Creating Dimension with Paul Messink

Last week I had the great pleasure of spending a week with Paul Messink (http://www.paulmessink.com/) learning about his technique for creating depth in fused glass pieces using multiple layers of glass and enamel paints.

A field of sunflowers made from 6 layers of fused glass and enamel paint. The final firing takes 36 hours in the kiln.

Paul specialises in foggy landscapes, often featuring trees. He said he loves the paint graveyards but finds people don’t want to hang them in their living rooms!

Pre-final firing of a deep fused landscape. Made with 6 layers of fused glass and enamel paints.

The process involves using photographs and breaking them into layers. The elements from each layer are painted onto fusing glass. So, for example a fence might be layer one, trees layer two, hills layer three and so on. The layers are then stacked and fired for about 36 hours in the kiln. The resulting piece can be freestanding, wall mounted or put in a stand.

Pre-final firing of a deep fused landscape. Made with 6 layers of fused glass and enamel paints.

The biggest challenge is getting the layers right so when stacked they overlap and look 3D. Starting with the right image and chosing the right colours is incredibly important.

I have worked with deep fusing before, there’s an example in my fused glass gallery, but that was mostly with frit (powdered glass). This technique uses only enamel paints so gives a very different feel allowing a lot of variety in the way you blend the colours.

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