Kiln Glass: Using Powdered glass

I have been experimenting with using powdered glass (designed for use with hot glass) in the kiln. I found out that it is very unpredictable as it is so this and fine, so it melts and separates, giving different lacy textures and little strings and holes.
I took this further by also using glass stringers, glass frit, copper wire and copper sheet. I really like the surprise of opening the kiln and seeing what the powders have done.

Hot Glass: Moss

Inspired by the tiny bud shapes of this close up moss, I made a collection of glass shapes which are all slightly different but sit together.

I hope to make more of these glass pieces as both a way to improve my glass skills, and to make a piece to convey the idea of things in nature being similar, but never exactly the same.

Kiln Glass: Fusing

I collected green and orange glass from the hot shop scrap bins (clear glass is recycled but bits with colour are put in a bin which we can use for fusing, casting, slumping etc.) I chose to stick with this colour scheme as these are the colours of moss I have been looking at. I arranged the scraps on a kiln shelf which had been prepared with batt wash to stop the glass sticking, and to give them a smooth back. I arranged the pieces into shapes, and also put some bits of copper under the glass, inbetween layers and on the top, to see how it would react with the glass and the heat of the kiln.

These were just test pieces, but if i wanted to further this technique, I could make specific components in the hot shop, to then fuse together in the kiln. My favourites were the ones I made from the glass powder, as these had a more unpredictable texture, where the powder had melted and separated and left holes and gaps.

The copper worked well, changing colour to give different reds, maroons and black. I could cold work both the glass and copper, to put texture onto the glass or to change the colour of the exposed parts of copper to their original colour.

I feel that some of these pieces are fairly boring, as I controlled them too much. I think the ones that did something unexpected were good, as they made me think about where else I could take it, rather than creating a piece I was expecting.