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| Fountain mold created at one of the classes at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas, 2012 |
I do understand your hesitation to cut up Kaiser Lee Board - Yes, I do!
Let me tell
you, it took several years for me to
realize that Kaiser Lee Board (KLB) can not be used up. It is a bit like glass
for fusing. Even if the piece is not nice or turned out to be an absolute
failure, one does not have to cry over lost glass. We can always use it to make
stringers, do a casting, a raking or make frit with it. KLB is the same. You
can even use the dust of it.
One reason I never
became a good painter was the fear of wasting material like paper and paints
(even if I did not have to pay for them). It is interesting to see how I waste
a lot of paper by printing drafts of books and articles but when it comes to painting
I think I have to produce some beautiful art right away. I blame the art classes at school. Many of you must
have had the same art class experience, since this white paper syndrome is
quiet common. If not, why do I continually hear that you own KL Board but
hesitate to cut it up because you don't have an ingenious idea of what to do
with it.
The day I realized
that there is no waste in KLB was a big revelation. Since then, I started
experimenting with it freely. One source of inspiration is the work of other
artists: metal, clay, wood and even
glass. And when I see something that grabs my interest I think of ways to
realize something similar in kiln worked glass. I make shapes out of cardboard
and while I cut, paste and paint (no, I do not have a problem wasting card
board!) I start thinking molds. Often enough I can realize a new shape with
pieces of KLB - I call them mold modules - that I already have. I have been
liberated for at least 8 years and have many mold modules in drawers, boxes and
on various shelves.
KLB is a difficult
product to sell - it seems a bit pricy to the new user. I continually
experiment with other materials to use as molds. But every time I think I
have one that I could like, it turns out to be less versatile, not
as easy to work with, involves more complicated steps and is not as
reliable as KLB. Yes, it would be cheaper at first glance but in the
long run I would feel as if I was cheating you out of a great possibility
to create beautiful, original glass art.
So, I keep playing
with the pieces I have and add one or two more whenever a new idea
pops into my head.
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