New Work by Karen Latorre

Over the past couple of years I've started experimenting with wax resist and scraping through glaze layers. First I glaze the piece with one colour, wax paint a pattern or image, then scrape off glaze in another pattern or image. Once the wax is dried (about 4 hours) I then dip into a second glaze.

As this new series of work is inspired by batik, I leave glaze spots on wax and any other imperfections thereby lending the final piece a more batik like appearance.

I have also started to work more with kiln worked glass. The pendants are made with Bullseye "tested compatible" fusing glass, then I wrap and twist wire around the piece to make the top loop and some ornament.

I have taken the small pile of "flattened marbles" (found in home decor departments) and by arranging them on a kiln washed shelf, I fuse them together, then in a second cycle, slump them into a bisque mold that I have made.

While the Bullseye glass does not usually stick to the kiln wash, the coloured flattened marbles do, and require a fair amount of work to clean, and don't fully release the kiln wash stuck in the groove then forms between marbles.