Charitable Contributing

We are often asked by various companies and non-profit groups to donate some sort of artwork to their cause and gladly answer the call for giving, especially when we feel a personal connection. There are so many that benefit when one decides to "pay it forward". One recent example we felt passionately about giving to was our good friend and fire fighter's cause. Camari is known to many as a hero on so many levels. She has had her own personal battles with cancer and won them over every time. Anyone who has the honor of knowing this inspirational woman is instantly affected by her enthusiasm and zest for living, in spite of all the battles she has had to overcome.

 I've had the honor of calling her "friend" for over 30 years now, and she never ceases to amaze me with her many accomplishments.

One of her inspirational feats is coming up again. It is the Scott Firefighter Stair climb in Seattle, Washington. Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. An organization we have a personal reason to support. We are so proud of Camari, as every time she has participated in this event she has been a top female competitor. It is a grueling event in Seattle that fire fighters from all over the country come to compete in. And all the proceeds from this fundraiser go towards research for this blood related cancer.
When she asked for a donation to help with a silent auction for her event, we gladly accepted the request to come up with a Northwest artistic scene that she could use in her silent auction fundraiser.

Our friend and fire fighter Camari

The following steps were used to create this sandblasted piece we donated. Russ used the cutter's mate to cut strips of glass that would be used as a frame for the piece I sandblasted.

Scoring soft glass

Here is the first layer I sandblasted. I used float glass for this project. I put the artwork on resist paper, then engraved the outline and cut out the part I wanted sandblasted with an exacto knife. Then I turned on the compressor and blasted away with a sandblast gun until the image was permanently etched onto the glass.

Northwest scene

                     
                       Here is the second layer of float glass I placed in the sandblast chamber.
                                               I created ripples on the water on this part.

Sandblasting Cabinet

                                 

                                    I used a blast gun to shoot out the sand at a very high velocity.
                                               This created the etched look I was going for.

Sandblasting glass

                     When the sandblasting was complete I used rub'n'buff to fill in and color the artwork.

Rub n Buff paint onto glass

            Here is an image of the completed piece. The slumped green glass was fitted around two layers
                                                     of float glass to create a unique frame.
                              It had a 3 dimensional effect because of the layering of the images.
                       Russ created a wooden base to set the Northwest scene into for displaying.

Completed Northwest Scene 

I'm really enjoying using the added application of sandblasting in our glass studio.  It's very gratifying work and adds to the versatility of what we can offer our customers. Helping Camari reach her fundraising goal was an added bonus, and we'll be rooting her on as she masters those crazy flights of stairs with all of her fire fighting gear on. The event happens in March, but she's already won the battle many times over in our eyes. We were happy to be a small part of her journey in this amazing feat of athleticism. Now we've moved onto a new project of giving for another Non-profit group on the East coast and we'll be sculpting 200 glass drops for the Alstrom Society. In between projects we've been creating a new piece of wall art for our own personal benefit. These slumped grape clusters will soon adorn the walls of our home to add to the Tuscan flare we already enjoy. Wall art is something we will be focusing on in future endeavors. That will be something worth blogging about to be sure.

Slumped grape clusters