for the love of a straight line

My day job has involved the analysis of data for the best part of 35 years and I often think that musty be linked to my love of a straight line. I'm analytical. I like things to line up. That must be why I seem to be drawn to these strip-cut fused glass pieces; the latest one out of the kiln in three shades of turquoise, must be the 12th in succession.

Despite my best efforts to line the edges of each strip against the dams holding the square in place, they always emerge with a slightly wobbly edge. I could probably just about get away with slumping them as they are but can't resist the urge to tidy them up. My grinder has to be my favourite tool right now, taking the bumpy, slightly uneven edge and turning it into a smooth straight line. Of course, the piece then needs another round in the kiln for a fire polish to make the edge nice and shiny again before a third round for slumping. It's a lengthy process to get the right finish.

While I may not be the most 'go with the flow' person, I'm loving adding small voids between the strips which do allow the hot glass to flow into the spaces and create their own patterns. A bit like working with data, the art seems to be in understanding the starting point and using what I know to predict where it all ends up.