A little about PLJ

My Name is Patricia Johnson, I live in southern Wisconsin with my husband John and two young daughters.

I am a self taught glass artist who loves what I do. I have always been mesmerized by the beauty of glass & do what I do for the love of the materials and the process.

I started working with glass when I was 18 years old. I walked into a glass studio and was so taken by the beauty and the work that I left the shop that day with supplies and a beginners book and I have been working with glass ever since.

I worked with stained glass for several years. In Christmas of 98 I received my first Kiln. I have been completely captivated by the effect of heat on glass and it’s many possibilities.

To make the glass cabochons I do a process called fusing. I hand cut pieces of compatible glass: ( The C.O.E. coefficient of thermal expansion has to be the same ....which means they have to expand at the same rate during heating and contract at the same rate during cooling. If not compatible there will be stress in the glass which will cause it to break and pull apart. I test all the glass I use for compatibility.) The pieces are then stacked and placed in a kiln and heated to approximately 1600 degrees.The pieces fuse together forming one solid piece.

DICHROIC: I layer pieces of clear dichroic glass and fire them i continue to add more glass and re-firing till I'm satisfied with the results. Then I fuse a piece of clear glass over the top to add depth.

INCLUSION: I place small bits of metal ( wire, foils, & leafs) between two layers of compatible glass then full fuse .

PATTERNED GLASS: These cabochons are made the same as the Dichroic cabochons except I use glass with patterns in the dichroic.

STENCILING: I hand stencil designs on sheets of dichroic glass, I then remove the unwanted coating with an acid etching creme ...then layer and fire.

MANIPULATION: I stack layers of colored or dichroic glass on a sheet then heat to approximately 1700 degrees. Then use a tool ( pick or knife) to draw across the surface of the hot glass creating feathered and swirled effects.. I then cool and cut the glass into desired shapes using a lapidary saw, layering it with clear glass and re-fire.

The pieces are then ground to a final shape using a glass grinder and re-fired to polish and smooth the edges. I do several different styles of cabochons.

I then hand wrap each piece in a cage style setting, which is very secure. each pendant takes approximately 2-3 feet of wire. I use only Sterling Silver or 14k gold filled wire and components, which are of the highest quality, meeting federal standards for quality and content. The bails are large enough to easily accommodate your favorite chain.

I hope the people viewing my work can get a sense of the love and appreciation i have for what I do.