commission process
I thought I would share my commission process with you. The example I will use is a Valentine’s Day gift called ‘Cockerel on a Hill’ that I recently completed. The customer wanted me to “go large” and be “as flamboyant as possible” and to take inspiration from the Gallic Rooster.
First of all we decided on the price range so I could get an idea of how far to take it. Price range depends on size and equally detail. You can see examples of the different sizing and prices here.
Designing and Planning
After communicating with the client about a price range and receiving a few pictorial examples I started deciding on the colour combinations, cutting the components and working out the stages.
I provided regular photographic updates to keep my client informed of my progress. This ensured we were on the same page and demonstrated the time and process involved, for instance, this bird went through four kiln firings to complete four stages.
All in all it took me about four weeks to complete. I prefer to take my time and only work on commissions when I am feeling patient and clear-headed as there are so many things that can go wrong with fused glass. I like to step away from each stage and come back to it with a fresh eye at least a few days later.
The penultimate step is a little bit hair-raising as I need to flatten the base on my flat-lap grinder, one slip and it could go wrong at the very last minute. This is done before I set the glass in the beautiful English Ash wood stand which is made locally and comes from a fully sustainable source. I love the fact that they are made from boards from a local yurt maker, off-cuts from bigger boards that were not needed.
I also added a little bit of gold lustre detailing to the hackle feathers which I felt for this client added to creating the flamboyancy so desired.
Fun facts
The fabulous colourful Gallic Rooster is the unofficial national symbol of France.
For some the Rooster symbolises pride, hope, a new day and even ressurection.
For the Chinese the Rooster is symbolic of good luck, wealth and fortune.
You can read more about the finer details about commissioning an item of glass art from me here. You can also see more about this particular commission on my Instagram page. You will need to go to my highlights section at the top of my grid and click on the commissions made2order button.