2021: November Issue

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PNWglassguild.org

Holiday Gathering from Rae Williamson

Upcoming events: pnwglassguild.org/events/

(Bolded events are Guild sponsored)

November

20 Puget Sound Artists’ Gift Show, Edmonds WA
20-21 Wild Arts (Audubon), Portland OR

26 Happy Thanksgiving!

Heads up: Registration started Nov. 15th for the Glass Art Society’s Annual Conference May 18-21, 2022 in Tacoma, WA. This huge event happens in a different city every year. GAS is celebrating its 50th year in 2022 and the conference is on our doorstep. Go and see glass from all over the world.

December
4-5 Phinney Winter Festival, Seattle WA
12 Guild Holiday Party via Zoom

January
(TBD) Guild Board Meeting via Zoom


Contents

Featured Artists: Fred Buxton, Charlene Fort

Holiday Ideas

Guild Holiday Party

President’s Message

PNWGG Board of Directors

Welcome to the New 2022 Board Members

Guild Notes

Exploring Member Benefits Part Two

Regional Glass Events, past & future

Featured Sponsor—Pacific Art Glass

Thanks to All Our Sponsors

Read the whole issue on the website:
https://www.pnwglassguild.org/article-cat/issue-2021-11/

(If you’ve just clicked the link and are seeing this page again, scroll down)

Featured Artist Fred Buxton, Keyport , WA

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Fred in his studio.

I am a native of Washington State, living most of my life on the Kitsap Peninsula, just a ferry ride from Seattle. I was raised in a family of highly creative people and dabbled in various mediums including pottery, sketching, painting, and metal work. Art has always been part of the fabric of my life, but I never really considered myself an artist (sound familiar?). When I retired in 2011, I had intentions of becoming a metal sculptor, but found it to be too much like the work I had done early in my career in the Shipyards.

I have been fascinated with fused glass since the early 1980’s when I met a couple of glass artists during a local studio tour. In 2014, I was introduced to a local glass artist who needed display stands fabricated. Being a welder, I worked out a deal to make stands in trade for lessons. I immediately fell in love with kiln formed glass and knew I had found my medium for artistic expression. After working out of a cramped corner of my garage for two years, I built a studio and began offering basic fusing classes. In 2019, I joined Loraine Wolff at Waterfront
Glass Studio where I currently create and teach.

I feeI indebted to many people in the glass community who have shared their knowledge and
experience. I have been inspired by and taken classes from some of the best artists in the field
including Michael Dupille, Ann Cavanaugh, and Donna Sarafis.

I believe as artists, we should
always be learning and growing. Next on my list to take classes from are Miriam DeFiore, Paul
Messink, and Linda Humphrey.

Although I love trying almost anything that can be done with glass in a kiln, my main focus is
Impressionistic landscapes and the human form. I work primarily with sheet glass, frit and
occasionally enamel paint to create my images. To achieve clarity and depth in my pieces, I
developed a technique I call my “flip technique” where I work on both sides of the glass and
then fuse layers together. I start each piece with a vision and a plan. But as anyone with fusing
experience will tell you, glass melting in a kiln does not always do what is expected. One of my
mentors gave me the most profound advice: “Go where the glass takes you”.

My love of sculpture and curiosity for all things done with glass in the kiln has me exploring and
experimenting with glass casting. Learning mold making, sculpting and developing firing
schedules for casting are a whole new adventure and completely different than painting
landscapes with frit.From 2016 through 2019, I taught “Painting Landscapes in Frit” classes
at my home studio and at studios around the country. I hope to begin teaching again in 2022
with a plan to do individual or small classes where I can provide more personal instruction.

Featured Artist Charlene Fort, (formerly from Hood River, OR) …now living in Texas

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This is what my world has become: I think, talk, and breath glass. I dream about it, I wonder about it, I envision things with it. OK enough. You get the picture. Some history is due here. When I was about 6 years old, my mother took me on a “special” weekend down to Colorado Springs, Colorado to visit different places. One of the places we went there was a glassblower demonstrating how to blow glass. The fascination that it held to that 6-year-old child went so deep into my psyche that when I turned 50, it emerged again into full blown passion

Charlene’s beautiful blown glass


We had moved into Hood River, Oregon from Texas. In looking for things of interest to do, I ran across a Community Education course that Linda Steider was teaching. It was a 6-week long class on fused glass. Her description brought back images of the glassblower to my brain. Not knowing that fusing was different than blowing, I imagined being in that arena of hot glass and playing with it. After the second 6-week course with Linda, I told her that “this is interesting but so predictable. Wasn’t there something else that you played with that involved hot glass?” Needless to say, I was simply shouting out my own ignorance about the predictability of this medium. Linda graciously referred me to Andy Nichols who had just quit his job to become an artist in hot glass. I called him and immediately got into his first class.

Charlene Fort and Andy Nichols

After several 6-week sessions with Andy, he asked me if I would become his assistant. Of course, it took nearly 3 nano-seconds to reply in the positive. Nearly 20 years later we are still together. The quality of education I received from both Linda and Andy have instilled in me a desire to do things to the BEST of my ability. Even though I have a new location in Texas, my home is with Andy in the hot-shop. This is something I have had to put to rest temporarily but I’m certain I will return to play with him at the end of a hot pipe soon.


As we age, we find the body refuses to be gracious in the things we expect of it. So, the weight of the pipe and glass was beginning to strain the forearm near the thumbs. The constant turning of the pipe with the added weight extended nearly 5 feet away from the center of your body, began to take its toll. Because of that, I realized I really needed to get more into the “predictability” of the fusing process.

Every time that I open the kiln and find something didn’t quite work out the way I envisioned it, I think back to my arrogant statement to Linda. I have quietly learned that THERE IS NOTHING PREDICTABLE ABOUT GLASS. Unless you are Bullseye’s research team.

Really, there are so many considerations to be aware of with this medium and the techniques that others have developed and gladly shared make this a lifetime challenge. Currently I don’t have a studio. We have engaged a builder to build a studio, however, the time of year here in south Texas has not lent itself to much progress. The land has been excavated for the concrete guys to come pour the foundations and floor. However, between two severe rainstorms and a tornado, the rich black clay soil is still too wet to lay the foundation.

Patience is my new catch-phrase.When the studio is completed, my goal is to be able to have fellow teachers come down here and teach a class. This area is ripe for glass to be introduced. I have numerous neighbors just waiting to get into this studio. We have a guesthouse that is waiting for teacher and student bodies to occupy. Life sure is interesting. ——Charlene Fort

Holiday Ideas the Whole Family Can Make

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Happy Holidays from the Newsletter Team

https://youtu.be/oNFPvN_uYsE
Glitzy Ornaments with Lisa Vogt

https://youtu.be/5WgOLp-GyaE
Gnome Ornaments with Full Moon Loon

https://youtu.be/6kZO97Oj2Os
Fused Glass Fold up T Lights with Tabithas Glass Emporium

https://youtu.be/grIGJeyCsVI
Fused Glass Enchanted Festive Forest with Tabithas Glass Emporium

https://youtu.be/KmgAX-Clf9U
Making Flower Pot Garden Gnomes with Ghislaine Sabbagh-Hughes

https://youtu.be/1d7bAUzz5Og
How to make stained glass Christmas tree ornaments with Art by Cheryl Ann

https://youtu.be/Ua84txZTarg
used Glass Poinsettias with Capt Mike

https://youtu.be/mJSAaOUYjS8
Fused Glass Holiday Trees and Wreath with Glasshoppa

https://youtu.be/UpVar_MtJeY
Fused Glass Ornament Tutorial with Paula Andrews

https://youtu.be/JQUpoRWK9tw
Fused Glass Snowflake with Petra Kaiser

https://youtu.be/Vi_X_TA0ZQg
Fused Glass Star Ornament with Creative Paradise Inc

https://youtu.be/-uNnpZvyoNA
Making Fused Glass Ornaments with Jeff Pritchard

https://youtu.be/dsY4uUQpZzY
Glass Fused Mr and Mrs Rudolph Christmas Ornaments with Arrowroots arts and glass

https://youtu.be/l6ta6eUYyWE
Glass Fused Christmas Penguins with Arrowroots art and glass

https://youtu.be/sarghzICPs4
Holiday Trees with Roz Stanton

https://youtu.be/OC_onRj_58M
Reusable GLass Gift Tags with Jamasion Schuler

https://youtu.be/OC_onRj_58M
Melted Snowman Christmas Ornament with Fused Glass Artwork

Rae Williamson’s holiday glass in process
Rae Williamson’s reverse painting

Guild Holiday Party Dec. 12th via Zoom

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Connect with your glass friends and make new ones. All members are invited to the party at 3:30 PM December 12th on Zoom. Make a toast and discuss your glass plans for next year.

There will be an optional draw-a-number gift exchange with the added twist of being able to steal a gift from someone else. Gifts are generally in the $30 range. Keep your gift item small in case you have to mail it. The Zoom link will be available to logged-in Members on the event page closer to the date.

Invite a few glass friends to join you in front of one computer for the party!

Here’s a toast from last year

President’s Message

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Lyn Kennison

I would like to congratulate and welcome Terry Thomas as our new President, Rachel Dollar as Vice President, Haley Wigent as Secretary and, Linda Roman and Kate Nichols as Co-Treasurers. They will bring new ideas and energy to the Board and the Guild. I will still be part of the Board as Past President and here to help wherever I can. I have grown personally over the past two years serving as President in confidence, patience and tact. Friendships were developed that will continue.

It was difficult for all of us with Covid and trying to develop the new website. All of that is behind us now with the website up and running and it is so much better than before. I truly appreciate all the hard work that was done by so many people to get us to where we are today. We managed to have a virtual Gathering of the Guilds, endless meetings and many play dates where we got to know each other better and learn new skills … all virtually! We all worked together through very difficult times and the ever present computer challenges to keep the Guild going and expanding. Thank you all!

The Holiday Party is scheduled for December 12th 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. The Zoom link will be posted on the event on the website and you just need to log in to access it. It is a time we can talk about what went well and what we want to change going forward. We will do a voluntary White Elephant Gift Exchange game which can be so much fun. If you are choosing to participate just have a gift to give away that is affordable to mail if necessary. We will also raise a glass of your choice of beverage to toast the New Year and all the possibilities it holds.


Thank you for your support over the past two years as your President and I hope to meet more of you in the months ahead. Sending happy glass outcomes to each and everyone of you.

Wishing you Happy and safe Holidays, Lyn

2021 PNWGG Board of Directors

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President – Lyn Kennison

Past President – Mitzi Kugler

Vice President – Sue Merritt

Treasurer – Lesley Kelly

Secretary – Pat Bracknell


Team Chairs

Communications Chair – Charlene Fort

Membership Chair – Rae Williamson

Sponsorship Chair – Linda Gerrard

Newsletter Co-Chairs – Greta Schneider and Rae Williamson

Web Master – Needed

Interested in helping out, see the list of other positions available, we would love to have you on the team.

Any comments, suggestions or questions about the PNWGG Newsletter, please contact Greta or Rae

Meet our new Board of Directors for 2022!

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A Warm Welcome and a Big Thank You
To the New Members of the Board of Directors

Terry Thomas – President

Terry Thomas: I am a Southwest Washington based Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde member. I have been honing my skills in glass for the past several years and have experience in various forms of glass art creation from glass blowing, modeling glass, vitrigraph, glass on glass mosaic and fused glass.


I am inspired by the beauty of beaches and animals with blue herons being my favorite. Glass is my medium of choice because of the science involved in creating the final art piece and it’s versatility of forms. My largest scale projects have included a 33″ x 40″ blue heron glass on glass mosaic and four 14″ x 34″ panels.

Rachel Dollar – Vice President

Rachel Dollar: I help run Marvelous Mosaic Fine Art with my sister Kory Dollar. We specialize in glass on glass mosaics, fusing and vitrigraph. We teach glass on glass mosaics, fusion inclusions and vitrigraph. Our classes are held monthly just outside of Portland and 20 minutes from Longview, WA. Creating is my passion and I am excited to grow the PNW Glass Guild and help put on great events for the members.


Lyn Kennison will continue to serve on the Board as Past President. We thank her for her ongoing service.


Haley Wigent – Secretary

Haley Wigent: I currently live in Gresham, OR. I started out working on some basic stained glass work when I was 7-8 years old with my grandmother who has been doing stained glass for over 50 years now. After taking some time off for music school and starting a business with my partner I built a stained glass studio. I primarily worked on small sun catchers and jewelry so my studio was completely lead free. About a year ago I discovered glass on glass mosaic and went to a Marvelous Mosaic workshop. Within the last year I have worked on several mosaic pieces as well as learning new glass techniques and applications. I love to take inspiration from my surroundings so most of my work features landscapes and animals.


CO – TREASURERS:

Linda Roman and Kate Nicklos

Linda Roman: My experience in glass is very recent. l’m very interested in mosaic glass on glass. At this point I have taken two classes from Kory Dollar at Marvelous Mosaic and have truly enjoyed it. I also have experience in pottery and took many classes when living in Rochester NY. I look forward to joining the board in January.

Kate Nicklos: I am a glass hobbyist who has had the opportunity over the last 15 years to take classes from many remarkable & talented glass artists since moving to the PNW. Fusing piqued my interest from it’s earliest stages and I would include visits to glass manufacturers when traveling in the PNW long before moving here. Being introduced to the PNWGG, previously OGG, just a few years ago provided another venue of learning & comradery. Though I hope to pursue glass fusing more consistently when I fully retire, it’s a privilege to support this organization of creative people that has opened those venues for me & others to pursue this passion. I look forward to serving as the assistant to the Treasurer.

Guild Notes

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The Guild’s Facebook Page has a new moderator: Thank you Kory and Rachel Dollar for volunteering.


New Video: Logged-in members can now see the video of October’s General Meeting on Lighting

Speakers include:

Transformed candle lanterns (Suzanne Tyler)
Appliqued lanterns with solar power (Karen Seymour)
Glass with LEDS (Candice Pratt)
Pole lamps with both fused and stained glass techniques (Janine Shelley)
Lighting Hardware (Sky Archuleta)
3-d printed cast pendant lamps (Milo Snyder’s video)

The November meeting video on Favorite Tools and Holiday Ideas will be available soon from the menu Glass>Education


Glass Art Society in Tacoma May 18 to 21, 2022

Member Bridget Culligan says “I went to the GAS conference in 2018, it was my first and only GAS conference. I was blown away by so many things. The glass artists were sharing, and interesting, and fun, welcoming and kind. I attended lectures on glass history, it’s future and lots of demos by artists at the top of their games. Even though I work in stained glass/warm glass, I found it of incredible value. How lucky we are to have GAS in Tacoma in 2022. I’ll be there! and hope to meet you there too.”

Early Bird registration for GAS members and Vendor Registration for the Vendor Exhibits.

Exploring Your Member Benefits, Part 2:

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The Members’ Gallery


There are 3 pages of Members in our Gallery already. On the top menu it’s Glass>Members’ Gallery

The Members’ Gallery serves several purposes, among them are:

  • Introducing members to each other.
  • Showing off the range of member work to potential new members.
  • Showing member websites to people looking for art, custom work, mentors, or instructors in their area.


To be listed in the Gallery you need to do 3 things:

1) upload a background image, which can be anything from a closeup to a montage of your work. (Please save any text or logos for your profile page)

2) Add a small headshot (200 px) to help us link your appearance to your name and work: we will eventually get back to in-person events.

3) Click yes on the “Show My Profile in the Members’ Gallery” in your account settings

Optionally (and we strongly encourage you to do it) you can a few sentences and up to 9 images on your profile page. This is the page you go to if you click on the member’s image in the Gallery. You can see/add info about each image on your profile page by clicking on it. PLEASE size these images properly or your page will take forever to load.

For more detailed instructions log on and see the website help page Members Gallery: adding your work.

Regional Glass Events: Reviews & Upcoming, Nov. 2021

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Images from some events this Fall:

Open studios in both Portland (September) and Seattle (October)

Marvelous Mosaics with Kory and Rachel Dollar and several other members, Portland Open Studio September 2021
Margaret Eagle’s with Holly Crilly and Sharon Dunham, Portland Open Studio September 2021
Linda Gerrard’s with Diane Muhly Portland Open Studio September 2021
Carlyne Lynch’s with Greta Schneider and Lisa Mustain, Portland Open Studio September 2021
Kathy Johnson and Lael Bennett in Seattle October 2021
Karen Seymour and Lorena Shaufler in Seattle October 2021

Holiday events:

(Guild sponsored events are bolded)

November

20 Puget Sound Artists’ Gift Show, Edmonds WA
20-21 Wild Arts (Audubon), Portland OR

Heads up: Registration started Nov. 15th for the Glass Art Society’s Annual Conference May 18-21, 2022 in Tacoma, WA. This huge event happens in a different city every year. GAS is celebrating its 50th year in 2022 and the conference is on our doorstep. Go and see glass from all over the world.

December
4-5 Phinney Winter Festival, Seattle WA
12 Guild Holiday Party via Zoom (see related article)

January
(TBD) Guild Board Meeting via Zoom


Please send us photos of glass events!

Having a photo makes it so much easier to invite people to participate in an event next year. If you go to a glass event please take some photos and send the best 2 to the marketing team (400 to 600 px or “medium” resolution, about 500 KB, not more than 1MB).

Featured Sponsor : Pacific Art Glass

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It all started in Jr. High with a Ronco Bottle & Jug Cutter and an infatuation with tools, crafts and Scout badges. John knew he would make his living with his hands but when he saw a teacher working on a stained glass window, the fascination with Art Glass began.

The first windows built in his dad’s garage brought in a lot more cash than mowing lawns. It was only natural that his first job after high school was a small stained glass shop in El Segundo, CA that he opened with his brother Steve (now a Pastor). Besides, in the mid 70’s it seemed the best way to avoid having to get a haircut.

Business was good and soon John needed a helper. Today that helper is the workshop manager. Saturday class came next because if we didn’t pass it on, the craft would die like so many other noble endeavors. To provide for students and friends he bought glass and supplies to sell.

Along the way a used hand beveling machine became available and a loan from dad made it all happen. John Williams found this to be the winning combination: Goods, Services, & Craft. This was the natural progression of Pacific Artglass.

Goods: We wish to provide the best in Art Glass tools and materials at the best price. In doing so we hope to proliferate the Art Glass craft by making those hard to find items available to students and the Art Glass professional. Some of the relationships with our vendors go back 25 years or more. We have all grown up together. If you need something special, Jim Dunham, our warehouse manager can probably order it for you. We support and protect our retailers. We will only sell wholesale to a bona fide re-seller or professional glass studio.

Services: we fabricate or acquire components for commercial artists and hobbyists alike. Whether it be small dichroic glass shapes, cut on our water jet, laser etching or custom cut and polished bevels, we are considered to be the studio of choice by many successful designers. We also have some fine designers on our staff as well. For more information, see: Services.

Craft: We talk about craftsmanship, that mysterious mix of technical skill and artistic inspiration that is so elusive. It never was just about the money. Even though John is known in architectural circles as one of the best glass benders in the business, he is still involved in the beginning fusing class, given four times a year. For us, “craft” is something that is always in balance, science and art, tradition and innovation, all at the same time.

In our leaded glass workshop we may be restoring an antique, museum quality church window, while in our art department we can accept any digital file format for your production job, be it glass-etching, water jet cutting or custom bevels.

Simply, we are a family business. We hope to be a part of your family as well.

Thanks to our Sponsors!

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These companies and organizations are an integral part of the glass art community. We thank our Sponsors for supporting our Guild through either generous donations or by offering discounts to our Members. Please take time to thank them for their generosity when you visit their businesses.

Gold Level Sponsors

Skutt logo

Silver Level Sponsors

Colour de Verre – Artifex Toolworks – Glass Alchemy – D&L Art Glass – HIS Glass Works – Bonny Doon