cynthia

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So far cynthia has created 604 blog entries.
28 11, 2006

Sam Donaldson’s mascara is running

2016-05-16T01:03:55-07:00

My first trip to the White House as a reporter was not exactly an unqualified success. For one thing, I hadn't been in Washington DC long enough to really acquire the jaded affect of the rest of the DC press corps and I stuck out like a sore thumb. For another, I wasn't exactly in the DC press corps--I was a PC reviewer for a newspaper about public sector computing, Government Computer News. My interest in the White House was usually limited to presidential use of Macs and PCs. Clinton and Monica Lewinsky would never appear on my radar...unless Clinton used an optical mouse instead of a cigar.

Sam Donaldson’s mascara is running2016-05-16T01:03:55-07:00
23 11, 2006

Steerage

2023-05-09T12:39:26-07:00

Had lunch with a friend this week, and found out she grew up on a farm in eastern Oregon, ran a combine, etc. We had a lot of fun comparing experiences--I didn't grow up on a farm, far from it, but I grew up in Fresno, California, the agricultural center of the universe. And Fresno's where I learned one crucial ag rule: Never try to kill a steer with your eyes closed.

Steerage2023-05-09T12:39:26-07:00
21 11, 2006

The last of the ring mottles

2016-05-15T15:17:40-07:00

A ring mottle is not some wierd kind of pigeon. It's a type of patterned colored glass used by some of the best-known stained glass artisans in history, i.e., Tiffany, LaFarge, etc. (I believe Tiffany's studio invented ring mottle, but don't quote me.) The ring mottles are gorgeous when you see them in person but I don't think they photograph [...]

The last of the ring mottles2016-05-15T15:17:40-07:00
18 11, 2006

Mom’s making her own glass

2016-11-06T05:43:54-08:00

Held an informal workshop in my studio a few weeks ago--enjoyed it very much and my "students" appeared to get a kick out of it as well--and Mom suggested that she would like to do some glasswork, too. She's a terrific ceramic artist; some of the pieces she's thrown for my birthday/Christmas gifts are among the favorites in my collection. Ceramic artists have a pretty ingrained understanding of the effects of heatwork, and we've often discussed the differences between ceramics and glass in that respect, so I figured she'd take to it. She did, like a duck to water.

Mom’s making her own glass2016-11-06T05:43:54-08:00
10 11, 2006

Wordplaydough

2017-10-07T18:39:00-07:00

Note to all who call a spade an individualized excavatory device: Stop it. Of course, if they really stopped, I’d be on welfare. Finding the right words has paid the mortgage for many years. Still, there are times I wish that people wouldn't assume that originality and confusing the hell out of the customer are the same thing. I mention [...]

Wordplaydough2017-10-07T18:39:00-07:00
3 11, 2006

Yes, your honor, that’s the truth. I swear.

2017-10-07T18:31:47-07:00

Do you ever wish there were some kind of absolute truth machine? One where you feed the words into the hopper at one end and at the other end a bell dings and a screen pops up saying "Yup, it's true," or "Absolute, total BS. Ignore it." I sure do. It would save so much time. When I was in [...]

Yes, your honor, that’s the truth. I swear.2017-10-07T18:31:47-07:00
31 10, 2006

Dead chickens and Bernoulli drives

2016-05-15T14:54:50-07:00

It’s Halloween and we all have our ghost stories to tell, right? Here’s mine. A long time ago, I managed networks and BBSes (a kind of early online community) for a research group in our local agricultural college. Our charter was to persuade farmers, agriculture teachers and the ag industry in general to use the computer to gain competitive advantage over the rest of the world.

Dead chickens and Bernoulli drives2016-05-15T14:54:50-07:00
20 10, 2006

Studio tour

2016-05-14T22:13:09-07:00

One problem with being addicted to creating glass art is that it's not exactly a compact hobby. Coldworking equipment (grinders, laps, rociprolaps, saws, etc) take up considerable space and create a lot of mess, kilns also require some space, and you need somewhere to store extra sheet and frit glass, molds, mold-making materials and supplies, kiln furniture, tubs of abrasive [...]

Studio tour2016-05-14T22:13:09-07:00
15 10, 2006

Watercolors

2017-10-07T18:12:02-07:00

Took a casting class and in the course of it one of the other students, a gifted metal and jewelry-maker named Carla Fox, started experimenting with tinted frits. When I saw the results I was hooked. Frit tinting is essentially mixing small amounts of deeply colored glass powder (normally opal, i.e., opaque, glass) with crushed clear or neutral-colored base glass. [...]

Watercolors2017-10-07T18:12:02-07:00
15 10, 2006

Five-finger exercise

2016-05-15T13:18:21-07:00

Just got out of Kirstie Rea's class, where we discussed how the medium influences the art, i.e., since glass has transparency, transparency becomes a significant part of the work. It's one of those "duh" statements that seem obvious on the face of it, but have a much deeper meaning when you think on it awhile. Nowhere, however, did we discuss [...]

Five-finger exercise2016-05-15T13:18:21-07:00
Copyright © 2024 Cynthia Morgan | All Rights Reserved
No part of this website may be copied, borrowed, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the author (me).

Or, to put it in plain English, folks: Ask first. This blog is first and foremost a personal journal, a chronicle of my work with a fairly difficult technical medium. I'm happy (thrilled, even) to share what I know, and I'll help you with your own journey all I can... as long as you respect my groundrules.

I don't sell ads, products or services, and unless disclosed I buy all products/services mentioned in this blog, with my own money. I don't claim to have invented processes, tools, new artforms, or techniques (unless I specifically say so). HOWEVER, my writing and art (and any errors of fact or fiction) are my very own, original work. Don't blame anyone but me if I get it wrong.
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