I have always loved rainbow colored and ordered glass — I am a RAINBOWAHOLIC. I also happen to be OBSESSED with dichroic glass jewelry, along with anything diamond-like and sparkly.
It really bothers me that most rainbow pieces on the market lack a good purple. After I had collected about 10 pieces from a local artisan I asked him to try to add purple to a tray of rainbow style pendants. I offered to buy the whole finished tray. He put it off for a long time because he busy making things for other clients. During that waiting time, I decided that it was unlikely that I was the only person wanting complete rainbows in my jewelry and art glass. I felt I wanted to try to fill some of that void with my design eye and art style so I started making glass pendants with all 7 rainbow colors. Dichroic glass became my go-to medium. I tend to make hidden channels in my pendants to allow a clasp to freely float all the way through. Over the last 8 years I have branched out into other things.
I really like thinking through the layers to complete a piece. Sometimes I have a solution for an addition to my project figured out in my head that makes an item more useful. I recently added battery operated light mounts and a hanging point to the back of a Barn Star mold, to make it be a lighted Christmas tree topper or a focal point in a wreath. Because of my channel work with pendants, I had good solutions for these additions already worked out.
My most ambitious project lately was 6 Fantasy Fairy Flowers in 6 weeks in 18 kiln loads. Thankfully, I had a very detailed tutorial and it all went smoothly. A true labor of love. I easily named each one of them and wasn’t sure I wanted to let them go to new homes.
Recently I’ve started making fish by building up frit in a slumping mold. From side spots, to the blush of color, to the surface spots again. It can be viewed from both sides in a display, or used as a sushi plate. They take about 3 hours and 15 layers to create and stabilize. I want to explore more of this technique.
I joined the guild to get experience in the Gathering of the Guilds at the Oregon Convention Center. I also like getting the “classifeds” to find people selling off their 96coe glass, supplies & equipment. Pre-pandemic I was a member of my local almost-monthly glass potluck. I liked being able to ask experienced artists about entering the small local shows, and how I could progress to round out my offerings. I also liked the live critique of my items, as it was more authentic than online.
But what I really enjoy most is being part of the glass community and seeing what everyone is making at all skill levels. Not just the finished for sale items, but the “hey I tried this and I kinda like it”. Seeing other people’s experimentation, including flops, sometimes helps me think about my own projects in a new way. It also highlights ideas that I had thought about and now definitely don’t need to try.
I was born and raised in Kamakura, the ancient capital of Japan. Located just south of Tokyo on the Pacific, Kamakura has been a popular home to artists and authors for more than a century. Because my parents were artists — my father was a painter and my mother was a fashion designer and a potter — I was always surrounded by visual art. Growing up in an artistic and creative household fostered my artistic feeling and sense of color. After a long search for the perfect medium to express my own, I encountered and fell in love with the glass art formed in kiln — fused glass — and developed my own style in jewelry as Wearable Glass Art. After moving to Florida in the 1990s, I took various workshops at a leading art center near my home. Over the course of fifteen years, I got to know the wonderful and magical traits of glass and am still very much in love with it.
Mari Aoki Knight
Fused glass necklace : Summer Bride
About My Glass Jewelry — Wearable Glass Art My designs are often inspired by glass itself. I have been always fascinated by the interplay of glass with light, and the colors that their fusion creates. The harmony produced by layering diverse pieces of multicolored glass is an extraordinary creation. Light passing through glass emits distinctive and fanciful qualities that transform colors in magical ways. The blending of my jewelry with light yields an infinite array of colors. My jewelry is based on kiln glass, combining both regular and dichroic glass. I also create original glass by painting it with distinctive colors, leading to nuance and subtlety, including organic colors found in nature. My signature jewelry is based on flower blossoms. I cut glass petals one by one, building a blossom using fiber paper to create 3D forms, with as many as five layers. I also incorporate “pure silver foil” into my glass, which induces reactions giving rise to unexpected patterns. Silver reacts to certain minerals in glass, resulting in unique and organic designs. My inspirations come from the colors and forms of nature – leaves in the Fall, withering Winter flora, flowers in Spring, and the brilliant colors of Summer.
Fused Glass and Metal: Bracelet and Necklace
Fused Glass: Spring Has Come Necklace
The most challenging phase of my art is the trial-and-error of creating multicolored jewelry in manifold layers. At the same time, such experimenting can result in unexpected creations of truly novel light and color. I was delighted to join the PNW Glass Guild this past year. I look forward to meeting and learning from the many talented artists who make this amazing community their artistic home.
one of several bright floral pieces
One of Mari’s newest — Three Circle necklace. The three circle glass pieces themselves depict the different phases of the moon, with the silvery pattern in the middle depicting clouds over the moon. Japanese culture places special appreciation on each phase of the moon.
Fall 2022 has arrived and I hope everyone is ready for the holiday show season. Thank you to all of the members that joined us for the annual meeting and nominations in October. I appreciate being nominated and chosen to serve as the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild President for another term. I look forward to building on the momentum that has been gained during 2022. The opportunity to engage with more in-person events once again has been a highlight of the year. The board of directors is looking forward to bringing back the popular guest instructor program in 2023. Stay tuned for more information as details are confirmed in the coming new year.
The PNWGG Board of Directors is looking for members to step into our roles in the coming year and want to offer volunteers an opportunity to shadow us throughout 2023. Check out the board roles [link to Guild documents] to find one that would be of interest to you. Once you find the perfect match reach out to me at president@pnwglassguild.org so I can get you connected to the appropriate board member.
Speaking of volunteer needs, the board is looking for a planning chair. If you love to organize events and would like to help us plan great events for our members reach out to president@pnwglassguild.org.
Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season.
Terry Thomas, President
“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”― Pablo Picasso
Thank you to the PNWGG members that joined us for the annual meeting in October. The Board of Directors appreciate the vote of confidence in our direction and leadership. Thank you most sincerely to those that have stepped in to lead our organization. The 2023 PNWGG Board of Directors are:
President – Terry Thomas
Vice President – Rachel Dollar
Secretary- Haley Wigent
Co-Treasurers – Linda Roman and Kate Nicklos
Sponsorship Chair – Linda Gerrard
Membership Chair – Rae Williamson
Newsletter Chair – Greta Schneider
Communications Chair – Stephanie Johnston
A special thank you to Jennifer Hart who has volunteered to shadow Rachel Dollar during 2023. We are looking for other members to shadow board members in the upcoming year. This will aid in a smoother transition as new board members step up in the future. It also gives you a chance to see behind the scenes and what it takes to keep the Guild engaging and relevant in your glass journey. Reach out to Terry Thomas (president@pnwglassguild.org) to volunteer or if you have any questions.
Karen Palmer Brush Prarie WA Laurie Parker Blachly OR Leslie Patterson Oregon City OR Deanna Peters Vancouver WA Judy Popky Seattle WA
Please take time to reach out and connect…even if you don’t live in the same area. The wonders of technology brings us all just a few clicks away. Members can find contact info for these folks and other members if you log-in to pnwglassguild.org and go to “For Members” (which only appears when logged-in) and choose Member Contacts List.
Do you remember receiving this email regarding our survey on November 3rd, 2022 at 7:59 am from PNW Glass Guild?
(There’s a big “Take Survey” button in the email that we want you to click on)
If you opened it intending to go back and complete it, now is the perfect time to do that.
If you accidentally deleted it or can’t find it, and wish to help set the course for the Guild over the next year, please contact Terry and he will send you another link.
On behalf of the Board of Directors we thank those who complete the survey and appreciate your time and input.
A summary report of responses will be presented at the Board of Directors zoom meeting December 12…so members, please plan on attending.
Geoffrey Bowton is creating metaphorical glass relics, developed from within the memories of deployment and objects related to the longstanding war in the Middle East—experiences may be reclaimed through the story telling realism of Pate de Verre, understanding post-traumatic stress and the unknown. Is processing trauma connected visually with a gunshot wound, or a painful scar that reminds you of hardship or injury? Is it the red-hot barrel from gunfire, remembering the back-and-forth exchange … were you or those around you affected by an Improvised Explosive Device … can you recall the things you did … has life changed for you? “Sykes Regulars” … soldiers of the 5/20th Battalion, a group of resolute infantry personnel who deployed and fought throughout the longstanding wars in the Middle East. This work reflects the selfless service and sacrifice of those who answered the call to duty after 911, defending our liberties and freedoms for the United States.
Over the recent years, Pate de Verre and this work became a rally point in the art and veteran communities; used in social platforms discussing historical events, meanwhile, generating conversation about the significance of healing post military service. I view this work and the glass objects used as metaphorical vessels, transforming the experience of the individual in theater, and exposing the realities of combat. To reclaim oneself using art as a therapy. I decided to arrange the soldiers gear as a Contemporary War Memorial, merging ideas from traditional military installation, with the realism of Pate de Verre casting. This work is constructed by hand building multiple layers of glass powders and small, tiny shards of which compose a thin hollowed object. Each surface has considerations made to portray wartime experiences of the 5/20th soldier.
I started working with glass during a 2016 summer studies program in Lybster, Scotland, at Northlands Creative Glass. What I discovered … a material capable of transforming within its environment, adapting, moving, shifting, bonding shards of themselves together … like the human spirit on the frontlines, amid a bloody gun fight. Glass was becoming a place where I could understand more about my feelings, while watching the material in transformation … I reconnected to parts of my life that needed healing, as if I were the glass and the heat was the medication I needed. Pate de Verre helps me survive through the processing of my memories and feelings, compiling stories of post traumatic events, mine, and others. This is a medium capable of lending its transforming qualities, deploying within the forms and the stories created—hollow vessels carefully arranged with layers of powders and small, tiny shards. My earlier union career as a sheet metal worker and six-year stint with the US army infantry helped develop my artistic backbone, while simultaneously destroying the very life of it.
This redirected me into an altered state of employment … so, I decided to set up new creative working skills, attending an undergraduate art program, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts, using the post 911 G I Bill.After spending time at North Lands, I then established myself as a glass class student locally and abroad, taking part in over twenty-five studio classes, and or artist led class residencies. I work at my own glass/metal studio (approx. 2200 sq ft), found in Hillsboro, Oregon. Currently, I am working on the final pieces for an installation this upcoming November, Veterans Day month.
New works available for purchase: located https://www.bacart.org/ in Bainbridge, Washington. Opening reception, Friday, November 4th from 6-8pm. Please come join me in honoring those who served and sacrificed, upholding the liberty & freedoms we all depend on. Heroes’ living among us … people you may never have met, nor seen Veterans Day 2022.
Upcoming – during June 2023 (online) and during the month of National PTSD Awareness & the 2023 GAS conference in Detroit, I will be showing my work for the International competition … Not Grandma’s Glass https://www.habatat.com/ – a yearlong event. New works will be available for purchase.
This December you’ll have at least 3 opportunities to gather with your glass buddies and meet new ones. These are primarily for PNW Glass Guild members but family and friends interested in glass are also welcome. Click the links below for more details:
PLEASE contact the host if you plan to come and also if your plans change, even at the last minute. Having this sort of event go smoothly depends on having a pretty accurate head count in advance.
About this time last year several of us did a fun glass block project out at Marvelous Mosaic. The glass blocks are often on sale at the craft stores this time of year and it is a very fun, affordable and unintimidating project. You can use applique or mosaic processes…gluing your glass pieces to the glass block, then grouting between the pieces. You can use a combination of opal and transparent glass but the blocks are really great to use with lights inside so it makes sense to have enough transparent pieces of glass to transmit light and see your colors well. I left part of my block clear…filled it with tissue and holographic strips and then added tiny multi-colored lights. There is an opening on one side of the block so it is easy to add the lights. (You can aim that opening in any direction. I have mine on the bottom here.)
If you are worried about someone handling the side of the block with the nipped glass edges exposed. An easy solution is to add a row of large fused dots or strips (which is also decorative) around the outside of your design so there are no exposed sharp edges. These glass blocks work well with designs that are appropriate year round too…they don’t have to be just for a specific holiday. A great project for a glass “play day”. Have fun! –Greta Schneider
Here’s a repeat of last years list if you are looking for more ideas:
Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our glass contest! We wish a few more of you had found time to but we got some beautiful pieces of glasswork. We did not have enough entries to have winners for each topic so the votes were counted just for the overall contest.
Carylne Lynchwon for her lovely fused glass sunflower so she will get a free membership to the glass guild for this coming year.
Congratulations Carlyne!
We’ve shown the entries here again with the names of the artists attached so you can see who did each piece. It was all really beautiful work and it is fun to see different ways the same subject can be handled in different glass methods. A contest or a challenge is a great way to push yourself as an artist and stretch your creativity and imagination. It is also a fun way to interact more with your fellow glass artists.
(see the original contest photos that inspired these pieces in the previous newsletter article )
Sunflower by Carlyne Lynch
Sunflower by Athena Hornsby
Rabbit by Greta Schneider (Newsletter team member, not competing)
Sunflower by Jennifer HartSunflower by Lesley Kelly
We would love to have suggestions from our members on other subjects for future contests or challenges, something that would work for all the various types of glass techniques used by our membership. One interesting suggestion we have had is to do pieces where blue is the predominant color!
Moody Meadows by Rae Williamson (Newsletter team member, not competing)
Sunset Ferry Ride: this is Olympics and other side is Seattle skyline, by Karen Seymour (Newsletter team member, not competing)
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 “News and Events” from the top menu you’ll see this drop-down:
I) Public News is the record of the Tuesday emails sent to the whole mailing list, both members and those who choose to subscribe to the Public emails when they subscribe to the newsletter.
If you can’t find that email you got last Tuesday about an art show or meeting or something, look here.
2) the Newsletter is the current issue. You’re probably reading it right now. On a large screen you can get the current issue from the top of the right hand column of most pages but getting it from the top menu is probably easier for those on a cell phone.
In the right-hand column there’s an index to articles by date and type. If you want to read all the Member benefits at once or look through the featured artists, here’s the place to click.
3) Events Calendar
Upcoming events are also listed on the bottom of most pages with a “view Calendar” to get to the calendar page you see here. The top of this page tells you what the color codes on the listings mean
The right side bar allows you to sort for specific event types in both past and future.
One of the member benefits is to add your events to the Guild Calendar: log in, go to About>Contact us, click the Submit Your Event tab and fill out the form (if you don’t see the form you are not logged-in). A volunteer will add the event within a few days.
Tip: if you log-in first whenever you go to the website, you’ll be able to see more.
If you are not yet a member and therefore can’t Login we encourage you to join by pushing “Join” from the menu so you can take advantage of the many benefits (your dues help us pay for the software that runs the website).
Zoom to the Board meeting December 12that 7pm to hear about the survey results and the 2023 budget. Help plan next year.
Be sure to respond to the Surveyby Friday, Nov 18th as this will help guide our plans for next year.
January 9 is the first Board meeting of the new year at which we will discuss General Meeting topics and the Gathering of the Guilds for 2023 among other things. See the event link on the calendar for further details
Board meeting minutes are now posted forlogged-inmembers to read under For Members>Guild Documents.
You’re part of the team: Please send in photos of your glass events so we have something for the next newsletter! Think about what you can to to help build the glass community: host a Play Day yourself. Zoom to the General meetings. Attend member’s shows to encourage them in their work. Put your events on the Guild Calendar.
OCTOBER: Thank you to Rene Westbrook of Westbrook Photography and Jim Dittmer of JDA Creative Color for speaking at the October general meeting and sharing their expertise on photography. Rene talked about lighting and also the benefits of using cameras as opposed to phones. Jim talked about his experience working with photographing frit and sheet glass for a glass company and about using polarizing lenses or polarized sheets to get rid of most of the reflections that make photographing glass so challenging sometimes.
NOVEMBER: Kathie Wise spoke about using fusions (fused glass parts and pieces) in mosaics. Janiene Fitzpatrick talked about making holiday ornaments with high temp wire hangers and she also discussed some of the various glues she uses and why. Karen Seymour shared her instructions on how to do free standing Christmas trees made from two fired parts plus how to create her sparkly hanging icicle ornaments. And Rachel Dollar talked about using wood rounds as bases for ornaments and other designs plus ways to attach the wiring. Several other members shared their thoughts on various ways to do things in both meetings. Thanks so much to all who participated and shared ideas!
Having a photo makes it so much easier to invite people to participate in an event next year. If you are part of or 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).
General meetings in 2023
Zoom on the 4th Sunday of most months at 3:30pm. General Meetings topics for the year will be discussed during the January 9th Board meeting. Contact Rachel Dollar, our VP, if you have suggestions for future topics. You don’t need to be a member to attend our General Meetings but we would love to have you join.
Winter events (logged in members can submit their events here):
Thank you to the entire Pacific Northwest Glass Guild for allowing AAE Glass to be a small part! I know several members have worked with Tanya Veit and AAE Glass in the past and we always appreciate your support. We are currently offering your members a Coupon Code for the year. [Log-in to PNWGlassGuild.org and choose About>Our sponsors to see more details].
If you haven’t heard of AAE Glass or Tanya Veit, we are on online, fused glass education center, distributor, wholesaler, and retailer. Tanya Veit is an online educator, pioneer in the industry and has had a hand in shaping the way most online glass education is consumed these days. Tanya’s original tutorials became so popular, that in 2016 she decided to change the focus of AAE Glass from in-person teaching to producing her own online, educational video tutorials for the newly born AAE Glass Education Centre. Tanya has been focused on producing video content ever since.
My name is Mark Veit, Tanya’s brother-in-law. We have been working together for the past 12 years. You may have also seen Michelle Glass on social media, she is Tanya’s sister and part of the AAE Glass family. John Veit, Tanya’s husband, my brother, and Michell’s brother-in-law is someone you may have met at the Florida studio or spoken to on the phone or over email. This is true family business. Tanya is a self-taught artist who started out using other mediums before finally being drawn into fused glass. She is artistic by nature and grew up surrounded by art in various forms. She began selling finished pieces at shows, galleries, on eBay, Etsy, Artfire, etc. and branched out into selling supplies which is how AAE Glass began. Once she introduced her decals, not only did her glass jewelry sales rise, but it opened the door to producing decals for other artists who saw the same appeal. First it was decals, then silver settings, then chains, bails, and other supplies, then a Bullseye Glass Kiln Glass Resource Centre, then the release of the AAE Glass Education Centre and next will be the biggest thing Tanya has ever done. It is the release of a brand new, online, interactive learning platform unlike anything in the industry. Months in the making, we are almost at the finish line and by the time this article is released, we will just about be there, so stay tuned for AAE Glass updates.
Artwork by Tanya Veit Artwork by Tanya Viet
In addition to offering online education, Tanya has created several products that are only available at AAE Glass. Simple Screens were developed to make screen printing on fused glass more accessible for glass artists around the world. Designing and creating these screens is an involved process that AAE Glass does for you. Tanya’s waterslide decals are another example of these products. They fire true in shape and color. Tanya works directly with Howard Sandberg of CBS Dichroic Glass to create custom dichroic glass colors, patterns and shapes built around her favorite colors and techniques. Big Mouth paints are another product Tanya has brought in. The consistency of these paints allows Tanya to create the look she wanted. She doesn’t just release products to the industry though, she offers several video tutorials showing how to use the products as well as some projects that can be made with them. We know firsthand testing can get expensive. Tanya does her best to save you as much time and money as possible by showing you step-by-step instructions.
The biggest news to come out of AAE Glass in years is that Tanya has created a new subscription platform and learning experience that has not been seen in our industry. Here is a sneak peek into just a few of the perks included in your membership.
There is so much more that I can’t list now, but as you can see, Tanya is making herself more available to anyone who wants to learn and grow right beside her. It’s important to Tanya to reach as many glass artists as possible around the world and this platform will do that. The work and time put into this project is unlike anything we have done, but the results are going to be amazing and we want to share them with you. If you have any questions or have ideas of topics your would to discuss when we are up and running, please email them to info@aaeglass.com and we will do our best to implement them. This platform is going to grow and evolve as we settle in, so this as much your project as ours.
• Your membership includes LIVE monthly Q & A sessions with Tanya on specific glass topics such as marketing, organizing your space, tutorials, troubleshooting and more.
• Your membership includes monthly inspirational video tutorials from Tanya Veit. A great way to help break open your creative process.
• Your membership included immediate access to several fundamental glass fusing videos on topics like: cold working, cutting basics, tool demos and demonstrations of new products in the industry. New content added monthly.
• Your membership includes an exclusive community where you can comment, share photos, have private discussions with your peers or ask Tanya questions without the “noise” of social media.
• Your membership includes a color palette library created by Tanya using Bullseye glass swatches for inspiration when creating your own projects. New palettes are added frequently.
We recently made two very important business decisions that have our customer’s best interest in mind. AAE Glass is NOT raising our Bullseye Glass prices with the rest of the industry. We feel this is an area we can help current artists beat the inflation that seems to be everywhere. The second thing we were able to do is lower our shipping costs by an average of 15% across the board. Yes, we still offer Free Shipping to qualified retail orders over $200, but these new saving will affect all orders, including wholesale customers. Ordering Bullseye Glass from AAE Glass just got more affordable. We hope by continuing to work for you, that you will AAE Glass your supplier. Don’t forget to use your Guild coupon code when ordering supplies.
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
