Glass Fusing

I am having an interesting time this summer experimenting with something that I really have had little experience with in my own art making career and that is glass fusing. I have been creating jewelry this summer using fusable glass and have learned a lot through experimentation and a lot of research. First of all, if you are a student of mine, you know that I am not one for tedious tasks and that craftsmanship is often a struggle for me. I am, primarily, a painter and a very messy one at that so creating jewelry is very different for me.
First of all, when you create a painting, you can make a mess if you'd like. You can create huge gestural brush strokes, fix a mistake by slapping on a new layer of paint, and stepping for hours at a time if you'd like in order to get a fresh perspective.
With glass fusing, it's a one time deal. You assemble your piece by layering layers of fusable glass, adding crushed pieces of glass called frit for additional detail and color, pop it in the kiln and fire it. When it comes out of the kiln, you have what you have and there is no turning back and no room for error or adjustments. The element of surprise is wonderful but frightening at the same time.

I suppose that I had my own views of jewelry making and saw the art form as more of a craft than , well, an art form! I am, however, learning that there is a great amount of skill and logical thinking involved in fusing glass and creating jewelry and my mind is working in a whole new way.
I look forward to sharing my mistakes and successes with all of my students when they come back to school!