Glasshaus Studio Blog

An incredible year has flown by. January was filled with sadness over the passing of a dear friend and fellow Artist, Susie Afflerbach. While the sadness lingers, there were also moments filled with pure joy. Some in my personal life, some professionally.

2014 was filled with work at the Gallery, the Studio, and new opportunities coming my way. Looking back it seems there was never a moment to just relax a little. There will not be a lot of “downtime” in the coming year but the the excitement of planning and executing all the new work will make up for that.

I would like to wish all of you warm Holidays, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or winter solstice  surrounded with the people you love and a happy and prosperous 2015.

Only about three weeks to a yearly occurrence: The annual Art Studio Tour in our area. This year there will be 26 Artists participating, chosen by a jury. For the last 15 years I have been lucky enough to participate. Every year the preparation takes months. Creating new Artwork for the event that only lasts a weekend seems like a lot of effort but it is truly a wonderful weekend. For two days I am able to share with a crowd of ever changing faces, and some regulars, how my Artwork is created. From the drawing of the pattern to the first cut on the glass, the grinding, foiling and soldering and the finishing framing. I love how fascinated people are by the process. It is a lot more than just selling finished pieces.

It is a chance to show visitors what goes into making a one of a kind piece of Art, whether they purchase anything or not. It is a chance to interact with people that are really interested in all kinds of Art, every stop on the Tour shows different Studios, different Artists. If you are in the area November 1st and 2nd, please stop in, let me show you how an original piece of stained glass is created.

http://www.lvarttour.com/

Taken last year during Studio Tour

Lately I have worked more with including natural stone slices in glass panels and the boxes of lids. Started that a number of years ago but I wanted to have a whole collection that includes Brazilian Agate slices.

Brazilian Agates combined with clear textured glass

The week started out on a good note. A planning meeting for the upcoming months at the Gallery at La cigale. We have some great Artist’s lined up for the coming season: painters, glass sculptors, Collage Artists, basket makers. The preparation is always very time consuming but so very important. The Artists are featured on our website: http://www.galleryatlacigale.com

And other preparations for the upcoming Exhibit in June at the Lebanon Art Association. New designs, choosing the glass, and all that is involved in an Exhibit. Knowing how many pieces the space allows for, choosing what to display and of course the most important part: actually making everything. A group of glass Artists, showing all the different ways to use this beautiful medium. From kiln formed to mosaic, lead work and the Tiffany method. It promises to be a sparkling June.

More planning for the Butterfly project. Some of the dimensions needed size adjustments so details will be clearly visible form the height they are suspended from. And then the construction of the prototype for the largest of the Butterflies, almost three feet across.  The image is of one of the smaller Butterflies hanging under a Trellis.

There is exciting news to share: Hershey Garden is building a Conservatory! A beautiful Building to house tropical plants and Butterflies with areas for instruction. Learn about it here: http://blog.pennlive.com/gardening/2014/03/hershey_gardens_to_build_new_c.html

I am thrilled that I was chosen to create the Butterfly Installation that will greet visitors. A large number of stained glass Butterflies will be suspended overhead, adding color and movement to a beautiful space. The sizes will vary from one to almost three feet in diameter, created out of sparkling cathedral glass in a multitude of colors. Please stay tuned for updates as this project moves forward.

The term “stained glass” is actually misleading. The color of the glass is not an applied stain. It is an artful combination of sands, Feldspar, Minerals and some other proprietary ingredients. This is where glass achieves it’s brilliant, permanent color. The combined materials are “cooked” at a very high temperature (around 2000 degrees) in a glass furnace. The textures are derived from machine rolling the molten glass. Cathedral glass is often a single color. Some glass Artists apply special glass paints to add detail. They must be fired onto the glass at high Temperatures to become permanent.

Hand rolled Art glass  can appear more subtle and is often referred to as Tiffany glass. The color combinations and effects, such as ring mottles or striations, are achieved by mixing and ladeling molten glass combinations by hand. Art glass usually appears different in color when it is reflected light as opposed to transmitted light. All glass will then go thru an annealing process.

After a cooling period the glass sheets are cut for distribution, some are 2 x 4ft. We are fortunate to still have american glass manufacturers that are skilled in the process of producing this beautiful medium.

When I choose a piece of glass to use in a design it is the same process as a painter choosing paints. But I have the additional choice of textures to bring the piece to life. My pallette is glass in all it’s variations. Instead of a paintbrush my tools are glass cutters, grinders and soldering irons. Working with glass never get’s boring, there are endless possibilities of color and texture combinations.

The picture shows examples of Youghiogheny Art glass.

Today is Alyson Stanfield’s Birthday. http://www.artbizblog.com/

And with her wishlist she is actually giving gifts. A list of 8 simple things to do that will  brighten your day. One item on the to do list: think of five things that you are grateful for today. And you know, it was not hard to come up with those five so I am thinking that I am pretty lucky. So, here goes:

1    I am grateful that I am safe and warm inside while the snow keeps piling up outside.

2    I am grateful that I have the ability to produce my Art and can continue to make people happy with that.

3    I am really grateful to have a supportive family and friends, without them life would be just awful.

4    I am grateful for the small things in life, birds in the Garden, a flower from my soon to be daughter in law, oranges (sunshine) that my neighbor brought back from Florida, the Art postcards from a friend.

5    And I am grateful that I am able to still do the things that are necessary, that my body is healthy enough to shovel snow, organize the tool shed, paint the walls in my Studio, things that some of my friends are no longer able to do.

Thank you Alyson, yes, I did smile at least five times to myself while I was writing this.

This picture shows “Lute players Serenade” before it was framed in a custom picture frame. I really like the glass chosen for this piece. Subtle textures to make the clothing appear as if it is cloth. That panel sold at a Benefit Auction. I am considering making another Lute player, love the subject.

Some new work that I am taking to the Gallery at La Cigale in Mt. Gretna. While they are called ” Galactic Marbles” they also represent a study in colors and textures.

In addition to the hand rolled, american made Art glass, the green piece also incorporates iridized green glass beads. The iridized glass used is a matte iridization on darker hued glass, adding to a warm organic feel.

For the blue piece I also cut hand rolled, american made Art glass. But I also incorporated grey mother of pearl, cut into squares. Textured mirror and iridized glass add to the reflection of light and space.

Visit the Gallery at La Cigale in Mount Gretna, Pa to see more glass Mosaics.