The third time was the charm for the “grape jelly” in this filled glass donut. I wasn’t happy with the all-glass blob of “jelly” that I first fired into the donut, so I decided to try making a better jelly with resins and glass enamels. This second try was okay, but not perfect. It was too dark, didn’t look “jelly-ish” enough. The next day was the third try and last chance for this donut. I mixed another lighter and thinner batch of jelly, testing the colour and opacity against a white background before finally slathering it all over the second try. But it still didn’t look right!
Exasperated, I started to wipe off the still-liquid resin with an alcohol-soaked rag, and all of the sudden, in a flash or recognition, I saw GRAPE JELLY stains around the edges of the hole! So I took a deep breath and began to paint out these stains, with a little drip here and a little drip there, pausing often and stepping back to make sure that I didn’t go too far, until I reached that giddy moment when I knew it was perfect.
It really is true: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again…and while you’re trying, keep your eyes open for the unexpected opportunities!