Universal Understanding

Earlier this summer I had an "Ah-ha" moment while on a morning stroll with our furry companions. I was hoping we could enter a new piece of art work into our State Fair this year, and put on my creative thinking cap while briskly walking the dogs. My better half and partner has always had a fascination with anything regarding Space, the "final frontier," and an idea started formulating in my mind of how he could combine his love of glass with his love of the Universe. I hurried home and described in detail what my vision was to him. (This happens quite often, when formulating new ideas for pieces of art, with us both bouncing ideas off of each other.) He immediately began the research involved to take on such a project, and decided slumped and fused pieces were the way to go for the Universal effect that we  were collectively tuned into. 

Countless hours and kiln firings later, our solar system was complete and ready to be put into orbit, along with distant galaxies. Below is the final result of the piece that will be on display at the State Fair the first week in September. It is quite a large piece measuring 36" x 48", and has a 3D effect, with the planets set on standoffs at different heights. Many hours were put into getting the planetary detail put together in a way that was originally envisioned .  We are interested to see what the general public thinks of this particular piece of slumped and fused glass art. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by the Eastern Idaho State Fair and take a peak at it, and let us know what you think.

Our solar system is included in this piece titled "Universal Understanding"

Below are some other projects worked on during the months of July and August as well. We have been experimenting with some unique shapes and fun designs of slumped and fused clocks as well. 

Slumped and Fused Wall Clock

Slumped and Fused Standing Clock

There were also a few more western themed and wildlife, nature pieces created. We can't seem to stock our Etsy store with enough hummingbirds, before they "fly" off the shelf! 

Hummingbirds with flowers are a top seller

Pair of wolves on the hunt

Blown glass bucking bronco ornament

And finally, we're currently working on a large order for some float glass Christmas trees. Yes, I'm sorry to say, it's already time to start thinking of the holidays, especially in our line of work. We will be spending a good amount of time in the Studio restocking our shelves with a wide variety of ornaments, so stay tuned for ideas for unique gift giving for the not-too-distant future.

Preparing scalloped and engraved float glass Christmas tree ornaments

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.

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

May Flowers

Flower pots for the backyard patio

A floral arrangement by the pond

 I've been outside quite a bit this month, planting all the May flowers around the yard. The punches of color were just what the yard needed to come alive again, after a long windy Spring. Gardening has become a passion of ours since moving here, and we really enjoy digging in the dirt every Spring. This year we are taking extra special care to plant, as the final Lewis wedding will take place in our own back yard in August. We hope the added colors will give a nice touch to this special occasion.

Hanging  Blown Glass Hummingbird and flower

We like to create a variety of glass flowers in the Studio too, along with hummingbirds, butterflies, and dragonflies. I took a few quick snapshots of some of the items already on display in the shop. Maybe they will spark some interest in a unique piece of your very own. We have made a wide variety of glass floral arrangements, and would be happy to create something that fits your own individual taste. Keep us in mind for a special gift of  glass floral art. They work great for any occasion. Now I'd better get back to gardening, there is still much to be planted. Until next time...

Slumped vase with blown glass flowers and dragonflies wall art

Fused Vase, Blown Glass Calla lilies, Hummingbirds Wall Art

Recycled bottles cut into glasses, engraved floral pattern added

March Madness

The howling winds of March are here. This is what we Idahoans call "March Madness". They are relentless this time of year, wears a person out just listening to them. Even inside the studio I can't escape the high pressure waves of endless and excessive wind gusts. Spring is rarely pretty up here, and slow to produce any blooming bulbs like daffodils or tulips. Jealously I'm aware they are already popping up in lower, less hostile environments, unlike our high mountain desert. 

So we have no choice but to improvise from our desire for a lovely windless Spring day full of flowers blooming and birds chirping. We create our own "Spring" lamp working glass scenes like the one below. Of course you can get a lot done in the Studio when the winds keep you from tooling around in the garden and yard. We have been working on a number of projects this month to keep our minds off the howling winds outside.

Daffodils and butterflies created for a customer

Below are two donations we made for the Snake River Animal Shelter's Fundraiser to be held at the end of the month. They are raising funds to build a brand new shelter for our town, and we are happy to help donate to their cause.

Scalloped and Engraved Float Glass Incorporated with Blown Glass

Last month we showcased the Papa Murphy's heart shaped glass pizza award. Lucky for us, they enjoyed the finished piece so much, that they place another order for more. We should have this large order complete some time in April. This takes a huge amount of kiln time, as there are so many layers and lots of cutting, crushing, and sawing parts to complete the pizzas. 

Many pieces of glass are needed to create a life size version of a pepperoni pizza

Every piece has to fit exactly right and fire in the kiln correctly or it could spell a recipe for disaster, and the process starts all over again.

Fitting on Pepperonis  before firing in the kiln

Thank goodness we invested in this Cutter's Mate, it has helped ease the process of cutting so many pieces of glass to a precise dimension.

Cutting out parts with our Cutter's Mate

Hopefully by the time we complete the above project, the winds will have died down and we can get to the business of planting bulbs, listening to birds chirping, and enjoy the rebirth of Spring in our gardens. Meanwhile, we'll just stay out of the volatile weather and create our own Spring renditions inside our warm Studio.

Blown glass hummingbirds and flowers created at the torch