You would hardly know that the picture above is the exact same hair slide as the one pictured on the next page. Clearly, this piece was a diamond in the rough.
To make this piece, I created a single cane and then reduced it to two different sizes.
The two canes (one large and one small) were sliced and laid out to create a single sheet. Once the sheet was formed, it was draped over a solid rectangle of clay and the cane slices were smoothed together, so that the gaps between slices were non-existant.
The two canes (one large and one small) were sliced and laid out to create a single sheet. Once the sheet was formed, it was draped over a solid rectangle of clay and the cane slices were smoothed together, so that the gaps between slices were non-existant.
Having a white background is great for effect, but while smoothing it to make the cane outlines disappear, it was almost inevitable that it was gunked up by the blue and red dye. The best thing to do in this situation, I decided, was not to worry and just bake it anyway.The picture to the left was taken just after it was baked. You can see that the white background does not make the colored swirls pop. To the contrary, the white background, being as murky as it is, only takes away from the overall appeal.
In this case, there was only one solution: enter glass file, water, and elbow grease! With the hair slide submerged under the water, I started to sand away. It is such a rewarding experience to see that murky background slide right off and reveal it's original sparkling white! The final result is really impressive and that was ALL there was to it. I just continued to sand until the top and slides were flat and shiny white.
After all the sanding, I quickly dried and buffed the piece using a terry wash cloth and then added several layers of high gloss glaze. I hope you enjoy the final result as much as I do.
To find out how to purchase this piece, click here!
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