Real life

So university is over, I have moved back to Surrey (give or take some boxes) and am starting to figure out my life as a grown up! I have been applying for jobs, competitions, professional development opportunities and developing my work. I have once stockist so far in Leicestershire - JG Jeweller, so if you are in the area check it out! But I have put together a catalogue of work so that I can approach fairs, galleries and shops to stock my work. I have had quite a bit of interest for some Christmas fairs which I am very hopeful about :) Keeps your eyes peeled for dates.

And here is a preview of my catalogue, if you are interested in anything either from the catalogue or as a commissions please get in touch s-j-walsh@live.co.uk.

Download catalogue here.

Final assessment work - the final push!

No only did we have to set up the degree show but we also has to submit out sketchbooks, samples and research for assessment as part of our over all grade. I set this up last weekend but haven't had a chance to make a post. 

A full overview of my set up, I was lucky to have a corner where I could use the wall to put up my design sheets.

Close up of my design sheets, I showed my colour work (which rods and frits I was planning to use) and the designs for both my blown pieces and my jewellery.

I added two shelves to my board to add some interest, on the lefthand self I have two photos of my rings that are included in my show. Underneath this I have my final frit colour swatches and their samples next to them. At the top right I have the rest of my frit samples (on white and clear donut beads), with my initial colour samples strung together. At the bottom I have a photograph of my blown pieces and my ring samples, including; copper, copper clay and initial silver rings.

And then this is my desk. I have all my books and research, my boxes and boxes of glass samples. I also have my professional portfolio as well as my evaluation and my initial blown glass samples.

I am really please with both my assessment and degree show, just waiting for the results now (Friday 14th June)!! 

Its up!

So I spent two days setting up my degree show, I had lots of trouble but after hours the boards were up with the help of my lovely technician Andy. 

These were the bane of my life over the two days, but I love them, especially against the window!

Then I had three plinths, at different heights, much to my tutors hatred! As he wanted me to have three low plinths (50cm tall) that just ran along the bottom of my boards. 

The final result! Due to the window it was difficult to photograph but I am really pleased. Especially with the boards, and the 7 hours they took to put up! Now just a few bit of paper work and I will have finished uni! Ah. 

Getting ready for the show

So this weekend I looked through all my work and realised that I had all but one of my final pieces finished. I just needed to polish them up and they will be ready! Ah! 

I then needed to sort out my display, something my tutor promised to see me about on Friday... but never did. So I began preparing what I wanted to create this, my new revised degree show layout. 

My plan is to have two plinths (50x50cm) with three hanging boards (40x40cm) above with mini plinths (9x9cm) and photographs. 

So I began with 6mm mdf, which I primed with PVA.

And then I began painting :)

So tomorrow I shall finish them up and try and get them ready to hang! 

Degree show layout

So today the official plans for the degree show went up. I have been given two boards on the main stretch next to a ceramacist.

So I had originally planed for one 8x4ft board and shelves, however the boards cannot take a huge amount of weight so I had to come up with plan B; plinths. And now that I have two boards, I had to make a plan C!

So this is a rough idea of my plan. Two boards which create a 'corner' and two plinths which hold a selection of my blown pieces. I think that the plinth on the right will be lower and larger. But this is something that can be adjusted nearer the time. Its getting so close now! 

Signed limited edition

I decided it was best to sign my blown work, as much as I'd like to have my jewellery Hallmarked with my own stamp for the degree show its just not plausible (both cost and time wise) but hopefully in the future I will. But I wanted to sign my blown pieces as if I was to sell them in the shop/degree show I want my name on them. 

Before I could sign them I dremeled the bottoms to create a smooth finish and them covered them with a felt bottom, one, to make them smooth on the surface they will be on and two, to add some stability so they don't roll around. 

I bought a GlassPainter (1mm) pen from eBay for £2.50 which does not require any fixing, however you can pop it in the oven if you want to wash it higher than 40'C.

So after a bit of practice, I took the plunge and wrote on my yellow pebble. 

My pieces will all be signed and either avaliable from the Notch Show or popup shop. 

Keep your eye peeled :)

A morning of bottom grinding...

...of my blown glass pieces. Thought you were going to read something a bit more saucy did you? Tut tut. I popped over the Stuart Akroyd's studio this morning with a friend so that I could finish the bottoms of my large blown twirls ready for the degree show in a few weeks! AH! So that is it now, all my blown pieces are done I just need to get the rest of my jewellery collection finished and the creative practice part will be done. So did you want to see... :)

Large Yellow Pebble, with own blend 'Chilli' frit. 

Small Pink Pebble, Elizabeth Beads frit 'Chelsea Garden'.

Mini Aqua and Medium Aqua Twists. Glasstaffy Hydrangea frit used on medium twist. 

Small Transparent Purple Pebble, GG Glass - Van Gough Frit.

Large Transparent Green Pebble, Elizabeth Beads - Copacabana

XL White (Approx. 3ft) un-twisty with Elizabeth Beads - Metamorphis Frit. 

Miniature Transparent Red Twist. 

Large Aqua 2 Twist with own blend of frit (Yet to be named). 

So pleased how these all look, and the bottoms are all finished except the pebbles as I am going to felt them so that they sit nicely as they cannot be domed. I just wish I had had more transparent twists with frit done. But I just love the opaque colours!