Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by MCaron

Bonne Nuit Jade

Mothers are our first and best teachers. Much of who we become is due to the enormous influence our mothers have upon us. Moments of insight and wisdom that seem to save the day are scattered amid the daily way of being that is cast to the next generation.

From my mother, I am keenly aware of the gift of single-minded determination and perseverance. I push myself to achieve what I have set my sights on and if at first I don’t succeed, well, you know the rest. This has supported me in my efforts to develop my artistic voice. When I doubt that I have the chops, I recede a bit to regroup, but I don’t quit. I keep on keepin’ on and each new resurgence reveals more of my artistic self.

Winkyn, Blinkyn and Nod

My daughter just sent in her Advanced Placement Art portfolio for adjudication. I feel so honored to have been a part of her journey as she developed her own voice. Her excitement and determination to take this challenge provided a wonderful opportunity for many conversations about process, design, conceptual development and just the multitude of possibilities. By the end of the year, her concept for the portfolio had become more sophisticated and her skills allowed her to bring her ideas to realization.

The impact our mothers have on us and we in turn on our children is why we celebrate mothers today. When we engage, share ideas, and are present in each others lives, we continue the reason to say Happy Mother’s Day!

These two pieces were created to celebrate the arrival of two new children.

Michelle Caron

Name That Tune: Lyrical Inspiration for Glass Art

Posted on May 3, 2012 by MCaron

Doudou A Moué

Inspiration can come from just about any direction- at any time. Sometimes it comes from something you’ve seen, sometimes it comes at three in the morning. If you’re lucky, it keeps coming. The trick is to use the inspiration as a launch pad toward something personal and unique, something more than the inspiration itself.

I find that music and lyrics can offer an abundance of possibilities, in part because the very process of moving from sound or language to visual creates something new. Doudou A Moué is a song from Martinique that tells of all the little things a lover will miss as he sets out to sea, perhaps never to return. The poignancy is in the common place details that have come to mean so much- the jewelry and the brightly colored fabric that his lover wears. As I was designing this piece, I was drawn to the idea of metonomy and decided to anchor the piece on the lines of a woman’s neck as they intersected with the fabric and jewelry. The repetition of curves and circles invite the eye to linger, to remember.

Three Coins In The Fountain

Three Coins In The Fountain posed a challenge because the Trevi Fountain in Rome is a well known landmark. What I loved about the melody and particularly the way Frank Sinatra sings it, is the undulating ripples of sound like water bubbling down the fountain steps. This was the aspect I tried to express in the flowing lines and even the choice of the striated baroque glass I used as the focal point. The glass and three gold coins I used in the base were a nod to the lyrics and the excitement of taking a chance on a wish.

For me, inspiration is the magical part of design. It can be the impetus or the salvation of a process that is challenging, rewarding, frustrating. It brings to bear my interests and passions and pushes me beyond what I know into new arenas.

Michelle Caron

These two pieces combine traditional stained glass with fused glass elements. The bases include slate and glass mosaic which is framed in mahogany. For more examples of my work, please see my portfolio at custommade.com

If At First You Don’t Succeed…

Posted on April 27, 2012 by MCaron

Waimea Wave

Each piece I create teaches me something. Some show me that my journey with glass is a long one. Some let me celebrate the distance I have come. Waimea Wave reminded me to enjoy and have faith in the process of discovery.

This project started out as an exploration of different ways to use glass frit: sprinkling frit on top of glass bobbles to create a bubble pattern; overlapping colors and density to show a color gradient; using a sgraffito technique to reveal a pattern using the underlying glass.

Waimea Wave Reflections

The piece was informative and sort of interesting and I admit, I was a bit self-satisfied. There were a few little things that I wanted to fiddle with so back into the kiln it went. Though I try to keep my impatience in check, it reared its ugly head once more and I fired the piece before the kiln wash on the shelf was completely dry. Of course, the result was a big, ugly, wart-like bubble right in the middle of the piece. I tried firing it again but like Lady M and her spot, I could not rid my self of that damn bubble! This was the door and I was being pushed through by the glass gods.

So I took out my nippers and started breaking away. The glass broke in the most amazing arched shapes. As I started laying them on the new blank, they created a sense of movement that I couldn’t have imagined or I confess, engineered on purpose. The result was this wonderfully ebbing and flowing mix of colors and textures that fired beautifully (I made sure the shelf was fully dry!) even leaving a gently scalloped edge on part of the upper arc. The piece was so much more than what I started with. I felt fortunate to have been pushed to keep going until the piece was truly finished.

Michelle Caron

Fossil Vitra: exploring color, shape and texture

Posted on April 19, 2012 by MCaron

Yellow Ginger and Fern

Living in Hawaii provides such a treasure trove of natural beauty. The colors, shapes and textures inspire, encourage and invite creativity Many of my pieces express my interpretation of the landscapes and seascapes that surround me. When I read Paul Tarlow’s article on using the technique of fossil vitra, the idea of incorporating the natural world into my glass art was exciting.

Red Ginger plate

Flowers and ferns from my garden have created beautiful imprints that I like to contrast with geometric shapes and lines. I am often drawn to threesomes and so re-purposing glass chunks into freestyle areas creates the third component. The colors, shapes and textures of Hawaii find voice in these pieces.

Sunset Bouquet plate

When my nephew and his wife were married on the North Shore of Oahu last summer, their wedding bouquet was a stunning mix of orchids. Though they would not be taking the bouquet home to the mainland, a wedding gift of two fused glass plates with imprints from these orchids was a way to capture the moment.

Yellow Ginger Plate

I’ve made a few adjustments to the steps outlined in the article. Though the matte surface of the glass when it is reverse fired atop the flowers has its appeal, I found using this as just the first step allowed me to have a glossy, uniform finish that seemed a better match for food bearing surfaces. Once I created the fossil under a single layer of clear glass, it became the top layer in a traditional two layer full fuse firing. The finished piece locks the enamel used to create the imprint securely between two layers of glass.

This technique allows me to incorporate the unique beauty of each blossom and leaf into my art. Creating a tangible connection between glass and organic material appeals to my inner bricoleur.

Michelle Caron

Creativity is not linear

Posted on April 14, 2012 by MCaron

stained glass lamp

Creativity is not linear. It can be tidal, treasured, the proverbial pot that won’t boil if you keep staring. It is definitely not linear.

I knew what I wanted to build when I started this piece. I knew where it would go and what it would do. I had a clear vision of how it would be and then my vision didn’t work out. The shade was built but the lamp wasn’t finished.

And so it was, collecting dust in various locations for longer than I realized. I recently uncovered it and I could see its new ending – the configuration, the stand, the beading. Now it was time.

Creativity is not linear. It demands patience.

This piece is a six-sided table lamp. The central design was inspired by a Khamsa (Hand of Fatima) from Khenifra in central Morocco. It is composed of six stained glass panels with a turquoise fused glass cabochon at the center of each. The copper overlays for the skirt design are based on woven textile designs. The lamp has a copper stand that is decorated with solder sculpting. The base is composed of six slate wedges and framed in mahogany.

For more views of the lamp, click on the link to my portfolio at Custom Made.com

www.custommade.com/by/caronartglass

Developing a voice

Posted on April 7, 2012 by MCaron

stained glass panel, koa frame

I chose this image for my first blog entry because it marked a turning point for me as a glass artist. This was the first piece where I began to explore my own voice as an artist. This is one of the most perplexing questions for me as an artist- What do I have to contribute? How is my voice distinct from everyone elses?

I had always been drawn to the many stories of Pele and had recently come across this one in which Pele and her youngest and favorite sister Hi’iaka were on the brink of mutual destruction. They had to come to terms with their mistrust of each others motives and then move past the hurt and anger. As the colors suggest, theirs was an intense relationship.

The design of this piece was fueled by a very frustrating afternoon during which I felt my voice had not been heard. The process of drawing was cathartic – my pencil was flying on the paper and I didn’t think about all the things you learn in art class. By the time I was ready to start building, I had worked through my own emotions and had a drawing that was very different from what I usually produced. Looking at the design now, there are many things I would change. I hope that means I have continued to grow and be brave about using my voice. But I will always remember this piece as marking the moment when I embarked on my own journey to discover my voice as an artist.

Michelle Caron
Caron Art Glass
Kane’ohe, Hawaii