Oregon Serendipity

Last Friday I was in Portland. An unexpected trip that offered a wonderful opportunity to see some amazing glass artist in one small place. The Oregon Glass Guild  www.oregonglassguild.org  had their 11th Annual Glass Gallery Show & Sale at the Portland Convention Center.  Two things happened that made this trip a reality.  Sara decided she wanted to come home for Passover and take books and mementos home with her if I drove her back.  Then around that time I  read that a glass artist I met on Facebook was participating and the plans took off from there. Arrived Thursday night and early Friday Sara delivered me to the center's front door.  Walked into a free event that was eye candy for glass both art lovers and artist. 
The first thing I did was check out the Gallery where every artist was represented.  Then I went to meet Linda Steider.  Her booth was easy to find as I recognized her style. Her painting on glass is detailed and the gold accents are the finishing touch. Love the touch of whimsy on some of her pieces too. Since it was early I had time to introduce myself and spend some time for shop talk before more people showed up. 
After viewing all 69 booth's I was overwhelmed, stimulated, inspired, and yet felt so comfortable there I wanted to stay longer.  I forgot to bring a camera.  Not sure if I could have taken any pictures. You can see Linda's work on her facebook page   After three hours  I called for my ride home.  Tired but very happy.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steider-Studios/109500489072770

www.oregonglassguild.org

A Learning Experience

Last week a student made an appointment to make some pendants for herself and friends.  She came prepared with the design and the colors were already chosen.  It sounded like an easy project and as I laid out the process choices for her the decisions came quickly. Until I discovered I did not have the correct shade of green she wanted and needed.  A compromise was made using frit instead of a solid piece of glass.  The size was to be a 1 1/2 inch circle.  Again no problem.  A square fused will become a circle. We all know glass  melted will draw into itself to a thickness of 1/4 inch. 

All goes well using the cut pieces and the frit to finish the design.  Added a piece of clear, waited till the next day to fuse.  I fused the pieces and though they fused well, they were still square-ish!!!   I stared in disbelief. Where were the circles? What happened?  I have done this so many times with nice round results.

Hours later I realized three layers were used and of course it was already a quarter  of an inch thick.  I went to work grinding and shaping and when it looked more rounded I refired. Better, but not round enough. If this was for me I would have adjusted how I was going to use the pieces.  But this was a special personal project by a customer.  After the disappointment we discussed ways to make it into a circle.  She has access to a powerful grinder and before redoing the project she is going to try and grind it into shape.  If it works, I will then fire polish the circles.  Otherwise she will start over and use different materials like glass paints or powders.  Or let her try cutting small circles.

I learned I need to remember all factors when teaching and guiding and not get hung up on providing the correct sizes and colors that were asked for while forgetting the basics.

Changes coming

Yes, changes are coming.  And as with most changes I am not sure how they will end up.  Since Eric retired he expressed a desire to start learning about fused glass and work with me in my studio.  I have often asked for his opinion about color or balance.  It is important to get a critical eye to spot a weak  design or to express an option I did not think of, because I work alone it is easy to lose perspective.  These are the reasons I call for his help and he has shown he has a good eye.  Just as he takes great photos his sense of balance and compisition can be used designing glass art work too.

This is the problem, where can we both work?  The studio is small and because of that I do most of my larger and messier work in the warmer months when I use the patio outside my studio. We would like to work year round and vacation or take time off whenever we want. We need a new space. Do we move, convert a room in our house near the studio, or finish off the garage? We are exploring all these options as I get ready for Silicon Valley's 25th year Open Studio.  I remember all those years participating as a looker and sometimes buyer.  Thinking someday I will offer my art work. I hope to have some answers by the end of May.  In the mean time more work and clean up and sorting to do by the opening on Mother's Day weekend  May 7 and 8.  I am signed up to show on the first 2 weekends so you have 4 days to stop by and visit my site.

Back to work

Took a little time off for R&R.  Rested up, read a lot and then ended my down time with a trip to the San Diego area for fun exploring and visiting friends.  Have not visited the San Diego attractions in about 20 years. The museums were both restful and exciting and full of refreshing energy. The weather was wonderful, sunny and a refreshing cool made it easy for outdoor sightseeing. The zoo had new renovations in the works and that put a tiny crimp on the visit. Visited the La Jolla Scrip's Contemporary Art Museum and the aquarium a few days later.  On both days we witnessed beautiful sunsets on the beach.  I will add  photos today.

Did not escape work altogether though.  Thankfully I took my laptop, because I get an email from Silicon Valley Open Studio to proof my information for the spring catalogue. The due date to submit changes would have passed by the time I got home.  There were a few errors.  They had me listed as a sculptor instead of a glass artist.  That would have been really bad especially since there are only 3 glass artist showing this May. People would have been disappointed and my sales would have been compromised.  Problem averted and I am home and have new ideas for the show and how to set up this time.  I am on my site alone this year so the space is all mine. 

There is a new feature with open studio this year.  On sites with multiple artist they are offering people to be mentored by appropriate venue artist.  Painters, fabric artist or potters for example may have a novice looking on and learning from an established artist.  I offered even though I am alone because there so few artist working with glass.  The rules were already set and they said my offer was understandable under the circumstances,  but "no thank you."  Maybe next time exception can be made if this happens again.

It is studio time again and when it stops raining I will be able to bring my work

equipment out on the patio and have more room inside.  The grinder and 2 wet saws are messy and takes up a lot of room.  And working with glass powder is easier outside unless it is windy of course.  Thinking of using the sunsets as an inspiration.  The sunset coloring with the people in silhouette is my favorite photo on this recent mini vacation. You can see that photograph here. This will be  my guiding force as I select my glass colors.

Fantastic New Bottle Cutter

Below today's post there is a video showing a wine bottles being cut with the new bottle cutter from Delphi.  If interested you can check out the glass supplies at www.delphiglass.com.  I saw it offered this year online and later in their catalogue.  I know two people who have ordered it but, no reports yet about their success. I passed on buying one when it was offered at a special price and I probable will regret it.  I can always pay full price or wait for another sale.  If it is anywhere as good as the video this is even better and easier than using a wet saw and well worth the price.  I have used a wet saw and there is more glass loss and far far messier and wetter.  Using a wet saw is still more versatile when angled cut are desired.



Decorated wine bottle trays in front

 During the last few years I have used wine bottles to make trays, spoon rest, sushi and cheese platters.  I have added decorative features, handles and wire hooks to make them easier to use.  I still have many cases of clean bottles waiting to make vases, glasses and holders.  Between my wet saw and this cutter my summer project will be easier and faster.  Wow, here's a thought.  It would be a perfect demonstration to use for Open Studio in May.

Perfect Edge Bottle Cutter in 30 seconds

Silicon Valley Open Studio

It is official I am participating in this year's Open Studio.  Visitors will be coming by the first 2 weekends in May.  This will be my 4th time.  My work has changes so much.  In the beginning I offered collage work and decoupage boxes including Judaic theme Shabbat candle boxes.  Next time I painted and decorated metal chair planters along with Mah Jongg tile jewelry and Menorahs.  During this time I was taking classes learning the fundamentals of fused glass art.  The medium is such a complex and fascinating art form.

I finally offered for sale my fused glass at the 2008 Open Studio.  I waited until I felt my work was good enough and my studio was available  for viewing. We are asked to let visitors in our work space and be available to demonstrate what we do.  Having people around glass was problematic for me. I needed to find something to show without having a lot of cut glass around.  I decided to demonstrate the cold work needed to finish off a fused piece before the final fire polish firing. I turned out some people even asked to use the grinder to see what it was like to smooth out the piece.  I will probably to it again this year.

I focus on one or two major shows a year.  Last year was the To Life Jewish Festival and The Sun Gallery Boutique. I find the spacing is enough to produce enough fused glass without too much pressure. Also, I need space to store the completed pieces until the next show. This Open Studio will probably  be the last one at this house.  The next place I set up a glass studio will be planned to allow for work space and storage.  More to follow. See you in May.

Just Having Fun "smashing glass"

This is the time of year I just kick back and have fun in the studio.  The 2010 shows are over, the unsold merchandise is repacked and waiting for the new season to start. 

Since participating in the Sun Gallery Holiday Boutique, I joined ArtFire to sell online.  Ran into problems and have yet to set up my page.  I am better working with glass than I am with web sites.  I went to Half Moon Bay a while ago with friends and bought blown glass rocks by the pound.  I have used this type of glass used for glass blowing in the past to make unusual jewelry pieces.  The excess glass is junked on the hot glass floor and discarded.  It is often multi colored and when smashed with a hammer I clean and fire the smaller pieces. Some don't look good and I throw them away, but there are enough surprisingly lovely results to make it worth while. My  friends spent time in my studio and chose the glass they wanted to work with.  After a few hesitant blows with the hammer they smashed and then gathered the smaller pieces.  Using mini molds for specific shapes and firing without molds many cabochons were made. After firing , shaping and fire polishing my friends came back ready to make pins, earrings, and pendants.  If you ever have a chance try doing this. It is lots of fun.  I forgot to get photos before they took their art work home. Sorry.  Maybe I will post some of mine when I am finished.  Of course, I am the last one to work on this project.

Kiln shut down

Terrible timing last month, I had a private session scheduled on 10/31 that went well. After she left and the glue dried it was time to start firing and I found out the controller went kaput.  Crapped out, failed and with the most awful noise.  Called my  kiln distributor and the end result, best guess, is that the relay died.  Waited for the replacement and it did not work.  Back to square one waiting for more new parts, throw in a vacation before Thanksgiving and end result no work done since the beginning of October.

The new parts came today and it still does not sound right.  Will try a trial firing this weekend.  If it does not work properly, it will be time to call in a repairman.  I never expected a big problem so soon.  Of course it happened within 6 months of the warranty period. I do not use it every day and not with high firings, so it is a bit unusual.  Need to continue to prepare for my next holiday show in December with something else.

Festival Update

OK, here it is.  I have put it off long enough.  "The Too Life Festival" was not to successful for most of us this time around.  I covered my fee and a bit more, that is very disappointing after the last time I attended when I made very good sales. Everyone blamed the economy and that the event was in October instead of September as usual. And many people were busy with sports or weddings on 10/10/10, because attendance was lower than normal too.

After taking my time to repack and restock my shelves with my fused glass so that I can find what I need for later sales, I took some time off.  Since I worked all summer we postponed a short vacation.  Just got back from Pacific Grove.  Needed to recharge and the ocean really does that for me.  In fact water in general does that for me.  Must be because I grew up living 50 feet from a river.

I am back and all set to work. One of the people stopping at my booth asked about any classes I offered.  After following up with her she came this weekend and completed a plate. Sunday I was ready to fire her project and my kiln kept on making alarm sounds. Just great I thought.  In addition to her firing I needed to make a few more items for a holiday boutique.  My kiln is only 3 years old.  Called my distributor and after hearing the sound using my cell phone he figured out that it is a broken relay not a broken alarm. New part on the way. 

To Life Festival is on Sunday

This week I am counting down the few days remaining for the "To Life Festival". The photo today is of my new holder designs. The curved holders have a slot between the glass and can hold photos, cards of all type, recipes, family messages, even bills. So the next time you get a new photo, display it this way, because you know another photograph is going to come your way again and you can just switch it out or keep adding more.

I am happy to report that my flame vase was the photo included in the Northern California "j" insert about the annual festival here in Palo Alto. Nice size and name spelled right. The banner I ordered with the same photo arrived last week so the tie in is great and hopefully attendees will recognize the vase when they stroll by the artist booths. There are a few last minute firings, of course I had an inspiration when I saw one of my molds would work well with a piece of glass I was holding.

I am including the To Life Festival web site http://pajcc.org/ to find maps and general info along with a listing of all the artist. I am in booth 120.

News Alert

Yes, I have a news alert due to the most unexpected e-mail. Last week I was contacted by the photo editor of the " j " www.jweekly.com the Jewish news weekly of Northern California. I was asked to submit two photos of my fused glass for the edition containing information about the "To Life Festival." I was floored, where to start. What to send, which pictures would look good in a newspaper, and what to name them. Yes, I was asked to put a name to each item sent. One of the photographs I sent by email was fuzzy so I started again and sent a different view of the photo she liked best along with a different vase for a back up photo . The vase I hope gets used is the one on my new banner. If "j" readers see my vase and then see the banner it will be a terrific recognition opportunity for me. I could not have asked for more or better advertising of my art work.

I know, you are asking how did she know about me or the type of art I do. I wondered too. Then remembered I'm included in the festival's web site along with all the other artist.

It will be the first time my fused glass work will be viewed in a newspaper. I have had my name and category of art mentioned before and news articles unrelated to my art work. Now I wait to to see the finished article. Just like waiting for the kiln to cool down before I can open it and see the finished design. I am good at waiting.

October Festival Information

I forgot to include the web information for the street festival where I will be participating in Palo Alto. When I get my booth space information I will post here and on Facebook. So here is the site to go to for more information with directions and times. I hope you come to see me.

http://www.paloaltojcc.org/tolife

New Photos

Well, it is good to be at this point in production as I prepare for the "To Life Festival" in October. It took a while to get a rhythm going to make 3 to 4 fused glass pieces a week. I have taken a few photos of the latest variety of vases. I am also making trays to hold menorahs and Sabbath candles for the buyers wanting Judaic items . There will be general designs featuring metallic finishes in many of my art pieces. I think the buying public will like the new look. I have not seen it at the local fairs, so, I think it will be an attention grabber. Another item in the works are photo, card and or note holders the first ones are so nice I started to use a few myself.

I have been working on my booth set up and will be using two tables with the cubes I used last year to display individual pieces. I decided I needed a good quality banner to hang in the booth and ordered one last week. Now all I need is a nice sunny day to show off the glass details and bring in the people.

Back to the studio I go after I post my photos for you.

Busy In The Studio

What a nice change, I am having a busy creative summer. I applied to the "To Life Festival" being held on October 10, 2010 here in Palo Alto. I had to send along sample photos of my recent art work along with my application. Thrilled to be accepted. I participated in this street festival about 4 years ago.

I have continued with a variety of draped styles. And for this event I will add touches of Jewish content in my fused glass designs. I am, also, adding a line of textured accents with my plates, platters and bowls. I am looking at a fast approaching end date. Never knowing how many pieces will be needed for a one day show that attracts thousands of people is daunting. Better too much than too little. Whatever does not sell will be used as a base for the holiday shows latter in the year.

Fireworks Tonight

What a colorful evening seeing fireworks. The splash and twinkle of bursting multicolored light against a blue black sky was breathtaking again. It always seems to get better and better every year. I have never made glass works for this holiday. I think I should plan to make something for myself at least. Maybe a serving plate or a centerpiece for candles for our holiday BBQ next year. It's funny, I am like the cobbler's family with shoes in need of repair, I don't often make any fused glass serving dishes or vases for myself. I should, because I could use some of the things I make to sell. I used to use some of the ones that I made to be sure they held up and would be easy to use and care for. Another project to add to my list after my summer projects for the fall and winter sale venues.

Wow!! New Templates and New Photos Today.

Big surprise to find new templates. I am trying one out. It still has an orange background, a bit softer and swirly. The page set up is very different. Hope it is easy to follow. If you have the time and an opinion let me know which you like. They offer other designs I might try later if this one bombs.

I am firing more pieces for the shows this year. I am working on my "To Life Festival" application this week. The street fair takes place on October 10, 2010 on California Ave here in Palo Alto. It has been 4 years since I was a participant. It has a much bigger following I hope they like my glass and I get in. I will be selling a lot of draped and handkerchief style serving bowls and vases in a wide variety of sizes and colors. The new and unusual stainless steel molds are working out very well. I will incorporate Jewish designs in my pieces, but I need to have a number without, because this fair is not just for the Jewish population. The surrounding communities attend the festivities too.

I have a two new pieces to include in this post. One is a 4 inch wide 6 inch tall straight sided draped bowl. The curves are big enough to hold small flowers in water with a 3 inch candle inside. It makes a pretty table centerpiece. Or just use as a vase or bowl. The other photo is of a frit artglass hamsa. I will probably just make the next ones with glass sheets for strength. The frit works well, but in a fair with so many people handling the glass I think it will be too fragile. Also, I need to decide how I am going to display them if I do not add a hanger.

Members Only Art Show

Today I submitted 3 photos of glass styles for the Sun Gallery's members only show. If accepted I set them up the end of this month and they are available for showing and sale June 30Th through July 24Th. The work includes an iridescent shallow bowl, a free form draped vase with accents and a dropped floral vase with a stand.

It is nice to see the variety of work I can do in my studio. Ten years ago I was so hesitant to do more than the very basic of glass techniques. Hey, the classes really paid off. I almost took a class right here in San Jose last month, but there were not enough people signed up. It was for 4 weeks and covered unusual techniques. One was using a flower pot to melt glass in the kiln. I need to follow up and see when the next class is especially since I already paid.

I am going to try and add the 3 pictures I submitted and some of the ones I sent with the application for the Dicken's Fair. I was going to be joining 2 other artist, but we were not accepted. Look for the photos in the slideshow area and I will have one near this post.

I am still here

Wow, it has been months since I added any new info or pictures or anything. Just a lot of nothing happening here I am sorry to say. That is not to say I have not worked in the studio. I have and I have pictures to show you. I have been concentrating on draped shapes and have made more voltives and they are very pretty. I photographed them with LED lights. You can actually see the shine on the glass, cool.


I have been gathering a variety of stainless steel forms to use as molds. Some of them are standard fusing molds others are regular stainless cooking bowls and containers. I need to fire them before using to burn off any impurities. Smelly!! And I have been using a new metal mold spray that works well if I spray enough layers. One time the glass started to stick to the mold and I ended up with a thin layer of metal sticking to the glass. Not too bad a disaster given that I was working with a brand new product.

I will be working more now that it is warmer. I have a some applications to prepare for shows this fall. More latter and sooner.

New Photos

It was time to add new photos of the artglass I made for the Sun Gallery Boutique this year. While I was doing that I added captions and prices on the items available for sale. If you have a request for a special color on most of the styles I will take orders. Or I may already have what you want in stock.

I included views of the new set up using the cubes and a more neutral cloth covering. All in all I am satisfied with the new look. Separating the glass into categories is easier on the eye and also makes it easier to pick a piece up and hold it.