Some of my work is purely kiln formed; some is purely engraved; some, my 'crossover pieces', involve both techniques. Engraving and kiln-forming are not often used together, but to my mind they make an excellent partnership, each contributing something crucial and complementary to the project. Kiln forming enables large, impressionistic, 3-dimensional shapes, grabbing the viewer's attention. Engraving enables detail and precision, drawing the eye in close. Sometimes I use kiln-forming to create a blank 'canvas' for a full-scale engraving, and sometimes I use engraving to add small but crucial surface details or textures to a kiln formed piece. Sometimes both techniques are equally important to the realisation of a piece.
"Life is trying things to see if they work."
Ray Bradbury
Frozen plume: fused and slumped glass vessel, drill engraved
The Triumph of the Unicorn: fused, slumped and enamelled lion and unicorn with engraved camera crew detail
Hedgerow 2: (detail of larger piece) fused clear and coloured glass with engraved dichroic and enamel details and sandblasted
The Midas Mistakes: dichroic glass engraved and then fused to clear glass base, embossed, slumped and sandblasted
Te Manu Tukutuku: clear and enamelled glass fused, slumped and engraved
The Wealth Container: clear and dichroic glass engraved, fused and slumped
