Black Friday

The bombardment of commercialism is here once again as Black Friday has arrived. And while we are also in the business of selling our art work to the Public, we choose to go about this "black" day differently. We settle in the Studio and light up the torches and kilns, while avoiding the crowds and madness that ensues with this hyped up event at the big box stores. You know, it just doesn't do it for us, fighting the crowds to save a buck or two. Never understood the hype, and never want to. Instead, we prefer intimate settings for the holidays. Such as the annual tradition we have of opening our Studio to the Public the first weekend in December. Customers can come and browse around, while watching us at work behind the torches, and enjoy some holiday treats and hot cider and cocoa. It just seems to go with the flow and the Spirit of the Season, and we like to keep it that way.

We wanted to give an update of our latest pieces we've created, and continue to create, as sort of a preview of what you'll find in our Studio next weekend. Below are some samples for your viewing pleasure.

This glass floral wall art has a lot of movement to it

We came up with the above piece for our third son's home, as a show of appreciation for helping us with our website and graphic design work. The matching decorative plate below was fused and slumped to match this unique glass wall art.

A matching fused decorative plate to match the wall art

Below are a couple of new colorful slumped and fused plates we've been working on. We're excited about these new colors. 

A colorful gradient slumped and fused creation

A flowing plate has lots of layers to it

And we still have a lot to get done in time for the Open House next weekend, but we enjoy the thought of thinking of our studio as kind of a Santa's workshop. Busy little elves are working hard at this moment, to make sure someone on your Christmas list has a unique gift or piece of art work that will make their holiday all the more special. Come by and see us next weekend if you have the time.

Working on another piece of original wall art

Blown glass preparations or our Open House

Fused, engraved and sandblasted bottles need some finishing touches before our Open House

May Day Home Interiors

Thanks for taking a look at our May blog. We are emphasizing Home Interiors Glass Art Decor and Mother's Day gift ideas in this edition. Let us know if we can help you with a design for your living space, or a special gift. Read on for inspiration:

On this first day of May, Mother Nature surprised us yet again with another blanket of snow. Having lived quite some time in this region of the Rocky Mountains, nothing really surprises me anymore weather-wise. I know by this afternoon it will all melt away and the Spring flowers will pick up where they dropped off in April and burst out of the ground in an array of  vibrant colors. I just have to be patient and know the Spring flowers will come. Remember the old adage "April Showers Bring May Flowers"?  It especially rings true for our high desert/mountain climate. 

Slumped glass scene adorns this table in my front sitting room

Another special day in May that hopefully involves more flowers than snow, is right around the corner. Mother's Day, May 12th is the day that mothers from all walks of life are honored for their role in raising and bringing up the children of our future. That really is an overwhelming responsibility when you stop and think about it, shaping children into the leaders of tomorrow. Teaching them integrity and ethics, instilling in them a love and compassion for others, involvement in their educations, dealing with special needs children, and the list goes on and on for those who have taken on the responsibility of Motherhood.

So I suppose that is why a very wise person long ago created this one day a year honoring all Mothers, for their endless hours of  selfless works on behalf of their families. Children of all ages bring sentimental gifts as tokens of appreciation for their mothers.  And whether it be a bouquet of fresh cut dandelions from a three year old, a homemade card made with crayons from an eight-year old, or a teenager offering to do her chores for a week, every mother treasures the one day her many hours and labors of love are noticed by those closest to her.

 For those yearning to give a gift out of the ordinary to their mother or wife, we may have a solution for you.  Our glass business  provides a variety of gifts that would have a sentimental value to a Mother. After all, most mother's love a "handmade" gift made with them in mind. And all of our glass is hand-crafted.

So in this blog I decided to showcase some of our glass art that graces my own home's walls. They may also serve to spark your own unique idea for a Mother's Day glass gift.  When a home is filled with beautiful works of art, a Mother has found her Zen.  And as the saying goes, "When Mama's happy, everyone's happy". At least that is true for this particular Mother of four.

The following pictures show how I have incorporated our glass into various rooms in our home. Maybe you will see something that will spark your interest for a future gift for your dear Mother.  Or maybe you will think of a new piece of wall art for your own home's interiors.  Whatever you can imagine, we would love to help it become reality.

Slumped glass grape clusters in entryway were created for a Tuscan look

A slumped and fused vase displays nicely on my sitting room shelf

Lit basket of blown balls are a fun addition to the front sitting room

Blue and violet blown balls enhance our book shelf

Fruit chimes hang in the corner of my kitchen

Glass coasters on my kitchen shelf with a grape design

Slumped, engraved wine bottle on my kitchen wall

Slumped glass "Bon Appetit" tray on my kitchen counter

A unique slumped float glass sculpture with a candle on my bedroom dresser

Woodland glass flowers entwined around vinyl lettering in bedroom

Closeup shot of bedroom glass wall art

Pink Blown glass floral art adorns my master bath

Unique slumped and fused glass candle holders

Close up shot of glass candle holder

 

    Blown glass red rose arrangement in master bath

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