Here is my latest creation, "The Glass Book." The covers started out as drinking glasses. They were fired in a kiln to a high enough temperature until they melted flat. They measure approximately four by six inches. Although my decorative lace hides it, the bottom section is heavier, because the base is thicker and rounded.
This was a real technical challenge, having never done this before.I chose lace for the outer covers, because of its transparency . Choosing to put a pastel blue paper gave a dimension to this creation.A lace piece floating on the inside served as a decorative front page. I used the long stitch style of sewing the pages right to the lace, and then gluing that right to the glass itself. Herein lay the problem.The weight of the glass made the book move when turning the pages. This was not what I wanted.
So I had to do what all artists do. Take the challenge to invent a solution that looks like part of the design. I realized I had to strengthen the support system. Since my theme was white and lacy, I used additional ribbon, both thin and more decorative, to create hinges, and make a tie closure. More cut out flowered pieces made the symmetry of the front and back more pleasing.
I am happy to say it worked. Below is the finished open book. Lots of lessons when undertaking something never tried before. I am pleased with my glass book.
Where do our designs come from? Well there is one school of thought that says nothing is really totally new. We are merely recycling things we have already seen and tucked away in some corner of our minds . There may be some truth to that . Above is a picture I took at Ghost Ranch of the mountains off in the distance. When it came time to work on the cover to my book, I really did not have a defined picture to draw from , and so I just started to paint. I think I just went into that part of my mind I will call my design center. I do not even know why I put in that turquoise door. A focal point of color perhaps. It is such a southwest color, and one I use a lot in my work.
Later, as I was walking back to my room, I saw a door just that color.Was I copying what I had seen unconsciously ? Did all the images I had seen there, or elsewhere, just go deep into that design corner of my brain, waiting until I needed them to create my artwork ? Well, that's the nice thing about a blog, it is food for thought for all of us. Please, tell your experiences.
