Summer Art Shows

Lots to see at our booth this year. We were at the Eagle Rock Art Guild show by the Snake River.

We just got done with one of our summer art shows this past weekend. The weather was delightful (a glass artist's dream) and the crowds were good. Many people stopped by to compliment us on our original works. We are truly appreciative of our patrons. It makes all the long hours spent in the hot shop worth it, when we hear someone remark about the creativity and beauty they are feeling when viewing our works. Below are some of the items we featured at this outdoor show.

Glass chili ristras help highlight our fused glass sun

Dragonfly and Hummingbird bottle feeders were popular

Slumped and fused green glass decorative plate

Glass Buck standing on glass deer antler

Pastel slumped and fused plate

Slumped and sandblasted glass bowl

Glass Chili Ristra

Blown glass elephant trio

The three little pigs

This piece was recycled and sandblasted into a moonscape

Blown glass mixed with copper and placed in a shadow box

Abstract slumped and fused glass plate

Yellowstone wildlife made out of blown and sculpted glass

A slumped and recycled wine bottle turned into a cheese tray

Recycled wine bottle make beautiful windchimes

Many hours are spent behind the scenes on these outdoor shows, and we know we are playing weather roulette with the glass being outdoors. The weather has been known to be very fickle around these parts. This show couldn't have been more perfect as far as that aspect goes. We're hoping for another "luck of the draw" when the next one rolls around in a few weeks. We are certainly hoping the weather holds up it's end of the deal, for a perfect day, as we prepare for the event of the year, and our oldest child's wedding coming in August. More on that in our next blog. Thanks for taking the time to read our blogs. We hope you keep us in mind for a special glass gift in the future.

Our booth at the Eagle Rock Art Guild Show

Reuse, Recycle

Sparkling clear blue waters in the Cascades

June has been a hectic month for us. A midst all our preparations and sprucing up around our property for our oldest son's wedding to be held here in August, we also managed to squeeze in a trip for the ASGS Symposium that was in Eugene, Oregon. It just so happened to fall on our Anniversary this year, so we were happy to take a break from all the work on the home front, and enjoy the beauty of lush green landscapes, rolling vineyards and breathtaking vistas that Oregon has to offer. We also got to visit family on this trip and went on a beautiful hike in the Cascades with them. The bright blue and crystal clear waters were breathtaking and we couldn't snap enough shots of the beauty surrounding us. What a relaxing and memorable trip, it was so nice to get away for a bit.

When we got home we went right back to business in the Studio, as we were inspired by our trip to Oregon and were eager to get to work on various "recycled" projects. Our relatives wanted us to slump some colorful blue bottles that they will use as spoon rests, or trivets in their kitchen. We also transformed a wine bottle they gave us into a functional hummingbird feeder. Our sister-in-law loves dragonflies, so we slumped and fused some colorful pieces to complete the project. We will continue to create items like these for some outdoor art shows coming up later this summer.

Recycled canning jars can be used as a trivet for your spoons

Recycled wine bottle with glass dragonfly accents is now a hummingbird feeder

Speaking of recycled projects, I wanted to showcase some other items we have created using old sheets of window glass. Our pond light covers were first cut into rectangular shapes, then fused in the kiln with more old glass that had been tumbled in our cement mixer until it took on an etched  and weathered look, like sea glass. These pieces are now lantern covers that accent our pond and give off a nice soft glow in the evenings.

Recycled window glass makes a cute lantern at our pond

Recycled lantern lights giving off a soft glow at twilight

Of course, we have plenty of  tiki torches we recycled from old wine bottles. We have sandblasted designs on them and filled the bottom with small pebbles and then put tiki oil in for a nice effect to enjoy in the back yard during a summer barbecue.

Recycled bottle makes a great tiki torch

Last but not least, the garden stakes below have been my favorite recycled glass project to date. Again, we took old sheets of tinted window glass, cut them down and slumped in the kiln with extra hi-fire shelf primer to give them a textured look. A bonus when we fired in the kiln, is that the dark tint turned a nice light yellow when it cooled down. Then I sandblasted designs on the glass and finished by using glass paint to highlight. These garden stakes will be put to good use in our garden this year. 

Recycled glass turned into garden art

If you just put some imagination into it, "one man's trash" can really turn into "another man's treasure". And in this day and age, it is wise to reuse, recycle. Just like we did with the old fireplace mantel below. We enjoyed working it over to become something else entirely, and serve as a source of  summer entertainment for our backyard  patio. First we stained it, then covered the top in chalkboard paint. While having a cool beverage you can doodle on the surface and play games with chalk. We also added some of our own glass, along with old wine bottles we inserted white lights into, which gave it a lot of character. It's a nice source of entertainment after a long hot day in the studio.

Our recycled patio bar is a fun source of entertainment

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