Oh dear, seems like it’s been a while, again!  I’ve spent the last few weeks making work for new galleries, running workshops in the community and preparing for a big event  next weekend.  And of course, all important networking (going to galleries and drinking their coffee!)

Myself and seven others are taking part in Derbyshire Open Arts 2016 – but I won’t be at Shed 2 (that’s in the summer), I’ll be exhibiting at the Monkey Park Cafe in Chesterfield over the Bank Holiday weekend, Saturday to Monday.  There are over 70 venues and nearly 300 artists taking part – some artists in their own studios, some like the group show I am in, sharing space and exhibiting together at selected venues.

You can pick up a free trail brochure at any of the venues, all of which won’t charge you to get in, and you can find studios and venues all over Derbyshire.

I’ve just added some fusing glass dates to the workshops page, here: BOOK A CLASS

Content to be confirmed as some may be a Pictures & Panels workshop, but all will be suitable for beginners and will cover all the basics and techniques you need to learn to be able to make your own fused glass pieces.

Yes – one of the dates is correct, it IS a bank holiday Monday – I thought it might be fun to do something different on a day off!

Here’s a couple of things made recently by students down at the studio, to give you some ideas of the sorts of glass work you could be making:

Hope to see you down at Shed 2 Studios!

On Friday, I spent a day at Trowell Garden Centre.  They are kindly hosting Rachel Carter as she weaves a special memorial butterfly sculpture for Derby Sands.

Derby Sands is one of over 100 local branches of the national charity, Sands (Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Charity).  They help anybody affected by the death of a baby – not only with comfort and emotional support, but practically with help and information.  They also support research into reducing the loss of babies lives.

Two years ago, this amazing charity commissioned Rachel to design and install a baby memorial garden at Markeaton Crematorium.  You can read more here

Rachel is now working on a new addition to the garden; a large butterfly sculpture that will allow more memory tags to be added over the coming years.  I was at Trowell on Friday to help Rachel with some stages of the weaving.

It’s an honour to be involved in some small part in this beautifully thought out memorial.

If you want to see it, it will be on display in the restaurant cafe area of the garden centre until Mothers Day.  Rachel has some more literature about it available at the weaving site.  She will be there some days, working her magic as she adds the finishing touches.  I understand the garden itself is open 365 days a year during the normal opening times of Derby Markeaton Crematorium.

As you can imagine, as a glass artist, I am quite obsessed with many things glass. I came across this a few months ago; 3D printed glass.  It’s mesmerising to watch, fascinating to see the technique.

It appeals to my science side – 3D printing technology, the possibilities are endless!  It would have been quite complex to work out the speeds and the optimum temperature to work at so that the glass was still ‘sticky’ but held it’s shape, and didn’t simply end up a mass on the floor.

The forms are beautiful – probably mathematical.  It will be interesting to see what develops from this.

GLASS from Mediated Matter Group on Vimeo.

You can read more detail about this project here:
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/540926/3-d-printing-breaks-the-glass-barrier/

Looking up glass sintering for another fascinating project.