Untitled (Hand-Lapped Series)
(2017 - 2018) Dimensions variable. Hand lapped blown glass, ground float glass, float glass panel with fired on vitreous enamel, steel, wood, hardware, four editioned prints on archival cotton rag paper.
In this body of work, the simple process of hand-lapping (grinding glass against glass with an abrasive medium) a bisected amphora results in a series of abstract prints on paper.
The cold-working process appeals to me because of its simplicity and ability to be done anywhere. In the same way that a lifetime of manipulating glass slowly changes the practitioner's body, when grinding a glass object against a piece of float glass, the two surfaces shape each other. If our electronic devices lasted longer, I imagine we might eventually swipe through our glass screens.
I built saw-horses and placed a piece of float glass across them, using it as a flat surface to grind the edge of a cut vessel. I used the same plate each time I switched to a finer abrasive grit until I had polished the edge of my vessel and partially polished the plate. I inked the glass plate and put it through a vitreographic press to make a series of prints on paper. Finally I inked the plate with vitreous enamel and fired it to make the ink permanent on the object.