Red Riding Boots On Checkerboard Art Glass Dish – 10″

This bow is part of our Boots Collection of equestrian art glass home decor. It is 10″ x 10″.

This colorful dish, made of contrasting iridized glass and embellished with a repeating pattern of red riding boots in mica paint, is perfect for a home with an equestrian decorating theme. Whether you’re in the mood to acquire something new for own home or searching for special gift, this dish is guaranteed to be a treasured addition to any horse lover’s home.

Creating it was a 6-step process.
Selecting the Glass: For the background, two kinds of iridescent glass were chosen: iridized transparent grey and iridized transparent gold. Clear glass was selected for the bottom layer.
Creating the Background: The gold and silver glass was cut into 2″ squares and assembled into a checkboard pattern on top of the clear glass piece. The square were placed with the iridized side facing up. They were held in place with glue that would burn of during firing.
Fusing the Background: The assemblage was placed in a kiln face down and heated to 1475 degrees, the temperature at which glass melts and the pieces fused together. After the first firing some gaps remained between the background squares on the front side of the dish. To correct this, a second square of clear glass was cut, which would later be fired on top of the checkerboard.
Creating the Boot Pattern: Using a stencil created on my laser cutter, the boot outlines were traced onto the clear glass that would be the top of the plate. The boots were then painted using iridescent red mica paint. When the paint was dry, this layer was set on top of the checkerboard in preparation for fusing.
2nd Firing: It all went into the kiln and was heated again to 1475 degrees, which fused the clear top layer to the checkboard and filled the gaps. The heat also bonded the mica paint to the glass.
Shaping the Dish: At this point the piece was still flat. To create a dish it was fired one more time. This time it was placed on a mold and heated to 1250 degrees, the temperature at which glass softens, and gravity caused it to sink into the mold and assume its final shape.