Duane Kimball on sun 5 oct 97
for the last year i have experimented with a variety of different types of
glass and with ways to use clay and glass together. i have learned just
enough to know i need a lot more work......
the person who told you to just add a piece of glass gave good advice, as
this is a relatively simple solution to your "glass over opening/window" idea.
there are special fusible glasses available, which allow layering, color
mixing, and relatively easy annealing firing schedules if you have a
computerized controller. if you do not need the glass annealed, you can
just use window or waste glass, such as beer bottles. this is actually my
favorite, visually speaking, as the glass, although unstable, looks like
emeralds! these work best when the clay has already been brought to
temperature. otherwise, there is the risk of stress fractures, running
glass, and ruined shelves. cullet is another option, and is a nice way to
hold other objects, such as stones, in place within the clay.
molds are another option. you can kiln wash the inside of a bowl, put in
some glass, and it will conform to the shape of the bowl and pop out when
cool. you can build molds from hardware cloth, cover them with ceramic
fiber, and the glass will slump into shape.
as glass fuses and slumps at a much cooler temperature than bisque or firing
temperatures (e.g., cone 020), you may find it a really pleasing last step,
rather like adding lusters.
to answer your original question....yes, you could put the glass into the
bowl as a window or windows, but depending upon the number of windows, it
could require a sophisticated mold, and some decisions about whether or not
to anneal the glass.
hope this helps, and now you can see why the "just add it afterwards" was
such good initial advice.
kathleen kimball
KIK IN NH, who is enjoying both middle age and her senior year at the maine
college of art
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