Lani of Bullseye posted a short on how the company uses cryogenics and vaporizers to cut their natural gas use. I had to chuckle because I have fond memories of that equipment. You see, when those vaporizers were installed I was sitting about 20 feet away, taking a class from Catharine Newell. That class was hitting my brain like a 10-pound [...]
I know I said that I was off writing about glass projects for awhile (seeing as how I'm revamping the studio and swamped with dayjob stuff), but I just noticed that seven of the last eight posts were about restaurants. While that speaks well for my social life (I suppose), it does seem a bit lopsided. So, while I'm getting [...]
Hmmmm. I think the glass me looks a lot less harried. Whenever this blog stops being about glass for awhile, one or two people will drop me a line about it. Gee, it’s nice that you folks notice. (Thanks!) This morning, for example, I received a gentle prod about the lack of glassist posts. “Loved the thing about the self-portrait, but what [...]
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 [...]
