Candyland Horse on Steel Green Glass Panel

This piece is part of our More Horses Collection of equestrian art glass home decor. It is 10″ in diameter.

This bold panel is made with “steel green” glass, which is named for an unusual characteristic: when exposed directly to the kiln’s heat without a layer of protective clear glass on top, its color changes from shiny green to matte grey. Initially considered a mistake, artists who loved its creative possibilities convinced the manufacturer to include this color as part of their standard line. You can see what the fuss was about looking at this piece. The horse retained its original color, while all around it the green changed to grey. The pieces of brightly colored opaque glass, including some dichroic bits, that are studded around the background remind me of candy, hence its name. This stylish piece of equestrian decor is likely to be a conversation starter and with what you know now, you are an expert. Wherever you place it, it will be a cheerful spot of color and a focal spot in your home.

Creating the dish was a 4-step process.
Glass Selection: First two pieces of glass were cut to the dimensions of the finished panel, one steel green and the other clear.
Creating the Design: The design was created using a process called “powder printing”. To protect the color of the horse, finely ground clear glass (known as powder frit) was sifted onto the steel green glass using a stencil created on my Glowforge laser cutter. After carefully lifting the stencil, stray frit was removed. Once clean, pieces of opaque, colored glass were arranged on the background and glued to hold them in place during transfer to the kiln. The steel green glass was then placed on top of the clear glass in preparation for firing.
Fusing in the Kiln: The two layers were placed in a kiln and heated to 1475 degrees, the temperature at which glass melts and the layers fused together. The amount of “hold” time at the peak temperature was calculated so the bits of color would retain some of their original shape and remain raised above the surface.
Enhancing the Design: After firing, the horse needed something to make it stand out more from the background, so dots of white enamel paint were applied all around the outline. A second firing at 1350 degrees was required to set the paint and the panel was finished.