"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within"
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
Recently I have been experimenting with what Bullseye call ' working deep' - that is layers of glass fused on a long cycle that create more depth to the piece. This nude back is made from 8 layers of 250 x 250 mm clear glass so ends up about 210 mm thick and takes 36 hours in the kiln to allow for annealing and less chance of thermal shock.
The nude is drawn using a metal tip and Glassline paint - almost the same process as etching a print plate. Some powdered glass is also used to give some subtle colour blocks. The air bubbles are almost inevitable in a piece this size and thickness and I have not tried to eliminate them. To do so would mean a much longer hold at the top temperature.
The glass block is framed so it can be hung on a wall, or rather just off the wall as the idea is that the light shines through and the silhouette appears on the wall behind (see above). It is heavy but the extra care in hanging is worth the effort for the effect of a very simple stained glass window.
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