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Interview with Faye Thomson, a glass engraver, continued.How much time a week do you spend creating? Since I have opened the shop, I can spend only 2 days a week engraving. What benefits have you found the internet has for your craft? I have talked to people around the world on the internet. Many people have never seen my type of engraving. What are some of the tools that you would use to engrave a typical piece? The glass is engraved using a high speed electric motor (revs about 32,000 per minute) with handpiece attached to the flexible shaft. Various burrs are inserted into the handpiece, pointed, round, ball and cone shaped. Carborundum stones are then used and finally a glass polish rubbed on with felt burrs. What types of glassware are most suited to engraving?All glass can be engraved..but crystal with 25% lead content is probably best because it is a white glass..the design stands out better. Are there any safety issues to deal with in your craft? If so what measures do you take to deal with these?
Because water is used as I carve, the residue left
is washed away. Probably most important is protection for your hearing.
Engraving can be a very noisy process. Can you outline the typical process behind making something like “In the Rainforest”? The design is drawn on first. It is difficult to explain..being an artist, the design seems to grow itself - pieces fitting in like a jigsaw. I quite often leave my drawn on pieces for a little while then come back to have a fresh look at them before starting the carving. Sometimes I change things, sometimes not. With "In the Rainforest", I enjoyed the thickness of the glass - it allows you the freedom to cut very deeply to put layer on layer. When I work with wine glasses for example, it is very intense as the glass is so thin. How long would you typically spend working on a piece like that? This question is asked all the time! Sometimes I start to time myself..but I can become so absorbed that I soon forget the clock! Let's just say that the engraving probably took about 20 hours. That does not include the creative process and the drawing. I stop and start all the time as bits have to be changed, I must rest my eyes, the phone rings! Are there any business problems that you consider are unique to an art or craft business? Business problems!! The one I find the most annoying is getting other craftspeople to supply stock! The main problem is knowing what the public want...quite often the craftspersons creation is not the public's choice. I find in my shop people are looking for Australian work with Australian themes. Where do you mainly sell your work? At the moment, I sell through my shop Craft Artistry, 7 Jannali Avenue, Jannali 2226 Sydney N.S.W. When you are commissioned to do a piece do you generally have a lot of freedom in the design? Usually the person does not really know what they want. I explain to them that my concept will more than likely be different than they had in mind. I have only once, in 26 years, had someone decide not to take a commission..and I sold it to someone else. If a company or Society, they may ask for a preliminary drawing..but the public, generally, leave it up to me.
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