Epic Kiln Carving

Every now and then I get a wild hair and decide to do something big and bold. What better way to test my boundaries than with a gigantic kiln carving? This piece was created for the Nature of Sustainable Art show at Red Butte Garden from a few years ago.

Spoonbill cranes for kiln carved recycled glass panel.

The cranes are made of multiple layers of 1/32″ thick fiber paper cut freehand and stacked for dimension. The entire fiber paper pattern is built up on a sheet of thinfire, so I can lift and transfer the whole thing to the kiln shelf and avoid leaning over into the kiln for hours! The paper on the right hand side is a regular 8/5″ x 11″ sheet, and is my reference photo for the cranes.

The glass for the crane panel is 22.5″ x 37″ recycled float glass.

Kiln carved cranes after firing (look at the monkeys!).

Here is the panel back on my workbench ready to be cleaned:

Spoon bill cranes in recycled window glass

Kiln carved Crane panel after firing.

And here it is in the stand:

Kiln carved spoon bill cranes in salvaged steel stand.

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Tips and Trouble Shooting:

If the gap is too small to slide pieces together, you’ll need to widen it with either a diamond file or a diamond bit on a dremel tool. Use plenty of water and wear a mask.
Make sure the feet are level, if your vase isn’t balancing, you may need to grind the feet larger and flatter
If your fiber paper doesn’t come out cleanly, add water and dig it out with a skewer or hooked wire.
Yes, the vase can hold water

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