As busy as I am in January in-between all the birthdays, I am trying something new. Early last spring I bought a small Paragon kiln from a fellow glass artist who did not need it anymore. I was planning to try to create cameo insets to be used in my stained glass projects. Such as textured pieces and painted faces - to give my stained glass works a bit more of an edge.
Of course, the kiln sat unused for over 6 months while I was thinking how to rearrange my work space to create a fusing station. The reorg eventually took place and I used the baby Paragon a couple of times before the New Year.
I am getting back to it now, just experimenting on my own. Basic fusing does not seem like rocket science, and for now I am not planning to do anything advanced. Still, I have to figure out how glass behaves at different temperatures.
This heart tile is the result of one of my little experiments. At first, I wanted to make a heart out of two different pieces of glass by just fusing them together, without a background, like a pendant. It was not supposed to work out, and it certainly did not, but I got to see it for myself :)
So, here is the second try, the successful one, with a background. It is a cute little tile, a perfect small wall decor piece for Valentine's Day.