After moving to Portland in the mid 80’s and working in the food industry until 1997, I began a second career in commission architectural glass in 2000 at the encouragement of an interior designer. I had never worked with glass, so after 3 years of classes and hundreds of samples and experiments, I began manufacturing glass tile, vessel sinks, and lighting for several designers.
The recession of 2008-2011 and the recent pandemic were difficult times for most all of us in the arts, but we persisted. I assembled an incredible team over the 20 years, including a waterjet engineer, metal artist, lighting engineer, sand-carver and glass polisher. We are all local independent artisans, and it has been the most enjoyable part of architectural glass work. During these two decades I was also creating Navajo-style tapestry works of art. These two art forms were worlds apart from one another until recently when, for the first time, my love for glass and my passion for fiber art were intertwined.
At a Pilchuck Glass School residency, I was given permission to breath, reflect, fail, and observe. It was the greatest artistic gift even given to me, and it changed my life immeasurable. From that opportunity came clarity, and slowly I have woven a tale that encompasses my desire to speak to social justice issues through mixed media visual arts.The series ‘Universal Vessels’ materialized as I imagined merging fiber and glass to represent the bringing together of dissimilar cultures. The baskets and vessels of the series are created with kilnformed glass for the structures’ bases and spokes, while the weft binds the glass spokes with fiber including reed, yarn, beads, and wire.
I have developed three basketry techniques over the past 2 years – each more technical, yet more representative of indigenous works. Initially, the baskets and vessels created in 2020 examined the technology and materials needed to combine the two media. In a multi-step process, a flat glass disk is fused into a round or oval shape. Waterjet-cutting creates the vessel spokes; the number, diameter and length of each spoke is determined by the weaving pattern chosen for the weft. A final firing follows allowing the disk to slump into the shape of the ceramic or stainless-steel mold. Ex. Oregon Bounty. Having made only a few baskets prior to this new body of work, learning traditional basket weaving techniques has been an exhilarating undertaking. Adapting these materials and processes to bring out my contemporary style was freeing and invigorating.
In the next generation of vessels, I focused on achieving a more traditional basket shape – one with a smaller rim diameter than vessel body. New molds and cutting techniques were developed for the glass, while utilizing traditional basketry weft. An example of this technique is from 2021 All are Welcome.
My 2022 series titled Native Grasses is an adaptation of the traditional coiled grass baskets. To represent the grass, I have chosen stringer, which are bundled and shaped in a kiln-forming technique. Waxed linen is used to twine the grass-like bundles of glass together. I very much enjoy the comradery, inspiration, and energy of our PNWGG and hope our guild remains an ever-strong group of visual artists.
As a native Northwesterner I’ve been exposed to all manner of sea life. This influenced my signature series of “Shilshole Seashells from the Salish Sea” – fanciful marine shapes of both bright and subtle colors. No two are exactly alike. These shells are time-consuming and difficult to make, requiring a team of two or five highly trained people. The body part of the shell is blown first, in the off-hand style, with five or more layers of colored and clear glass added, then cut open while hot, and sculpted into shape. It is then embellished with additional bits of hot, worked glass.
All my life I have been into “Show and Tell” and being a thing-maker. I invented a widely used deadman switch to control the torches used by blowers and lampworkers and sell them on my website. I will have them at my studio on the Glass And Decor studio tour in Seattle October 15-16 if you do torchwork and want to try one http://www.friedmanglassworks.com/homepage/tools
I have done lots of Street Fairs, Art Galleries, Museums, Public Exhibitions – State and International Festivals, showing and telling visitors about glass. In 2009 the “Shilshole Seashell Museum” (An Ersatz Art Installation for the truly curious and the magpie in all of us) was opened to the public and a Museum Catalog was printed. It has been updated with additional items and continuing stories of the seashells and their travels. If you buy one of the “exhibit cases” you get a free copy. This new version of the Seashell museum will be at the Blowing Sands studio and gallery in Seattle throughout October and November.
Because of health issues, I’m not currently blowing glass but I have a large inventory. You can see me at my studio on the Glass And Decor studio tour in Seattle October 15-16 (# 5 on tour map), and the Seashell museum at Blowing Sands (site #4).
1) 315 West B Street, Rainier, OR Rachel Dollar (Marvelous Mosaic Fine Arts) Guests:Terry Thomas, Lori LaRue, Theresa Videan Ask about alternative to stairs. Open Friday too! We will have vitrigraph pulls at 1 PM each day.
2) 866 N. Columbia Blvd. # B202, Portland OR Evan Burnette‘s Studio, Come see LIVE glass blowing demos throughout the event!
3) 5529 N. Vancouver Ave, Portland OR Sondra Radcliffe‘s Studio, We have a few steps down to basement or up to the porch.
4) 821 NE 63rd Ave., Portland OR Richard Glenn‘s Studio,
5) 4331 SE Brooklyn St., Portland OR Barbara Kienle‘s Studio Guest:Stephanie Johnston We hope to have some projects for people to try.
6) 8400 SW Maverick Terrace, Beaverton OR Linda Gerrard’sStudio Guest: Sharon Dunham Linda will have the studio open and give some step by step explanations of her glass techniques.
8) 6890 Molalla Bend Rd., Wilsonville OR Carlyne Lynch‘s Studio Guests:Rose McBride, Greta Schneider There will be a live vitrigraph pull on each day, story boards and talks to show how things are done and probably some small projects for our customers to do.
9) 4970 Bonnet Dr., West Linn OR Mitzi Kugler‘s Studio
Tour Seattle Oct. 15-16:
The Guild is sponsoring the 8th annual GlassAndDecor.comStudio Tour and Sale which focuses on items for the home. Over 20 artists in glass and other media show their work at 6 close together studios in north Seattle.
There will be PNW Glass Guild members at almost every site:
I hope summer 2022 has been a good one for everyone, it has gone by too quickly for me. Be sure to check out the creative work that Guild members have submitted for the Summer 2022 contest [link] and vote for your favorite. While you are checking out the masterpieces be sure to visit the pictures from our Seattle and Portland area picnics.
Plan to attend the PNWGG Annual Meeting on October 23rd where you will have the opportunity to shape the future of the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild by voting for next year’s board of directors. Stay around after the general election to learn more about photographing your art pieces from our guest speakers.
Terry Thomas, President PNWGG
Speaking of meetings, our August board meeting had an overview of the Guild’s financial status and a preview of plans for calendar year 2023. Join us for theSeptember board meeting on the 12th for a presentation of our 2023 budget. Wishing everyone a good Fall season.
“It is only when we are no longer fearful that we begin to create.”― J. M. W. Turner
Help guide the PNW glass into the post-Covid normal. We’ll be electing officers at the October 23rd meeting. See what they do. Please contact the nominating committee if you’re interested in helping assure glass artists in our region have a support network to help them create art, share their skills, and sell their work.
How about a shared position? The Guild’s Charter restricts officers to no more than 2 consecutive terms. All the current officers are willing to stand for another term. However this means almost everyone in 2024 will be new. One option is to find someone willing to share the vice president’s position and another to share the secretary’s position with the current officers. Sharing a position allows for training for that member, lightens the work load and strengthens the guild. These assistants may choose to run for an elected position in 2024.
Never met a stranger. Always had a story to tell. Prepared to lend a hand, or a tool.
Longtime supporter and member of the Oregon Glass Guild joining in 2006, helping with signs and organizing and setting up shows. Ed passed away from an apparent heart attack doing what he loved: riding his motorcycle. Ed’s lust for life, desire to help others succeed and stories of experience made him an individual who will never be forgotten.
We got some beautiful pieces! Thank you so much to the glass artists who created an entry for this contest. We really appreciate your participation!
These are the photo ideas that were to be used for the glass contest.
Your Newsletter team of Karen Seymour, Rae Williamson and Greta Schneider each did a piece for the contest and we will show these but you will not be voting on them.
“Sunset Ferry Ride” Fused Glass lamp by Karen Seymour
“Moody Meadow” Fused Glass by Rae Williamson
“Bunny in the Sunshine” Fused Glass & Enamel by Greta Schneider
We will post photos of the entries (without names) in this issue for you to look at and vote on. Then we will repost all the photos in the next issue with the artists’ names and the winner of the glass guild membership for this next year. It will also be fun to comment on some of the different techniques you can see were used. Voting is open only to PNW Glass Guild members. The photos will be listed as A-E. Please vote for your favorite and your second favorite entries and send your vote to Rae Williamson by September 30th! Please include any suggestions for any future contest and/or challenge ideas.
We will announce the winner of the free membership at our October meeting (which also includes our annual elections and an interesting discussion on photographing our glass artwork.)
We’re pausing our member benefits series to cover the website in detail so you know better know how to use this tool to further your glass experience.
When you go to PNWGlassGuild.org and choose “glass” from the top menu you’ll see this drop-down:
Tip: if you log-in first, you’ll be able to see the videos in “Education”. As you will see in future articles, being logged-in unlocks many things.
If you are not yet a member and therefore can’t Login we encourage you to join by pushing the “Join” tab so you can take advantage of the many benefits (your dues help us pay for the software that runs the website).
l) Members’ Gallery Here’s where to see the amazing variety of Guild Member glasswork. Clicking on any member’s image will bring up their profile page. It’s mostly alphabetical but look a little before and after where you expect to find the name. We’re now up to 4 pages (the page choice is at the bottom). If you know the exact spelling of the artist’s name you can use the search at the top of every page.
Clicking the “about” tab in the black bar usually gives the artist’s contact info. Clicking an individual image may give you more info about that piece.
This long essay is to give the casual website visitor an idea of what is involved in some of the various types of glass: Cold (stained, mosaic, applique, gilding, sandblasting, and other cold-work), Hot (blown, torch-worked) and Warm (fusing, slumping, draping, kiln casting…)
This was written before the website was functional so all the appropriate links to the artists have not been created (most of these artists are in the Members’ Gallery). We also now have a much wider range of artists to choose examples from. We’d love to have a team of volunteers to help update the essay and add subsidiary pages.
3) Education (only members can see the videos) This is where the videos of our Play Days and the informational parts of our General Meeting are posted. The Education page will give you the list of topics but only members can see most of these meeting videos you must log-in to see the videos.
4) Play Days (only members can come to Play Days) If you’re wondering “what’s a Play Day”, it’s a casual, fun shared exploration of a particular technique where members get together in someone’s studio or on Zoom. You’ll find Play Days in the calendar as soon as someone decides to offer one. How about you?
5) Find a Teacher (only members can add themselves to this list) If you’re looking for someone to help you learn, here’s the list of members in your area who want you to know they teach. If you’re a member you can log-in and fill out the form at the bottom of the page to have your name added to the list. If you’re looking for supplies, some of the teachers sell them. You’ll also find suppliers under About> Our Sponsors
We’re starting to plan next year: we’ll be electing officers at the October 23rd meeting. See what they do. Please contact the nominating committee if you’re interested in helping steer the Guild into post-Covid normal (see related article).
Sept. 12th 7pmBoard Meeting via Zoom see the event listing for the agenda etc.
Sept. 25th 3:30 pm General meetingvia Zoom Gallery Info & Guide to Pricing
Join in via Zoom and learn what galleries are looking for. Guest speakers will included gallery owners and individuals who sell in galleries. Other guest speakers will share how they price their art. Pricing is tough, so many factors involved, lets all share our tips. If you would like to participate as a speaker and share your gallery experiences or pricing insights please email Rachel Dollar.
Oct. 23rd, 3:30 pm General Meeting via Zoom: Photographing Glass
We’ll start with the annual election of officers (please contact the nominating committee if you’re interested in one of the Board positions). Come wave your hand and vote.
Then we move on to discussing how to make great images of your glass. Rachel Dollar has lined up some professional photographers to give pointers but we can always use more tips and tricks. If you have something to share please contact Rachelso she can add you to the list.
You’re part of the team: when you read this please send in photos of your art or glass events so we have something for the next newsletter!
The August picnics in Seattle and Portland were so much fun that most forgot to take photos.
Seattle did a give away of people “extras” and Portland did a show and tell of recent work.
Some great in-person glass art events coming up:
The big September 16-17 event is Portland’s Open Studios: 18 artists at 9 studios. see the link for the map and list.
Sept 30 – Oct 2 LOCAL 14 Art Show in Portland hosts 4 Guild Members and many other artists
If you’re coming to Seattle October 13-16 for Refract and the GlassAndDecor.com Studio Tourmake plans now so you’ll have a place to stay. Talk to 7 Guild members on the tour plus lots of artists in other media.
And some Zoom Meetings we can all get together for:
Sept. 25th General meeting, Zoom 3:30pm Gallery Info & Pricing Guide: Join in via Zoom and learn what galleries are looking for. Guest speakers will included gallery owners and individuals who sell in galleries. Other guest speakers will share how they price their art. Pricing is tough, so many factors involved, lets all share our tips. If you would like to participate as a speaker and share your gallery experiences or pricing insights please email Rachel Dollar.
Learn some great photo tips, and participate in the election for 2023 officers. After voting we’ll have some professional photographers and several experienced members discussing ways to make photographing your glass easier.
General meetings in 2022
Zoom on the 4th Sunday of most months at 3:30pm. You don’t even need to be a member to attend our general meetings. Contact Rachel Dollar, our VP, if you have suggestions for future topics.
Fall events:
(Guild sponsored events are bolded)
Members can submit glass related events to the calendar with this form
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).
At Glass Expressions we are a full service stained glass studio. We have a store front business with a good stock of tools and supplies for stained glass and glass fusing.
Glass Expressions started in 1974 in Burien, WA. Kathy Johnson wandered in to the shop in the early 80’s and ended up buying it in 1983 when the founder was going to quit. She needed some place to do glass. Lael Bennetttook a stained glass class from Kathy in 1991. By 1993 she quit her job, cashed in her retirement funds and bought in to become Kathy’s business partner. And we are both still here!
The store has lot of glass for stained glass. For fusing we stock both 96 and 90 coe glass and supplies. In addition to the sheet glass we have frit, stringers and dicro in both coe’s. We have kilns and can fire projects for customers. We are happy to give advice and guidance to customers to make sure they get the right supplies for fusing projects.
We have beginning fusing and bead making classes which are scheduled when we have enough students to fill a class. Currently we are running quarterly beginning stained glass classes but can accommodate more advanced students also.
Call or email to make an Appointment for shopping at other times. Supplies other than glass can be purchased during Sitka Living open hours (they are in front of our studio space).
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
Silver Level Sponsors
Colour de Verre – Artifex Toolworks – Glass Alchemy – D&L Art Glass – HIS Glass Works – Bonny Doon
