I always wanted to make windows and lamps out of glass so I finally took a course with Catherine Allard in Saint Jerome and absolutely loved it ! Below are a few of the lamps I've made so far. They are far from what I consider to be perfect but they're a strong step in the right direction.
To the left in my first lamp made from a pattern called Theresea's Flower. It was admitedly too lagre of an undertaking for a second project because of the cutting and grinding of the tiny parts of the flower. I persisted through about 40 hours of hard labour and finally finished it. The soldering to me is the trickiest part and wasn't easy to get what I considered to be smooth beaded lead lines. The lamp is a family favorite but the colors are not accurately reproduced in the digital photograph. The lamp fills the room with warm golden light which relaxes us during the evening.
Above you'll see the cut, ground and foiled pieces in the jig ready to be washed and soldered. To the right, all the panels have been soldered and taped together temporarily before the installation of the vase cap. Below you'll see various stages of construction of the reverse tulip lamp.
What ever I do, there's always cats inspecting my every move. Here, Zoe can be seen supervising the initial cutting process. To the right, is the first three rows of glass soldered together.
Above, Snow gives his approval for the progress to date. To the right, the tacking process is complete and ready for the running of the rest of the lead lines. This was not an easy task for a beginner like myself. Even worse, was the soldering of the interior of the shade. I should have soldered the inside floor by floor as I went because it was near impossible to get my large hands and iron in there afte r it was all assembled. Below is the effect of this finished product in my office. I'm quite fond of this one as well.
