Another craft project -- this one's a set of four stained glass coasters, entitled "Things That Shine." I admit to having mixed feelings about them. I like how they came out, but I'm not sure the concept of stained glass coasters really works. They look moderately pretty sitting on a white table, but their lush colors are far less noticeable on dark surfaces. And of course, they look best actually up against the light (see bottom photo), but y'know, then you can't use them as coasters. :-)
I love colored glass, and I think what I really want is to do more serious stained glass projects. Possibly with actual stained glass, though I also do love what Chagall did with painting on glass, so I'm definitely open to that. But in addition to vastly improving my skills with cutting and piecing together glass, I need to think about what objects really are suited to stained glass. I think most people who might like a stained glass window might still hesitate before hanging it over an existing window; somehow that just isn't as attractive as one that's really inset into the wall, as the entire window. Similarly, I've seen some gorgeous stained glass dividers in rooms (especially in bathrooms, for some reason, often between the toilet and the sink, to provide extra privacy and beauty). But you'd want to custom-design those for a space. I think a lot of genre people would adore having such a piece, perhaps with sea-dragons. :-) But I don't know that just making a large one would work for selling at a convention. Maybe -- if you added hooks and chain at the top, and indicated that it was meant to be hung from the ceiling, suspended in air so it can really catch the light, perhaps near a mirror, to magnify the effect? I'm just not sure if people would buy them.
I think for now, I should concentrate on smaller items. Little candleholders seem an obvious choice, once I learn how to make shaped pieces with glass and solder (the next project, I think). I have a temptation to make a set of four, each in a deep solid color, perhaps, with a line of hand-written poetry, and the four running together to make a complete poem. You could have a row of them on a dinner table, and I think that might be really lovely. And if I can get that down, I'd love to try putting together a Tiffany-style lamp. Something geometric to start (cutting curves on glass is hard!!!) That's not going to happen in time for WisCon, though. :-) Another idea might be a small table, suitable for a patio, perhaps. You get lots of light outdoors. I'm not sure whether I can just buy a metal frame, though -- it seems like I should be able to, right? A metal table with an inset piece of plain glass, that I would just remove and replace?
What I really want, to do this properly, is a massive craft table where I can lay everything out and experiment at some length. Right now, when I want to do a craft project, I pull things out onto the dining table and or the floor of the tv room, and work for a few hours, and then put it all away again (don't want anyone stepping on shards of glass!). This is not the most productive way to encourage practice and improvement. That's one of the things we're looking for, as we look for a bigger place. An apartment where there's room for a big craft table, with masses of storage against the wall for art supplies. That would be very cool.
