Unexpected Turn of Events

Some new fused flowers were added to our garden sculpture recently. 

It's the last day of July, and I'm reflecting on the events of the last two months. We slowed down considerably in the Studio towards the middle of the month of June, not because we wanted to, but because we had to. Health problems have caught up with the two of us this year, and ended up putting one of us in the Hospital. We were just wrapping up some big projects around the property in June, along with some glass orders heading to our Local Museum of Idaho, when Russ experienced uncomfortable symptoms related to his heart. Sure enough, when he checked in to the hospital, they told him he was having a heart attack right then and there. So, obviously all things came to a complete stop for a while. All our energies were poured into Russ recovering. The staff at the local hospital were excellent caretakers of my guy for a few days. I am so thankful for their professional care. We were very lucky to catch this issue before it caused more damage. 

It didn't take that Superman of mine long to recover from his health scare. As luck would have it, he got to the hospital in time and only one artery was in need of a stint. He is very fortunate to have come away from that harrowing experience a little more for the wiser, and is learning to take it a little easier these days. We are taking more time to enjoy the summer days, as the big projects are behind us, thankfully.  Relaxing in the mountains became a top priority in July.  Pictured below are some of the pieces that were created back in June before all things came to a stop. 

Glass enamels were the medium for this piece, before the fish is fired in the kiln.

This fused glass piece can be seen at the Museum of Idaho.

Another blown glass sculpture at the Museum.

Taking the time to enjoy a beautiful Idaho Sunset...it's medicine! 

We got away to the Tetons the month of July. Very therapeutic. 

Beautiful babbling Brook.

Enjoying the balloon races at the Tetons in July. 

The Aspen Grove we camped in, might just be inspiration for new Art in the future. 

We also were lucky enough to enjoy the company of all 4 of our sons and their families this month. We took advantage of that opportunity to update long overdue family pictures, and celebrate the birthdays of our 2 youngest granddaughters. What a treat!  

Celebrating 2 of our darling granddaughters

Now we are slowly getting back to "normal" and finishing up a few orders, along with another batch of wildlife heading to Yellowstone Park Stores again. They had such a busy year, they ordered from us twice! (Good thing Russ is on the mend now.)

And finally, yesterday we remembered a very special woman in both our lives. Russ' Mom passed away 4 years ago. She loved butterflies, and wouldn't you know, one landed for us just in time to help us remember the beauty of her soul. One thing life teaches you as you age, slow down and enjoy the simple things, they really seem to help when life gives you unexpected turns and struggles. If you look hard enough, you can see beauty through the pain. 

A beautiful Butterfly landed on our lilies, just in time to help us remember his loving Mom. 

 

May Projects

Wildlife Art created for the Museum of Idaho. The pieces will be available in their gift shop.

The month of May flew by furiously for us (literally and figuratively....that darned Idaho wind!) as we checked off project after project we had been wanting to get done, both in glass works and home improvements. In between large orders of glass wildlife, Russ somehow found the time to also build a new and improved backyard deck. Of course, I was there to help him whenever he needed an extra pair of  hands. (We have been working well together for quite some time now.) I have to say that we are both absolutely tickled with the outcome, and thank our lucky stars he had the foresight to purchase the lumber at the beginning of the year before the prices of lumber skyrocketed. (Some people have not done so well from pandemic-related isolation, but Russ is not one of them. He is checking off project after project, as he is spurred on by views of a well-earned retirement on the horizon.) He had really wanted to get this project done before retiring, and sure enough, he "got 'er done!" in record time.

A lot of material lists and planning went into the substructure and layout of the deck. 

We have already spent many hours outside, enjoying the new and improved deck.

Festive lights really add to the deck's beauty. 

Somehow that man of mine also managed to design and build a "Catio" for our indoor cats in the month of May. All they do is jump through a kitty door that was installed in the screen window, and enjoy hours of  bird watching. A win-win for us, as there are too many predators where we live for these 3 precious ones to roam freely. (Besides, we put too much money into them since we rescued them, for them to just mysteriously disappear, as happens quite often in our neighborhood.) It's only good for the warm months, as we will need to close the window when the cold autumn nights arrive. But, I'm sure they will have had their share of bird watching by then. 

Russ designed and built this fun "Catio" on the side of our home.

 Once again, we breathed a sigh of relief as the Yellowstone Park Store's orders were completed. In between blowing, sculpting and packing up hundreds of wildlife pieces, Etsy orders also rushed out the door. I know we are both ready for a break in the Studio for a bit.

Some of the most popular blown glass wildlife pieces in the Yellowstone Stores.

These pieces are now packed and ready for distribution in the Yellowstone Stores. 

Only one more big outdoor building project to go, and then time to enjoy some weekends with family and camping in the mountains. That's what summer is for, after all. We are also excited to mingle with friends this year, a welcome to normalcy after a year of uncertainty. We hope this Memorial Weekend allows you to begin anew too.  Here's hoping you can also enjoy the summer months ahead. 

September Senses

The Grand Tetons on a September Day.

       

September is a month for all your senses to wake up and take in the change of the seasons. There is so much to behold in the air, earth and landscape around us. I relish the vibrant colors and wonderful, woodsy and earthy smells. We got to re-charge our spirits, from spending time in our favorite National Park this month of September, enjoying the splendor of the Grand Tetons. I have also been enjoying walks off the beaten path with our dogs. Russ came across an owl in a dead tree while walking the dogs near our property. Amazing what you can see when you pay attention to your surroundings. 

September morning walk with the dogs

Gorgeous waterfall at Grand Teton National Park

An owl said hello...Whoooo is he staring down?

I can't get enough of this natural splendor!

Now that we are re-charged, there have been many projects to attend to this September in the Studio. Lots of little miniatures have been created, like the snowy owl pictured below. And our daughter-in-law received some new pieces to add to the Wall Art we gave them as a house-warming gift last year. The whimsical owls finished it off nicely. 

Miniature Snow Owl

A family of Owls accent this fused glass wall art.

    Russ is working on a commission of various mythical creatures for an author. The green dragon is the first endeavor for this commission. 

And I am packaging up a large order of music-themed ornaments for another customer. Here's a kiln full of treble clefs. 

Blown glass treble clef ornaments

We have lots of requests for scuba diver ornaments year round. Especially now, right before the holidays. The fires will be roaring all the way through to the end of the year

Blown Glass Scuba Divers

Well, that's about all I have time for this month. (These rescue kitties seem to be taking up much of my September days. Good thing they have not been introduced to the Glass Studio yet!) 

  

      

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

So Long, Farewell, Goodbye 2016

Well, the end is near folks! To 2016 that is. 😏 What a year! We've had as many highs as we've had lows. I guess that is what you call a full life. We were tested to our limits in so many ways, but we're still here standing on two feet, so that is what I like to focus on. The end of the year is a time for us to reflect back and also look forward. Things happened this year that we could and couldn't control. No matter how hard we tried, some things just weren't meant to be, or we couldn't quite get right. As is said, "That's the way the cookie crumbles", "the ball bounces", "the way the wind blows," etc. We got through a lot of tough issues and experiences, but have much to be happy about too, as this was the busiest and most productive year to date in our Studio.

Merry Christmas Ornament

December was a busy month right up until the end. Filling orders, packaging them securely, and shipping them out in all types of weather, including intense snowstorms, were a priority. Tree ornaments were in highest demand. We used enamel decals on a variety of glass ornaments this year. We tried to have a wide selection of blown ball ornaments ready to go for this festive season.

A variety of commissioned glass fly ties

Specialty gifts were commissioned as well, like the glass fly ties on Manzanita wood pictured above, and blown ball ornaments with a sports theme, pictured below.

Commissioned Oregon Duck themed blown glass ornaments

Our enamel decals also added a festive look to our slumped bottles and fused kiln ornaments.

Slumped bottles for Holiday trivets, and Fused Santa Ornaments

Russ went above and beyond this month, behind the torches. We went through many tanks of oxygen and propane as we both did our part and worked to fill order after order. We actually had to shut down the business for a bit to enjoy the birth of our 4th grandchild and first granddaughter mid December.

Our tireless Master Blaster, blowing glass until just about the last minute of the year

 One of the last orders to go out the door before we shut down for the year was the commissioned piece below, "Rabbits in the Garden".

Bunnies in the garden

 We were more than relieved when we could shut everything down in the Studio and just sit back and enjoy our kids and grand kids for the rest of the holiday season.

We were lucky to have everyone home for Christmas this year and enjoyed the company of our grown kids and grand kids. We don't take these precious moments for granted. Time spent with family is a gift in itself.

Our family continues to grow

 Russ and I have also grown to appreciate all that is offered to us from Nature's bounty, at our place of residence. The highlight of Christmas day was witnessing the mighty Buck pictured below, standing majestically on the front part of our property. It was as if he was giving us a simple but noble gift of his majesty. Simple gifts seem to be the most symbolic, like the gift of the little child wrapped in swaddling clothes thousands of years ago. Simplistic beauty is holy in many forms. For me, this gift from Nature was the height of the Christmas season this year. 

A majestic Buck on our property, Christmas Day

I hope that in the new year we can continue to strive for that kind of peace of mind and tranquility as we face new challenges in the coming year, both in our personal and professional lives. It is easy to lose sight of what matters, in this often turbulent world we live in. The new year always brings a fresh perspective, and we are hopeful we can continue to create new artistic beauty through new glass pieces and commissions. We want to wish our loyal customers the very best in the new year, and hope to welcome many new clients as well.  We are beyond thankful for all of you who continue to show us your support and business, throughout our many years of working with this wonderful medium of glass art. 

'Tis the Season

Slumped and Fused Art

Lately I've got a bad habit of waiting 'til the last possible moment to write my monthly blog, through no fault of my own. Hectic doesn't begin to accurately describe what this month has been like for us in the Studio. First we had to prepare new art pieces to participate in a local art show, then create custom commissions for clients, then stock and restock all our ornaments that we are shipping through our Etsy storefront. Not to mention create custom blown ball ornaments for clients both local and across the country. I'm getting that stress knot in my stomach that tends to inflame around this time of the year. I suppose I need to focus on the end results, which is, that we are constantly validated these days both in the art world, and our home grown business. Makes it easier to lose sleep over I suppose. 

Our large Ornament rack holds lots of unique ornaments.

Set up for a local art show in November

We created a fun fused coaster set out of different hues and shades of red.

Red glass fused coasters

Bigger and more unique wildlife pieces were sculpted in the lamp working flames, like the pieces shown below.

Blown glass Owl on Manzanita Burlwood

A crystal clear trout making a glass splash out of the water

Blown glass Moose in Cattails

Sandblasted Mountain Goat on a glass rock ledge

While our Wildlife scenes are always popular, Russ went outside his comfort zone with soft glass, and spent hours and hours creating the Aspen scene below. A nice, thick piece was created by added layer after layer of various colors. The real Aspen log set it off perfectly.  Definitely one of the more intense pieces created to date.

Slumped and Fused Aspen Art Work

A real piece of Aspen bark was also used to help create a mold for the unique slumped and fused piece below. A light adds a soft touch to it.

Another unique glass Aspen piece

Russ was really pushed to his creative limits on the piece below. A client wanted a type of Salvidor Dali inspired piece of art work. This piece really moved me, almost to tears, as he described his inspiration behind it. Hours and hours of intense kiln time and flame working time were spent on it. Both ourselves and our client were extremely pleased with the outcome. 

This piece has many interpretations and levels to it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Another couple of unique projects are wrapping up this month, as two different clients wanted us to create their logos on the inside of their custom blown balls. Inserting the logo inside the ornament gives it a kind of floating-in-air impression. Lots of time and effort is being spent to get it to look just right. Hoping they are both happy with the outcome. 

Custom made blown ball ornaments

And of course, what would this time of year be like without our trusty source of income, affordable Christmas ornaments. These happy snowmen are just about to be fired in the kiln.

Slumped and Fused Glass Snowman Ornaments

Now if you will excuse me, I've got to rush to the Post Office to ship yet another car load of glass goodies. I need 4 sets of hands to get it all done!

Many packages waiting to be shipped out all across the country.