Studio Journal
An ongoing feed of Glasswork Pixie’s creation process, from basic glassworking techniques to project-specific insights, and everything in between!
Creating a Fused Glass Desert Diorama, Pt. 4
Before assembling the finished desert scene layers, I wanted to build one more optional layer that could sit in front of them all and emphasize the voyeuristic feeling of peeking through a…
Creating a Fused Glass Desert Diorama, Pt. 3
I kicked off this layer with test samples of various green sheet glasses and stringers to see which color combos, sizes, and placements would work best for the interesting cacti textures that I wanted to serve as the focal…
Creating a Fused Glass Desert Diorama, Pt. 2
The midground layer of this piece actually consists of two glass layers fused into one. Although visually there’s no reason that the dark brown mountainscape can’t just be a single piece, the cuts dividing it into three serve a very important function…
Creating a Fused Glass Desert Diorama, Pt. 1
This project was meant as a glass artist’s take on the diorama, which to me, is a window into another place or time—a world within a world. As an ultimate endpoint, I envisioned an entire wall hung with dozens of little diorama boxes, each one depicting a slice of scenery with a…
Packaging Stained Glass Ornaments & Jewelry
I was no stranger to breakage during shipping when I first started selling my glasswork—in fact, the very first piece I ever sold fell victim to it. I’m forever grateful to the incredibly understanding Etsy customer who left me a glowing review despite the resulting inconvenience, and often think…
Building a Torii Gate Fused Glass Ornament
To create a background for the torii to be fused onto, I cut and shaped a black ring to an exact 1/8” width, and then added a white circle that fit tightly within its center. I fused these pieces together at a full fuse firing schedule. I opened the kiln to an unfortunate unintended result: the post-fuse circle had…
Practicing Stained Glass Lead Safety
Lightly handling a finished piece of leaded stained glass does not cause a dangerous level of exposure, although hands should be thoroughly washed after doing so to prevent the transfer of lead particles to food, or to the face, or to anywhere else that may result in their being ingested. Extra precaution should also be taken to keep leaded…
Fully Fusing Fish in Frit
As an artist that prides herself on attention to detail and exactness of design, the fact that glass expands and contracts as it heats, sometimes causing entire millimeters-worth of deviation from a pattern, plagues me with many a sleepless night. Recently, while contemplating this persistent vexation, I wondered whether a solution might…
Storing Stained Glass Sheets & Scraps
I’ve always been obsessed with streamlining and decluttering spaces. In fact, when I was little I was repeatedly chastised by friends’ parents after they’d come home to find that I’d completely reorganized their closets, desks, bookcases, etc. while they were out. Apparently this isn’t a normal playdate activity and…
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“Process” posts cover general stained glass & fused glass techniques. Start here to learn the art of glasswork!
“Project” posts detail the end-to-end creation of specific pieces. Start here to go behind-the-scenes with Glasswork Pixie products!
“Experiment” posts attempt unproven strategies just to see what’ll happen. Start here to investigate the limits of glass as an artistic medium!
“Thoughts” posts share opinions from Jackie Knowles (creator of Glasswork Pixie) on all things glass-related. Start here to get to know the woman behind the art!
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