2nd year

Well it’s hand in day for this module and I havent been able to use any facilities for a long time due to easter holidays (two weeks), then third years having priority and stealing all the technicians (one week), then all the technicians were unavailable due to setting up the third year show (another week) so I have made no glass for A WHOLE BLOODY MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I am somewhat peeved. I have not made the lovely cake-stand I was planning on making so I have done all I was able to do; I made a paper one. Which is practically the same right? …Oh, you’re right… IT’S NOTHING LIKE IT!

I was hoping to have at least most of the plates made by now, and possibly some development/tweaking to the design. I now need to make the damn thing before new designers without screwing it up. That month would have been so useful, it seems pointless that a final year MA student (who actually works at a glass blowing studio) can’t be left to work in the studio alone, or even supervised by a different staff member.

I’m feeling like this year has been a waste of my time. It has been so difficult to do anything because of a lack of communication when tutors forget that I don’t have access to the internet. I get to uni, they say ‘Did you do/see/attend/bring/look at this, that or the other?’ and I say ‘No. I didn’t know about it.’ ‘But I sent you an email…’ ‘…I still don’t have the internet.’

When I drive for an hour to get here only to discover that I can’t use the workshops I really want to shout at people, I can’t afford to waste a quarter tank of petrol to get here to do sweet Fanny Adams.

Now that I have ranted I will just say that I hope I don’t screw my presentation up tomorrow and I can only hope that they will be sympathetic as to why I have less work than I should.

As I am unable to give you a lovely picture of a cake stand, I will give you a picture of me and Jeremy, and a picture of a poodle which has been groomed to look like a camel. Well why the hell not? I like to think of it as responding in kind to the wonderful organisation of the university.

Brought some clay, intend to make a patterned ‘press-mould’ of sorts with it for inpressing a design upon my plates.

Plates?!?? I hear you cry! Yes, plates indeed. for my many tiered cake-stand. I have decided that a huge cakestand epitomises the spirit of Georgean period oppulence. Something that is technically uncessary and can be made to a very high standard from an appropriately expensive material. Oh, wouldn’t glass be an appropriately expensive material? I hear you say. Now isn’t that a good idea…

Construction could be interesting though.

Haven’t had internet access for a while. :(

The leaf layering went well but its a very long-winded process.

I will try to add an image but I can’t find the option on here anymore…

I took Jeremy to get acid-dipped a while ago, it was cheap considering the amount of work it saved me! £30 for a pre-heat and dipping. He is super shiny now!

Currently its easter and I’m mainly doing sketchbook work and idea development.

It’s quite annoying not being able to be in the hotshop but I think being forced to step back from the making process is actually better for my development.

Far too often I just go in to uni (which is a 60mile round trip) to go in the hotshop without much real direction. I do it mainly to keep my skill level up and practice blowing for my job.

Hopefully after easter I can be better prepared.

Finished my trophy commission and went to the awards ceremony last week! It was awesome!

Everyone loved the trophies and wanted to know how they were made, I had my photo taken with one of the award winners and his trophy. The professional photos will look great for my portfolio and it will look good on my c.v too. I think I may get another trophy commission out of it aswell, assuming I haven’t lost the business card of the nice man who was sat next to me…

I’ve been thinking about getting a banner or two made (whilst I still have access to the awesome print facilities at wolvo) with images of me blowing and ‘Young’s Glass Design’ on them to advertise myself at fairs when I leave. Need to check out costing for that.

Later I will be making fimo leaves for maquettes and I have an afternoon hotshop session booked with Simon on Monday to make glass leaves and layer them on to something, probably a simple vessel.

Craft and Art. Is there really a difference?

The students from the ‘fine art’ module came to see my work the other day and continued to refer to it as ‘craft’. This irritated me as I would call it art.

I am struggling to get my head around their definition. I didn’t want to mingle with fine artists, they just sit arguing about nothing for hours instead of having real lessons.