experimenting with stripcut

One of the surprises for me of starting to create my own fused glass is what I am drawn to. I've always known I like lines and colour. I like the way glass flows and how (and whether) I can anticipate where it will go. I didn't know about strip cut techniques a year ago but it's becoming a real focus. Rather than working with flat glass, maybe layered up, this involves cutting the glass into thin strips and laying them side by side. At first I think I liked the sense of structure (yep, that's me!). I'm still making relatively small shallow dishes as I practice the technique. I was bowled over by a piece I saw on Instagram (Peter Watters) which used a particular sheet of French Vanilla and turquoise glass cut into strips and what that did to the reactions between the strips. I had a go myself and was thrilled with the result (see image).

Then I bought a couple of e-books about strip cut fusing and have learned about what happens if the individual strips are different widths or voids are left between strips. Wider strips flow over the narrower strips, and colours flows into the gaps, creating small diamonds and balls. The first experiment is in the kiln now!