All discovery must begin with experimentation and trial and error. My problem in this piece is how to make a larger hole to allow for a larger necklace cord. Glass is not easy to manipulate to your needs. I built up the height with clear glass pieces and made a bridge with dichroic glass, but it looks clunky and bulky. I am not happy with the effect and need to experiment more. Which brings up an important thought.
If we cannot fail as artists, we cannot learn. It is the same in all disciplines. There was a time when the Medici family supported artists for long periods of time. An artist was allowed to develop, to have periods of trail and error, in which there would be success and failure. As a result we had many successful and talented artist during the Renaissance period. Thomas A. Edison said it best, in his struggle to invent the light bulb, when a reporter ask him how he could stand the failures....
He said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Thomas A. Edison That is how we must approach art and all learning, it is a path to success that we take as we experiment.
On the last attempt there was not enough glass to span the bridge and it did not make complete contact. Could I use this still for a necklaces? I think so, by passing the cord through and wrapping to the back with silver wire in a decorative pattern. I am still not happy with the look and will try more techniques and glass combinations.
So these are the samples of experimentation, not failure. From here I can record what I did and try again. I can do more research and consult with other fused glass artist. I am on my journey of learning!
1 comment:
Great thoughts about learning through "failure," Betsy! It would be nice to have a school system which validated this learning process as well, rather than one that teaches intelligence on a linear scale in conjunction with a pass/fail right/wrong approach to learning. Perhaps we'd see more artists and entrepreneurs if this were the case!
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