Janet Borchardt*
Albemarle, NC | Provisional Member
The works I am submitting utilize the pate de verre technique, which has enabled me to pick up the delicate textures of real leaves, man-made objects or from hand built clay molds. This is a meditative process that creates one-off artworks by mixing glass powders and frit with a binder to make a paste that I layer and tamp into molds made from silica, plaster from subjects mentioned above. The mold is then fired in the kiln. Once fired, the mold is broken away from the glass piece. I then cold work and hand polish the finished pieces to achieve the texture I desire. This process enables me to create my buildings and my bowls and plates. Even though they are different subjects by using the same material and process they flow together as one.