A New Discovery about Chunky, Clear Frit

Reactive clear (that fires to a translucent white,) topped with a conglomeration of frits (French vanilla, cyan, spring green, chunky clear, ) and topped with clear.  

Notice the difference in the number of tones and shades in the example below when French vanilla is not included in the mix.  There is not interaction between the different frits. 

Reactive clear on the bottom, followed by periwinkle blue, spring green and chunky, clear frit and topped with clear 90 COE.  This piece also includes a small number of white, dicro frit in the frit middle - these are the pieces that appear to be metallic.

In each example, however, the proximity of large, clear frit "chunks" seem to result in a large air bubble in the middle of wherever the chunks are located; this type of bubble is present in each trial where chunky clear frit is used.

Reactive clear (that fires to a translucent white,) topped with a conglomeration of frits (French vanilla, cyan, spring green, chunky clear, ) and topped with clear.  

Compare/Contrast

The piece of glass on the bottom of this sandwich actually began clear - it is clear reactive.  When it is fired it turns a translucent white.  Notice the difference between that color white and the smaller square, which is French vanilla. 

Glass sandwich #8 - Reactive clear topped with light cyan frit, French vanilla square, and small, irregular pieces of silver foil, and topped with clear.

 French vanilla actually begins as a beige-cast white and usually fires to this opaque white-white.  It seems to look even whiter when it has reacted with another glass.......is it really more white or does our vision work with our great brains to make meaning out of the contrast we see??????? 

Glass sandwich #8 - Reactive clear topped with light cyan frit, French vanilla square, and small, irregular pieces of silver foil, and topped with clear.

 There must be a scientific way to compare color intensities and properties, right?  Paint stores have a way to match existing paint and sell you a gallon (or five,) of a matching color, so there has to be a mechanized reader/scanner of some kind!!

Compare/Contrast - Reactive cyan (blue frit)  and French vanilla (opaque white square), with silver on reactive clear.

Notice, once again, where the air patterns are in both of these pieces.  In both, there are bubbles along the edge of the most obvious color reaction.  These two pieces were fired together and in close proximity to one another, so that helps increase the chances that the properties of the glasses account for the bubbles, and not environmental kiln factors.

Also notice that there are not excessive bubbles over the silver pieces floating.  Is that due to the small size of the silver pieces, the distance between the silver pieces,  or the fact that the silver pieces are not touching the French vanilla piece of glass????  More experimentation needed.

Using Reactives Planfully

Do reactive glasses that are in contact always "react?" 

Pendant with black background with cyan frit, French vanilla irregular pieces, and clear cap.

Although it looks like there is an additional color of frit sitting on top of the French vanilla, this is an example planfully using two glasses that are reactive to create depth and add a range of color.

Using What You Know About Reactives!

The bottom two layers of this earring are reactive, which results in what appears to be a brown layer in between them.  The top "button," is piece that has been pre-fired. 

Cyan on the bottom, French vanilla in the middle and pre-fired woodland brown button on the top.  This firing was a tack fuse and not a full fuse.

Cyan on the bottom, French vanilla in the middle and pre-fired woodland brown button on the top.  This firing was a tack fuse and not a full fuse.

Each individual piece below began with rigid, hard edges and corners.  Once the glass pieces go into the kiln, the edges round.  Notice in the image below that the cyan corners appear to have pulled upward a little, as well. 

Cyan on the bottom, French vanilla in the middle and pre-fired woodland brown button on the top.  This firing was a tack fuse and not a full fuse.

The buttons on the top that were pre-fired actually began as small squares of glass.  When fired the first time, each one pulled into this button shape, taking the smallest form possible when liquid. 

Cyan on the bottom, French vanilla in the middle and pre-fired woodland brown button on the top.  This firing was a tack fuse and not a full fuse.

Just like a soap bubble, glass, when obeys the lays of physics and "tries" to make the smallest shape possible when the surface molecules can move - what a useful law to use when planning glass images!

Cyan on the bottom, French vanilla in the middle and pre-fired woodland brown button on the top.  This firing was a tack fuse and not a full fuse.

Squares on Squares - continued

The square on square plate includes six different types/color of glass.  Each time that a cyan or light cyan touches a French vanilla there is a telltale line of reaction.

Cyan on French vanilla.

k

Two cyan squares on a French vanilla rectangle.

On first glance it appears as though this could be a glass application of an interactive color study modelled after the work of Joseph Albers.   Albers believed that color can only be understood through experience and that each observer must train the eyes. 

Albers believed that color is relative to its surroundings and can be deceiving.  The challenge with glass is to be a careful observer and to consider whether the glass really appears to be a different color (cyan in the upper left compared to the cyan in the third square to its right,) or has it chemically be altered using heat and proximity? 

Reactives in Action

Reactives can be very visually interesting when combined with non-reactives.  Notice the edges between the blue and the white in each of the examples below - there is a fine line of grayish-brown.  This is the telltale line of the reaction between the two colors.

Slumped plate -  blue, cyan and irid blue with white and French vanilla square.

This slumped plate is a combination of whites, French vanilla and different blues.  The cyan and light cyan react with the French vanilla, but the other blues do not seem to result in the same reaction. 

Slumped plate -  blue, cyan and irid blue with white and French vanilla square.

It does not matter weather the cyan is on the French vanilla or if the French vanilla is on the cyan, the reaction is the same.  Notice, however, in the upper left hand corner of the square above, that the French Vanilla appears to be whiter around the edges, as if there has been a different type of reaction with the powder blue color. 

Slumped plate -  blue, cyan and irid blue with white and French vanilla square.

That same "brighter white also appears to show on the French vanilla square above, even though there is a brown reactive layer outside of that, between the French vanilla square and the cyan underneath.  If you look closely at all of the fuses where French vanilla is on the top, there is a bright white exterior ring - more research needed to understand what is chemically happening here!!

.....looking for Spring!

Perhaps when Spring officially arrives, it will be colorful, bright and inspire hope for a bright future!!!  

\

Bringing you a colorful flower arrangement!  Acrylic on canvas.