URCHIN SERIES
The simple blown bubble holds the dynamism of inside and outside space. Light is trapped within and hovers over the surface. I enjoy the meditative time taken carving the surface of the Urchin. Using traditional Venetian techniques of Battuto my mind drifts and travels as so do my hands. The blown form slowly transforms into a hieroglyphic transcript of experience. Working the surface through multiple processes creates a depth to the space that the Urchin occupies and those that wear it.
Materials & Methodology
The Urchin form is firstly blown in the hot shop, a colour is chosen and blown into a tube it is then divided into small spherical forms.
Cooled down to room temperature the Urchin ‘blank’ is carved into a more defined form using a lathe, the glass may pass through two grades of diamond before being ready for the next process.
Now the Urchin is in it’s final form I move to the smaller engraving lathe to work on the surface texture. Small diamond wheels are used to carve marks in the surface, this technique is inspired and developed from the traditional Venetian technique known as Battuto. I can choose from a number of wheels with different profiles in both stone and diamond all delivering very different effects upon the glass. It takes considerable time to work the entire surface of the Urchin, the form will be checked over and over to see that no area has gone untouched.
Once satisfied with the result I hand rub the surface with fine emery to polish the high ground, the different textures and treatments become highlighted when seen under moving light.
To finish the work I plait a long chord from 100% waxed cotton, this thread is extremely strong and durable. I flame work my own toggle from boro-silicate glass and bind it to the chord.