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Poppy Glass Studio Newsletter
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What happened to the sun?
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I am sat here snuggled in a big turtle neck jumper writing to you all, so I hope that as you are reading this you too are cosy and warm in this awful weather. Its really not the best for showing off stained glass in this light that’s for sure.
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Well Christmas just flew by didn’t it? I was very lucky to spend the build up in Cardiff with the stall. I had the most fabulous time, meeting so many wonderful customers and other incredibly talented artists. I am back and have hit the ground running. The beginners workshop has a whole host of new designs to choose from, (and yes there was more than one January workshop that featured Christmas designs). There is also a new range of workshops, details in the red box, be sure to check it out.
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New workshops
Spring Garden Ladder
Create a bold splash of colour in the garden with a zinc framed ladder of stained glass.
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- 70cm tall ladder (40cm of glass) in a 2-3hr workshop £60 a person
- 100cm tall ladder (70cm of glass) in a 3-4hr workshop £95 a person
Intermediate copper foil workshop
Tried the beginners workshop and fancy a bigger challenge? But not quite ready for the 3D candle box? Come along for a day and complete a panel design. Work on a larger project with more pieces to cut and fit, within a final frame.
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- Full day course £100 per person.
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WHY ADD THE DETAILS?
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I often joke about my designer. Really she is me, and really I hate that bit of me, because she likes teeny tiny pieces!!
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Tiny pieces, whats the big deal? If you are a fan who hasn’t yet tried it for yourself, you may be wondering. If you are a hobbiest, or an active artist, the sight of tiny, 2mm wide pieces will send a cold shiver down your back, will see you looking around for something else to do, or reaching for a hand to hold. So whats the big deal?
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As I touched upon in the intro, I like to jest, frequently in the studio, that my designer is perhaps satan in disguise. What is less clear for some is that as a self employed artist and tutor, that designer….is me!! But designer me and glass cutter me are two very different people indeed. In fact, when I am asked to give a talk, which I do every few months, I can confuse my audience when I talk about the designer who has a total mind of her own and forgets the cutting rules. We DO have rules to follow. Glass has to be cut from one edge to another, don’t lift the cutter up midway. Then sharp points. Yes technically they can be done, but a sharp point jutting into another piece of glass? Over time that WILL cause a crack. Next size. If working with lead, it has a uniform overlap over the front and back of the glass.
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Go too small and you simply wont see the glass. With copper foil this can vary, but you then have the issue of trying to hold such a small piece to grind it, then add the copper foil, and then not hide it when soldering. So, back to my designer side and my cutting side. Well, they sort of communicated when it came to the legs, and I’m so pleased that the detail of the pockets was kept, along with using slightly paler glass for the leg in the light and darker for the one in shadow. The shapes worked well, no minute shapes, and sensible curved lines.
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The hands? What about the heels in those sandals. Oh boy did the designer go rogue! Such tiny pieces!!! To achieve these, I lost most of my finger nails whilst grinding them, and then trimmed the foil till it was only fractionally over the edge. Structurally as they are such tiny pieces this is ok. They don’t need a huge lip of foil to keep them in place, but they needed to be seen which meant the foil could only just hold them.
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Think it worked, but the designer needs to behave more next time!
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Poppy Glass Studio
14 St Bartholomews Close
Cam, Gloucestershire. GL11 5UR
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Poppy Glass Studio, February 2025
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