OK, you gotta follow me a bit here. Anybody ever catch an episode of Lost in Space, the scifi-with-a-moral TV show of my childhood? Not the movie, the TV show! No? OK, try this: “DANGER, WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!!” Got it now? Good. Now…remember the daughter? […]
It's been a swamped (and sometimes harrowing) last few weeks, lots to do, lots to think about. In the midst of everything, I had the great good fortune to be asked for casting advice by a well-known sculptor. This lady works--beautifully and very successfully--in ceramics. Now, though, at least part of her current project must be cast in amber-colored crystal [...]
Warning: VERY long post. Only read this if you're interested in pate de verre, because this is the length of a small book... Couple years ago a lovely artist named Cynthia (not me...Cynthia Oliver), organized a virtual artshow of warmglass artist self-portraits. It was a great deal of fun, and after seesawing back and forth on what to do, I did [...]
Those of you who cast glass know that one thing casting ISN’T, is good for your hands. Between plaster, investments, clay, coldworking, etc., casting is just about the worst thing you can do to a good set of digits. I’ve spent a small fortune on lotions and emolliments designed to bring my chapped, cracked, and generally gruddley hands back to [...]
Local site (review) Location: Downtown/Chinatown (Pearl) Price to fill up two people for dinner: About $30 The signs outside (and in) said “Best dim sum in Portland.” The waitress, however, seemed puzzled. “You want dim sum?” Yes, we said firmly. Dim sum. She shook her head, went back to the kitchen (which, for some reason, was loaded with boxes of [...]
Our dinner came with a whole squab, split between the two of us, and they scrupulously made sure that we each got half..of the head. Website Area: Far east-side, I84 and Division Price for two to fill up: $98 this time, but more usually about $50 A great Chinese seafood restaurant in Portland? That’s something I thought I left behind [...]
As I'm sitting here digging investment out of tiny little nooks and crannies in my latest glass casting, I'm suddenly struck by the immense number of glass casters whose work runs to sensuously smooth, unadorned imagery. Do you suppose that's because, unlike me, they're smart enough to realize what happens when you put lots of @#$)*^#@%! tiny detail in a [...]
WARNING: FERVENT SALES PITCH AHEAD NON-GLASSISTS SKIP THIS POST GLASSISTS, LISTEN UP!!! Fellow glassists, by clicking on a single link (and having 12 hours of fun), you can save up to $145. When was the last time ANYone connected with glass ever SAVED you money? You can thank me now–I’m part of the volunteer coordination team for GAS 2008, and [...]
Kilnful of molds came out of the kiln yesterday morning and I’m a happy camper who can check off one more promise to herself: I’m getting serious about this glass stuff. Part of being serious is, I guess, learning when it’s OK to compromise and when it’s not. SHOUT (detail above) also came out of the kiln but only 85% [...]
Yuki Japanese Restaurant website Area: West-side downtown, 23rd street Price to fill up two people: About $40 I'm not sure anything is going to top Sushi Takahashi for price, but in terms of taste, this little Japanese restaurant on 23rd between Lovejoy and Johnson definitely meets it. They served some of the best toro (fatty tuna) sashimi I've had in [...]
