First…..take some small pieces and experiment with it…..and learn to have fun with it! I will be doing a talk during the NOVEMBER general meeting to give people some more insight into dichro and many fun ways to use it and some tips on what works – and what doesn’t, but here are a few ideas to start with:
Acid etching is a very quick simple way to make unique designs and also to personalize something. My basic go-to acid is Amour Etch from Michael’s. I’d suggest using a coupon to purchase it…. but it goes a long way and lasts a very long time!

I do not use gloves to protect my skin….but you might prefer to. (it does burn if you have a cut). For these examples I am using some of my dichoic glass coated on smooth machine rolled thin Uroboros glass…from Spirit of Glass, who is one of our sponsors. Dichro is a very thin metallic coating…..different metals create the different colors. Most colors on this glass etch quickly…in 30-45 seconds, but you should test each color dichro you use…it can sometimes take much longer.

If the coating is on black glass, because the background is DARK…the color will appear more brilliant. On clear glass…. the reflected color is what you usually see in a finished piece. If you can hold it up to light….the opposite color on a color wheel shows (transmitted light), so sometimes you can use this color change to your advantage in a piece of art or jewelry. ALSO…very important….. dichroic coatings not only change color when you look at them at an angle…..but they ACTUALLY change when they are FIRED! If you look at a piece of unfired dichro at about a 45 degree angle (with dichro on clear it is easier to see with black paper behind it) THAT is the color it will FIRE to…(and when that fired color is looked at straight on)…and then that fired piece will also change color at an angle.

Acid etching is very quick and easy! Tape , decals and contact papers can also be cut or punched to use a s a resist (anything that protects the dichro from the acid). You don’t have to be a great artist.…..just make some fun patterns and even layer the different dichro sheets for even more interesting pieces!

Using Amour Etch….a simple SHARPIE pen will work as a resist so you can draw or write something special and have it show up in the dichro! This ink is thin of course…so if you wipe off the acid too soon you must rewrite over the sharpie before etching again. If you can find decals with the correct size letters….that works really well too and protects the dichro more than the Sharpie. I find a small soft toothbrush really works well to remove the acid quickly and gently, under running water .

These ideas can be used to add a little sparkle to almost any project. Add a name…write a thought…… make some accent parts for a larger piece…..an added touch to a plate, add some sparkle at the center of a flower. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Also, with the dichro on clear….the dichro can be fired either up or down which also gives you some variations in the finished look.

(Greta will be presenting this method via Zoom at the November 14th General meeting on Holiday Ideas)

EXAMPLES SHOWN IN PHOTOS:

When I was asked to write down a few thoughts on what being a member of the PNW glass guild and formally the Oregon glass guild has been for me, many things came to mind. I joined the OR glass guild in 2004-05 after just having taken my first stained glass class and jewelry fusing class. I was welcomed in and felt right at home. I was aware of my lack of knowledge but soon found out how generous people were with giving information to help me learn. I took classes often subsidized by the guild and learned more. I joined Committees and learned more techniques and people to form lasting friendships. I also learned it is ok to have” failures” and then learn how to turn them around to be wonderful pieces. This is a great organization to belong to and get involved in. Covid has not stopped us from getting a new website, planning meetings on line, have playdates on line so the learning can continue, planning contests, and open studio tours for those comfortable to do so.

I joined the Glass Guild about 10 years ago and have been the Sponsorship Director for nearly that entire time. From early on, I decided that I would attend the Board meetings as well as the general meetings that were held each month so I could see the organization from the inside out. We hadn’t had a Sponsorship Director for several years and I thought this was an area I could help out with. As Sponsorship Director, I not only brought in new sponsors, but I lead the team who did the Vendor Fair as well. Additionally, I was also on the planning committee. There were around 8 of us who got together and tossed around ideas for the general meetings. Once we decided on a few topics for several monthly meetings, someone would volunteer to contact the Sponsor, potential Sponsor or member to see if they were interested in presenting to the group. Well, I have to say they nearly always said yes and this made for very interesting general meetings. I was fortunate to be able to attend a Guild sponsored class where I gained so much knowledge about particular technique from an expert.

I volunteered 3 years ago to be treasurer of the Oregon Glass Guild (back then) because I got a call from the nomination committee asking if I would consider it as they really needed someone to help with that job and since I had helped with the Gathering of the Guild, someone thought I might be good as treasurer. It has been a lot of work but also an honor to help the Board make sure the guild is financially solvent, that all our bills are paid, and to help develop innovations for the guild and find a way to pay for them. Along the way, I have also learned how to do electronic banking, do business with a bank, maintain accounts in Quicken, and deal with the state and the federal government on taxes, and also on thorny issues like when we changed the name of the guild. It has been a challenge but also a great lesson in business and financial management.

Thanks, Lesley Kelly

Glass caught me long ago. After years spent running a computer training business and all the different hats that entails, I sold the business in
2004 to try selling my glasswork and classes full time. Being old enough now for Social Security means I finally have time to explore glass without having to worry about making things that will sell but also means that my body can’t take traveling to do art shows and give classes anywhere but in my home studio. It’s time to give back to the community in other ways. Why am I volunteering with the Guild? Glass keeps my brain working and makes my heart happy. I like talking glass with other artists exploring the medium. And I don’t want to have to buy my glass by mail order. This means keeping the local shops from closing, which means helping them and their customers sell glass. So I started a glass promoting newsletter and website, FriendsInGlass.org, which I’m now merging into the Guild.

Making art is solitary. Volunteering with the Guild adds a more social component. I’ve made over a dozen new glass-friends on Zoom that I’ve never met in person. The Guild also means everyone doesn’t have to re-invent the wheel themselves: we can help each other learn everything from new glass techniques to computer-marketing stuff to sales insights.

What I’m doing for the Guild?
Web-help: learning how to use the new website and in turn helping others learn to use it. The new website is a great tool for tying the region’s glass community together. I’m also contributing to the Newsletter to help make the news more regional. What’s happening 3 hours away may be interesting enough to get a fellow glass artist to come see. Or you may discover there’s someone doing glass just a few blocks over. I’d love to have company on the web-help team. Can you spare about an hour a week?
Do you want to become more computer proficient, enjoy teaching and helping solve problems all while picking up interesting glass tidbits and talking to other glass enthusiasts? Let me know

Thanks, Karen Seymour

My first position was as Vice President of the Oregon Glass Guild for the State Organization. I was helping the President at the time. I helped to organize and coordinate meetings. I met people from the Guild and enjoyed connecting.
Second position was Vice President of the Portland Chapter and also Play Day and Events Coordinator—I felt committed to keeping the organization afloat and liked asking people to have play days.
Third position was membership—it was difficult keeping track of the new members. I took the position over from someone else who had not been trained in how to do the membership tasks. I feel good that we increased membership substantially over the last year. I like working with the Board Members and getting to know them well. I also helped with the website by reviewing changes and staying in touch with our website designer. I like problem solving.

Thanks, Margie Rieff

I was raised in a family that volunteered in our communities. We served meals at church, cooked pancakes at events and worked fund raisers together. In school I joined many clubs and groups that also volunteered. It became a habit and my whole family participated and felt it was our community responsibility. As I went through college and joined work environments this habit of service also continued. I still have close friend from my lifetime of volunteer projects. Groups and organizations help you meet and experience a diversity of backgrounds and culture. You can’t help[ but expand and grow. Building relationships may not be easy for some people, but when uniting around a project or an event, it can make it so much easier! Organization will also gain from the input of diverse members and new energy and ideas. I volunteer because it’s in my DNA and the Guild needs it to continue to thrive.

Thanks, Carlyne Lynch

Refract, the area’s huge annual glass celebration will again be partly on-line and partly in-person for this its 3rd year. About 50 venues at last count. See RefractSeattle.org for the whole exciting list. Here’s a printable unofficial draft schedule so you can see the extent. The Guild is sponsoring one of the events, the GlassAndDecor.com studio tour, which features several of our members (see related article)

Other speakers include:

• Lael Bennett
• Kathy Johnson
• Karen Seymour
• Stephanie Johnston
• Rosalind Cooper

Both Guild picnics this year had great weather: