My 2009 show schedule will be updated as soon as possible, check out if anything is happening in your area here. Here is my bustling booth last summer at a CraftProducers show... I can't tell where we were, maybe Stowe or Manchester Vermont.


Tutorials…
These will be full of information, step by step video and photos, links on where to purchase the resources and great tips and tricks that can make all the difference! Each tutorial will be on a how to create a specific product from start to finish with clear and easy to follow direction. This is my winter project so check back as we’ll be cooking them up very soon. From basic cutting of glass to the tools needed and kiln firing schedules and more. I'll be putting them on my website, etsy shop,1000markets,flickr, and youtube.

Featured Artist...

I would like to feature a new shop, link or person regularly to help promote my fellow artists out there so feel free to contact me with any insight or with your own shop. The handmade movement is alive online and there are so many new creators out there so I'm sure I'll have no shortage of innovative new products and people. Heres DippyLulu, a funny favorite, a Vermonter and her oh-so fragrant Etsy shop...


What I Love...
I absolutely LOVE glass casting. This year I hope to take more time to play and design with this kind of fusing. Glass casting is when you make an form or mold out of something like clay or wax. A common type of casting is called “lost wax casting” and involves carving a wax form. After you have a model out of clay or wax, you mix up a slurry of cement mold making product (there’s a number of different types) and pour over your original piece in a contained area. After the cement cures you dig out, or burn out your original clay or wax and, voila you have a mold that is (hopefully) an exact replica of your model. Different artists use different techniques but I would then take a mix of frit, which is finely crushed compatible glass, and fill your mold with it. This explanation is a bit pared down, (there are formula’s for exactly how much glass to use) I’ll be posting tutorials with pictures, information, links and necessary tools for all sorts of fusing projects in the future. So, to get back to the project, you fill your mold then fire oh-so slowly to a soak temperature of somewhere between 1500-1600 degrees and hold there for a specified amount of time. Firing schedules are really important and you’ll have to work out a different one for each piece as the size and shape of your finished product determine the time and temperature. After a long few days of cooling down, with proper annealing along the way, you will have your mysterious hunk of mold with who-knows-what locked inside. Now this is what you’ve been waiting for after days of this casting process, this is the fun part! You chisel and carefully break away the mold material and inside you’ll have this incredible treasure that should be an exact replica of your original clay or wax! Now, there are a lot of specifics in there that I left out but, as I said we’ll be doing real fully accessible tutorials coming soon so make sure to check back.

For now I'll be updating this and all of my online shops, so check back and see the progress as I get going here. For an idea of what I've been doing up till now, check out our past newsletters from our website here. These have gorgeous pictures, news, craft shows, and featured artists from all over the Northeast.