The Winter of Our Discontent

A beautiful Idaho sunset in the cold of winter

What a long cold winter it's been, and it's only 1/2 over, as I know Idaho all too well! January is coming to a close, so one month down and at least 2 more to go until we see hints of Spring. So why not buckle down and get to work on projects in the Studio, and try to keep the January blahs at bay. We started out the month by creating  a slumped and fused piece for our 2nd oldest son for his 30th birthday. He has always had an affinity for the Tetons in the West, and we wanted to give him some wall art that would translate into his

appreciation of the great peaks. It is pictured below.

Slumped and Fused Glass - Grand Tetons Mountain Range

When the temps get below zero and we don't dare step out into it, we have a nice view of the cold landscape outside, enjoyed from the warmth of our Studio.

Some of our glass installations shimmering in the sunset

Slumped and fused glass was the highlight of the artistic piece below, which we entered in a Juried Art Show this past month.

"The Fabric of Light"

 The piece below was a process of many layers of Fused glass fired over and over in our kiln.

"Fallen"

 We had a rush on glass snowflakes this month also, creating hundreds of snowflakes with various designs. The one pictured below was created with red glass to give a Valentine effect.

Valentine Snowflake

And now that January is coming to a close, it's time to focus on our glass roses and hearts, like the ones pictured below. A lot of work goes into making these sentimental gifts.

Valentine heart pendants with a luster pink glass rose

So to go along with the phrase, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade....When life seems cold and bitter, make some heat and turn up the love, whether it be in the Studio, or daily life. Here's hoping we're all enveloped in the warmth of  friendships and family in the months ahead, we need that kind of love now more than ever. Hoping for some reprieve ahead, and not just cold, dark, icy nights. (Literally and figuratively.) I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that nobody likes to deal with the harsh cold for too long. Unfortunately, it's here to stay for a while. Hang in there....

Sun Dogs accent an Idaho Winter Sunset

May Project for the Garden

Is it the last day of May already? I'm beginning to wonder how time keeps slipping away from me, the older I get. Time has had a way of eluding me lately, and I'm not sure how it slips out of my grasp so easily. Well, one last day to get the monthly Blog in. I'll make it short and sweet. 

Our garden sign from a couple years ago looked new, but needed a face lift this year.

This month has been so busy around the yard, sprucing up the trees, bushes and lawns, and planting the seasonal flowers and garden. After Old Man Winter has had his way with our landscape, it takes a lot of determination and effort to stay on top of such a large piece of property and the work that comes with it. Russ was busy with his own projects this month, so I managed to create a glass project of my own to spruce up the garden blocks. I was tired of repainting the garden sign every year, because of sun damage, so I decided to go with glass this year to see if it would last a little longer. 

Sanding old paint off the wood block.

First I had to sand down the old paint on the wood blocks. Then I re-stained the wood blocks. Next, I used our glass cutters and cut letters out of pieces of glass scrap left over from previous projects. I fused the lettering in the kiln overnight.

Cutting lettering from glass scraps.

Then I coated the glass molds with MR 97, a mold release spray used to help the glass frit come out of the molds, once they are fused and slumped in the kiln.

Glass molds need to be sprayed before use.

Next, I used a variety of crushed glass frit to fill the molds. I used butterflies, dragonflies, ladybug and flower molds for this project. 

A selection of crushed glass frit was used to fill the molds.

 And the picture below is the final project. Kind of whimsical by design, and hopefully will stand up to the harsh high desert climate for more than a year this time. 

Completed whimsical Garden blocks made with glass.

Well, that's about it for this month's blog. Now I'm headed out the door to ship more orders we processed off the website this busy month of  May. Until next time, happy gardening!

New Year Goals

Universal Understanding Fused Glass Art Work


January brings with it a sense of renewal and new beginnings. This held true for us in the Studio as we wrote down goals to apply to our artistic glass and creations which we plan to work on in 2016.
Before we got back to the grind though, we actually took time to enjoy winter fun in the mountains with our adult children. It always feels good to rejuvenate out in the crisp, cold Idaho outdoors. Plus our dogs almost demand it, and of course, their needs are fulfilled first.

Some of our dog pack enjoying the snow

Family fun in the snow

Playtime in the mountains

Fused Trout Art work

We plan on creating more slumped and fused art this year, experimenting as we go. Pictured above are samples of some of our latest trout scenes.

Our cure for the January blahs, build a snowman

Now that we have had some fun with the snow outside, it's time to light up the torches and create a variety of roses for the Valentine holiday coming up. We try to include small amounts of playtime with work time, as it helps us to come back with a renewed commitment to our craft. Remember, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Which reminds me, it's time to take the dogs out for some playtime in the snow again. We'll check in again next month to give an update on our Valentine gifts.

Roses cooling down in our kiln

Western Wildlife Creations

Bighorn Sheep butting heads. Horns are tipped in gold.

The lamp work torch has been burning out some new wildlife creations this month. A storefront that carries some of our wildlife art work wanted some new creations, so here is a sampling of pieces headed up to Jackson Hole later this month. The wildlife that is up in that area and throughout Yellowstone, is a favorite subject for our glass artist to re-create. 

A bugling Elk with gold accents

Yellowstone's Bison

Art work depicting a confrontation between a grizzly and a cougar.

A pouncing fox

A Mallard duck in flight

This Moose has some funky colors swirled into his antlers

A majestic Mountain Goat

A Great Horned Owl of Yellowstone

Lone Wolf on the hunt

Our glass artist excels at giving the wildlife glass art movement and flowing motion. It's always a favorite to create any time of the year. If you see something here that sparks your interest for your cabin's decor, or a gift for the man cave or den, give us a call or e-mail. Contact information is on our website. We'd be happy to create a custom wildlife piece just for you. 

April Creations

Blown, Sculpted Hummingbird and Floral Glass

End of April already, and all the tree blossoms are giving off a subtle scent of fresh floral aromas. Brisk morning walks in the slowly greening high desert hills help us to focus on new ideas we are formulating. Once we're back in the Studio we get to work trying to bring the ideas to fruition. We've had some successes and some near misses working with some new styles of glass in the kilns. All in all, it feels good to push the envelope of what we are capable of  learning about this ever changing art and craft on a daily basis. The pieces below are some of our latest projects.

Slumped and Fused Abstract Plate

A new idea to fuse and swirl colors

The next 3 pieces were done for our son and his wife to complete their memories of a very good year, including their wedding, honeymoon, and reaching the 30 year milestone of  their lives.

Fused cheese tray with an animated theme

Fused art reflecting a special Jamaican beach Honeymoon memory

Slumped and Fused Decorative Vase

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and our blown glass hummingbirds are always a great choice for the many special Moms out there.

A great Mother's Day gift idea

An unusual abstract piece incorporating hard and soft glass

Fun Engraved and Sandblasted Upcycled Drinking Glasses

Another new plate, perfect for home decor

We have plenty of glass gifts in our Studio

  Feel free to give us a call if something catches your eye for a future gift.

New Year, New Creations

Here we are at the tail end of January in our new year, already reflecting on some special moments we've had, both in the Studio and also with some very special people in our extended family. So this month we have kept as busy as ever in the Studio. Below are some of the latest creations we've already made for the new year. We were excited to get to work on a special project that benefits a local fundraiser titled "Lighting the way to Literacy". Our Lampshade was created out of float glass, blown glass, and acrylics, and is titled "Edge of the Pond". It is displayed along with many other creative lampshades at the Willard Arts Center in Idaho Falls.

This creative lamp shade with glass accents imitates the edge of a pond.

Finished lit lampshade displayed for our Arts Council's fundraiser.

Next, we completed a unique dish setting in our kiln with sandblasted dragonfly accents. It was created for a nephew of ours who has supplied us with lots of float glass to "upcycle". We were really pleased to present him and his family with the unique setting made just for him. We have many more ideas that we will create with this type of glass in the kiln. 

I wanted to re post a picture of our son's glass dishes and cheese trays that we made for his wedding last August. They were made to go with his animated themes that he had come up with for their special day. We look forward to finishing a few more pieces to complete the picture, which will include a glass picture of their honeymoon.

Glass cheese trays, won ton bowls, dipping sauce bowls all have an animated look.

It was about the middle of January when a customer requested that a unicorn and dragon be custom made and shipped out. These blown glass pieces are accented in gold and halo platinum.

Mythical creatures made for a customer

And lastly, this month has ended on the right note, as we just returned from celebrating our parent's 60th wedding anniversary in sunny Arizona. They stand in a league of their own, and we wanted to come up with something that showed them how special they are. The anniversary cake top below was made with great care from float glass and engraved by hand. The glass diamonds at the base were blown and sculpted to compliment their diamond anniversary.

Our parent's 60th wedding anniversary cake top

We also cut the desert scene below out of float glass and finished it off in the kiln. It made a nice addition to their back patio in their home in Arizona. 

Coyote howling at the moon in the desert.

We know we are so lucky to have witnessed this rare milestone of 60 years of marriage. We've had such supportive parents (and in-laws) all these years. What a special way to end the first month of the year celebrating their love. They have supported us all throughout our lives, and we'd like to thank them for their part in inspiring us to follow our dreams and keep creating, growing, and learning, remembering of course, to stay young at heart. 

60th Wedding Anniversary Cake