Process & Pain

One of the things many artists say that they like about glass is the resilience you have to cultivate in order to persevere through working with it. Glass is a notoriously difficult medium to learn, and so far it has been the only art form I've attempted that can explode if not handled correctly. Maybe I should take up fireworks display next??

We all know the hard way that you have to be able to let things go. It's very meditative in a way! But it can still be painful to have spent an extensive amount of time developing a concept, experimenting to find the best process, and testing in gradual increments to have the final outcome not turn out.

My biggest project this year is out of the kiln, and it is CRACKED. It's not too surprising-- I put the glass through a lot of stress with this process and scaling up simply did not go as I would have liked. I am obviously not pleased with the outcome, but I am still proud of the work that I have done and the process I have developed along the way.

The piece will be included in my year-end critique. Here is a section of it prior to the slump and crump firing.

And, after a nice break over the summer, I can come back to it with fresh eyes and try, try again! That's all you can ever really do.

xo COLEY