Check this out: heat-sensitive glass tile. I may be the last person in the world to hear about it. Mom sent over a newsclipping and I investigated a bit. The tile changes color according to temperature, so if it's in your shower you'll supposedly get a continuously changing rainbow while you scrub. The site's kinda info-poor and they don't really [...]
Castuary (that period of anxious waiting while your kiln processes your glass castings) was over last night, and I opened the molds to–as usual–a mix of Christmas and nightmare. Well, maybe not nightmare. Probably more like one of those twitchy, uneasy dreams where you step up to the podium to accept your award and things would be perfect if you’d [...]
As much as I love geeking out over gadgets, there are days when I long for pencil, tin can and string. Days like today. I’ve had Verizon FiOS, their high-speed fiberoptic network, for 14 months now. I know this because last night it died (or rather, the wireless router they supplied me with died) and Verizon said it was out [...]
Live in the Northwestern US, particularly in Oregon? Glassist of any description? You probably oughta be in the Oregon Glass Guild, OGG. Nice organization of really nice folk, have interesting meetings and occasional group discounts on cool stuff. They're helping me coordinate volunteers for the 2008 Glass Art Society's international glass conference, GAS, which will be held in Portland, OR. [...]
So it's back to Castuary, that odd period where life revolves around the kiln, or more specifically, around the molds I'm casting in the kiln. The process of casting glass kinda reminds me of bringing kids in from recess: Controlled chaos that eventually--hopefully--marches exactly to where you want it. Glass casting is a gazillion tasks all culminating in Castuary and [...]
Hypothesis: A glass framework stabilizes a tack-fused stringer construction, requiring fewer stringers (and likely fewer firings). Background: I'm having a fair amount of success with tack-fused stringer projects that build on a glass support structure. Since the support framework is tedious to construct, I'm wondering if it's really contributing enough to be worth doing. Test: Make a stringer vessel without [...]
This post was originally published on my old blog in 2008. I thought it deserved a replay. It’s also inspired me to go find the sample piece I’m showing here, one of my hosta bowl series, and see if I can’t finally finish the thing. I’m not a great fan of the waxes used in lost wax casting, mostly for the [...]
Apologies for the lack of posts lately; working silly-long hours at my day job at the moment (never have multiple clients in a crisis simultaneously) and also determined to stick to my "at least 20 hours/week" on my glass work. At the moment I'm rediscovering my INability to add another six hours to the day, and thinking that sleep is [...]
Fast keystone project with some interesting aspects. This is LotusBowl, and it can be made in a single firing, although for finishing's sake I did it in two. I didn't have a heckuva lotta luck with Mom's Christmas present this year. The first, a pate de verre project, had a color change I didn't care for. I decided instead to [...]
In keeping with the holiday season (and with apologies to Clement Moore): ‘Twas the night before Christmas and out in my shop I cast, fused and ground ’til I thought I would drop. Glass vessels, glass sculptures, glass plates and wall hangings Glass pendants, glass earrings: Glass orders, outstanding. “Deliver tonight!” I cried, feeling blue; “Or I’ll never get paid [...]
