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| Free-Flow technique by Lisa Vogt |
If you’re wondering why this girl, the one who usually has
plenty to say and share, has been quiet lately; it’s because I’ve been blissfully
pushing fused glass boundaries in my studio.
As an instructor, I strive to encourage, inspire and nurture
my students. But every so often, I crave the freedom to follow my own
imaginative path; to seek out exciting new methods for making fused glass that I
can bring to the classroom. The rewards of concentrated study go beyond improving
and expanding technique. The in-depth focus gives me a fresh perspective for
creating unique designs and the limitless possibilities bring the novelty back
to my job. Novelty is always welcome, since I’ve been wielding a glass cutter
for more than 25 years.
Every new year I attempt to make some small improvement; I
don’t adapt well to rigid new year resolutions. Instead, weaving the changes in
gradually, slowly increasing their frequency, gets lasting results. This year,
to expand my horizons, I’m trying to do ordinary, routine things differently. For
my first shake up, I traded in my old-school Mr. Coffee pot for a Keurig coffee
machine. I didn’t think I’d like the one-cup-at-a-time philosophy. But as it
turns out, I love the convenience and all the wonderful coffee flavors that are
readily available. The next big change came at a high-class salon where I
entrusted my wild hair to a talented young cosmetologist who I’ve known since she was
18 months old. I simply asked her to, “modern me up.” After a quick assessment
of my disobedient mane, she suggested that I embrace my curls. As you can see
from my new profile pics, I took her advice. Now, my hair and I are in that
happy place and getting along better than ever.
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| Free-Flow technique by Lisa Vogt |
Out in my studio, I applied the same attitude and made a conscious
effort to be open minded in my thinking and flexible in how tasks were completed.
The results were amazing. New project ideas flowed freely, they flooded my head
faster than I could keep up. In the middle of the night, I’d jump up out of bed
to scribble rough designs on scraps of paper so they wouldn’t be forgotten.
Going into this artistic mission, I had a master plan with
specific goals. It was my intention to blend glass colors to make cross-mixes
with subtle shading and soft color washes. I wanted to create effects similar
to those you’d see in blown glass, but make them in a kiln. Also, I wanted to
design complex pieces of art with stimulating patterns and then shape those
pieces into graceful, sculptural forms.
The sophisticated artwork I envisioned required multiple
firings. It took time, perseverance and patience to stay organized through the
many stages of fabrication. But my effort was rewarded. I learned so much and
have really exciting new techniques to share. The most fascinating being my innovative
Free-Flow process in which I
manipulate glass in the kiln to produce amazing color blends and mixes. I also discovered
creative new ways to incorporate advanced techniques like weaving, combing, and
embossing into my projects.
It goes without saying, not all of my pieces turned out
well. In fact, some really UGLY _hit came out of my kilns. When that happened,
I stuck to the original plan and started over. Some pieces were made as many as
five times before they were acceptable. In those cases, I can really explain what
NOT to do or what will happen if you move forward anyway. You know who you are.
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| This failed drop out was adopted by friends. |
There was one good constant though, something valuable was learned from every single firing, whether the outcome was deemed a success or a failure.
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| This failed bird cage looked like a bad rib cage. It became a dumpster Frisbee. |
I’m really excited about sharing the many new concepts and
techniques I learned during my concentrated study. Students taking my classes
can look forward to building on this new material and my newly enriched insight
as it relates to the workshop.
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| Super UGLY! I don't know what I was thinking... It's still waiting for a good home. |
For every one of my beautiful pieces you see there are
several ugly misfits you’ll never see. I experiment, so you don’t have to.
Are you ready
to do things differently?
Let's fire it up!
Lisa
PS If you’re
wondering what happens to the ugly misfits, some find homes with sympathetic
friends, others are dumpster Frisbees and the rest have a place in the artist’s
“private collection.”
www.LisaVogt.net
Lisa@LisaVogt.net
For updates https://www.facebook.com/LisaJVogt/?ref=hl
For free tutorials https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKLC1hPWbP6Vzgx2Te9tg-g
News from the Studio Newsletter www.LisaVogt.net
Upcoming 2016 Classes
Cast Away
Think big,
think heavy, think glass casting, think easy!
Yes, easy! No messy molds. With just a few readily available materials you can
add the intriguing element of visual and physical weight to your work.
April 1,
2016
Glass Craft
and Bead Expo
Las Vegas,
NV
Fireworks
The ultimate
advanced technique glass fusing class.
April 2,
2016
Glass Craft
and Bead Expo
Las Vegas,
NV
Fusing Art
Design
Ordinary to
extraordinary. Learn how to elevate your work from “craft” to “fine art.”
April 3,
2016
Glass Craft
and Bead Expo
Las Vegas,
NV
Advanced
Glass Fusing
Combine
innovate advanced techniques to complete numerous large-scale pieces of art.
May 10-13,
2016
Wesley
Chapel, FL
NEW Take it
to the Next Level
Take
your glass art to the next level through the use of uncommon technique pairings.
June
13-14, 2016
D&L Art
Glass Supply Exclusive
Denver, CO
NEW Breaking Through with Lisa Vogt
Design
thoughtful, exhibition quality work in this in-depth 2-day class!
June 15-16, 2016
D&L Art Glass Supply Exclusive
Denver, CO
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