Artist Proofs, A Tiny Art Series

Anytime I have a design idea that mixes new colors or pushes the limits of what glass can do when being fused, I like to create tiny test pieces. I call them my “Artist Proofs” or test tiles. Sometimes they don’t work out the way I think they will; some are even better than I expect, but no matter what happens I always learn something I can apply when designing the final piece. All the tiny tests I created for my March fused glass art release came out wonderful so I created seven new designs and have dozens of new ideas based on their success.

In February, I entered a few of my older tiny tests into the Tiny Art Show hosted by the Art Department, a local gallery and craft supply store here in Salem, OR, and two of the tiny proofs were sold during the show. This got me thinking about them a bit differently. These one-off originals are valuable to me because they help me master my designs and I use them as a reference when creating the larger versions of similar designs.

After selling two of them in that show, I realized that I’m emotionally attached to these tiny treasures. I thought about how these special creations don’t often get seen by others, only my closest art admirers and friends see photos of them. It feels like they’ve become a secret I can’t bear to share with anyone whom I don’t have a creative bond with, until now.

I think it’s time they were shared with the world. If art is only kept for the artist, is it really art? So, from now on, I’m going to share the Artist’s Proofs with all of you!

Here are a few of my favorites to catch you all up on these tiny fused glass delights. Think of this as my very own online Tiny Art Show for my fused glass creations.