The second Sunday in March, Lynda Slayen offered a small glass fusion workshop to WCADC members in her Bethesda, MD home studio. Members made a small dish and a pendant which would later be fired in a kiln.
Lynda gave a tour of her home and studio, which exhibits a number of pieces she crafted throughout the years.
"I get my inspiration from nature... I love glass because you can do anything," said Lynda.
WCADC members were excited to assemble their creations from a large assortment of colorful glass remnants. Each piece would be one of a kind.
What is glass fusion?
Glass fusion is the art of making a design by placing different pieces of glass in contact with each other, then firing them in a kiln at a temperature high enough to fuse them into one piece of glass. This process creates some amazing fused glass pieces, such as pendants, trivets, coasters, picture frames, and candy/trinket dishes, to name a few.
Firing
Lynda uses a special glass known as "COE-90" ("COE"stands for co-efficient) which is commonly used by artists in glass fusing. The process requires two kiln firings, with the initial firing set around 1,450 degrees Fahrenheit, and lasting up to 15 hours. Glass expands when it gets hot and contracts when it cools. The second firing is called a "slumping" fire which means that the piece is placed in a mold to help the dish take shape. After fusing, the glass must be cooled slowly to relieve the stress that builds up during the firing process.
By the end of the workshop, everyone had made a dish and a pendant, keepsake to treasure the experience of working with glass.
If you would like to host a tour of your studio or a creative workshop, please contact our programs committee at wcadc@wcadc.org.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
See more of Lynda's work here.
