I finally stopped rushing my color frit melts after a harsh critique

An artist at the Portland studio told me my cobalt blue frit pieces looked 'muddy and cheap' because I wasn't letting the glass get hot enough before adding them. I started holding the piece in the glory hole for a full 30 seconds longer before rolling, and the colors pop way more now. Do you think that extra heat time is always needed, or does it depend on the frit size?

3 comments

3 Comments

rayc382mo ago

My old boss used to say the first rule of any craft is to respect the material's own time. Glass, wood, concrete, they all have a specific pace they need to work right. Rushing that process always shows in the final product, usually as a flaw like muddy color. That extra thirty seconds is just you listening to what the glass was trying to tell you.

margaret_flores172mo agoTop Commenter

Your old boss was right, @rayc38, and that respect for the material's time is what separates a craft from just a job.

david_henderson61mo ago

And that's true in so many things really. It's like how trying to speed through cooking a good steak or even just learning a new skill always ends up taking longer in the long run because you have to go back and fix the mess you made rushing.