issue-2025-11

  • 2025: November Issue

    PNWGlassGuild.org

    Mark Brody

    Upcoming events: pnwglassguild.org/events/
    (Bolded events are Guild sponsored)

    November
    7-9 Best of the NW Art Show, Seattle WA
    8 Bulleye Working Glass Exhibit, Portland OR
    10 Board Meeting via Zoom
    12 Sherlocking/Scaffolding, Fairview OR and Zoom
    14-15 Christmas Bazaar, Albany OR
    15 Class: Fused Holiday Ornaments, Portland OR
    16 General Meeting: Float Glass Fusing via Zoom
    20-22 Harvest Moon Bazaar, Boring OR
    21 Class: Mosaic, Portland OR
    25-Dec 23 Rain Spark Gallery Holiday Show, Lake Oswego OR
    29-30 Class: Vitrigraph Cane Design, Wilsonville OR

    December
    5-6 Holiday Marketplace, Corvalis OR
    6 Etsy Team Holiday Market, Salem OR
    6 Holiday Party, Beaverton OR
    14 Holiday Brunch, Seattle WA

    Members can log in and submit their events by clicking About>Contact Us, and filling out the Submit Calendar Event form

    Contents

    • Featured Artists: Mark Brody, Diana Wendt
    • President’s Message
    • Board of Directors
    • Welcome to New Board & Thanks to All Volunteers
    • Welcome to Our Newest Members
    • General Meetings
    • Recent Event Photos
    • Coming Events
    • Featured Sponsor: Glassy Cuts
    • Thanks to All Our Sponsors

    Read the whole issue on the website:
    https://www.pnwglassguild.org/article-cat/issue-2025-11/

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

  • Featured Artist: Mark Brody, Portland OR

    (Photo credit: Jo Brody)

    I have been doing mosaic for over 30 years. My first mosaic was for a built-in nook on a shower I created in my hand-built adobe house in Taos, New Mexico. Finally I was able to add some artistic details to the laborious construction work I had been doing for the previous 2 years! The combination of building materials and colorful glass and tiles is what I find so exciting about mosaic.

    I like to work in both 2- and 3D, indoors and out, in windows and on tables and walls. I experimented with all these techniques to learn about proper materials, and I put this information into a book that was published in 2015, Mosaic Garden Projects, which shows how to make 25 different projects.

    My wife Jo and I moved back to Portland in 1999, and I have been teaching in schools as an Artist-in-Residence ever since. Our two boys enjoyed having two creative artists as parents, but decided on their own that music was their form of art. They both live in LA now and are teaching, and designing websites for musicians. My house has a large basement studio that is always in use, and this is where I teach mosaic classes (look for my November schedule in the upcoming PNW Glass Guild weekly!)

    My current focus is in Public Art, and I am constantly filling out new Call to Artists for upcoming opportunities. I have installed work in Happy Valley OR, as well as Olympia and Bainbridge Island, WA. I have a beautiful version of the Guadalupe here in Portland at the Grotto Sanctuary, which I completed with the help of artist Hector Hernandez in 2017.

    I have always been grateful to the Society of American Mosaic Artists for introducing me to so many great mosaic artists. I have learned so much from them. I look forward to meeting more inspiring artists from the Pacific NW Glass Guild as well!

    See more of Mark’s work in the Member’s Gallery or at MarkBrodyArt.com/

    LATE BREAKING NEWS: Mark has just announced a November 15-16 Fused Ornament class and a November 21-23 Mosaic class. See his workshop page for more info.

  • Featured Artist: Diana Wendt, Kent WA

    DCF 1.0

    Studio History
    Diana Wendt founded Blue Dog Glass Art in 1995, naming her studio after her blue Neapolitan mastiff “Sumo”. She was drawn to the ancient method of “kiln-fired” glass forming, specifically “fused and slumped” glass.

    Artist Studies
    Early on, Diana who is self-taught, set out to acquire kiln-forming techniques/skills from master artist workshops and local recognized artists due to a lack of schools that offered classes in fused glass. She studied with well-known artists: Roger Nachman, Michael Dupille, Cappy Thompson, Mark Eckstrand and Susan Plum and recently Carlyne Lynch, a fellow PNW Guild member.

    She was the first glass artist to be awarded the Pathways Scholarship from Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle by Director Greg Robinson, which mentors emerging artists. Diana was also one of 30 artists selected by the Artists Trust to participate in the first EDGE Professional Development Program for visual arts.

    Three years ago, Diana signed up to study with international glass artist, Narcissus Quagliata in his exciting new masterclass series: “Painting with Glass”- PWG. She was delighted to be part of his second cohort of global students who studied and learned his unique methods of transforming glass into a new language during a six volume masterclass series lasting over two and a half years. It changed her approach in glass to go beyond simply cutting and fusing layers of glass to create a piece.

    Teaching
    By 2001, Wendt began teaching basic fusing at Pratt Fine Arts Center. Four years later (2005), Wendt moved from Seattle to Kent, WA and created a fused glass program for Green River Community College – GRCC, fulfilling her dream to teach from the tranquil setting of her near-by studio.

    In 2007, Diana set aside her studio art to lovingly provide 24/7 care for her ill, elderly mother while continuing to teach for Green River. Now, 29 years later, Diana continues to enjoy teaching for the college, being inspired by her students, exploring her own glass and learning from both the PWG and the PNW Guild communities.

    Inspiration:
    Diana’s style ranges from figurative to abstract with an Asian influence inspired by her Japanese mother, Mary. After losing the Blue Dog, Sumo in April of 2000 and subsequently her beloved mother, Mary in August of 2009; Diana realized how much their pure hearts are the true inspiration in her art:
    “To find [him]/her you must lose [him]/her. The Blue Dog knows the Way” (George Rodrique 1994).

    In the spirit of the Blue Dog and in loving memory of her extraordinary mother, Diana’s work continues to evolve as signed as “Sumo D” from the studio of Blue Dog Glass Art, Inc located in Kent, WA.

  • President’s Message

    November 2025

    Hi everyone,

    It is hard to believe that it is time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have had fascinating topics each month in the monthly meetings, a newsletter that has informative and timely information on members and events, opportunities for members across our area and playdates and classes to introduce our members to even more ways to make glass art.

    We have had a fun year with new members joining, three new sponsors, and classes, picnics, a vendor fair and studio tour in the Portland area in September and a studio tour in the Seattle area in October. There are also Christmas parties scheduled in Portland on December 6th and Seattle on December 14th.

    We held the annual elections at the meeting on October 26th, and we now have a new board for 2026. Barb Kienle will be the new President, Pam Archuleta and Linda Schnell will share the job of Vice President, Rose McBride will be the Secretary, and Linda Roman will continue as the Treasurer. All these officers will start on January 1, 2026.

    President Lesley Kelly

    The Oregon Potters Association, who has been partnering with the guilds that participate in the Gathering of the Guilds, has reserved Hall D in the Oregon Convention Center in Portland for April 24-26th of 2026. We are currently collaborating with them and the other guilds to see if it is cost-effective for us to consider participating in this event. There are many details to be worked out with OPA, and I will let everyone know what the decision is for the guild as to whether we should participate and how members can register if we decide to go forward.

    We have a very active and engaged group of sponsors now to work with guild members, and there should be many upcoming events that members can attend and participate in. Look for details in the newsletter and in the events section of the website.

    I would like to put in a plug for anyone who is interested in taking over the position of the Website Team Lead. In this role, you’ll spend about 2-3 hours per week supporting our website, which is a vital platform for connecting glass artists and glass aficionados across the region.

    Your main tasks will include:
    • Responding to user questions via email and pointing them to helpful resources.
    • Revising help pages if needed.
    • Coordinating with other website team volunteers to solve problems. The other volunteers are posting content, so you do not need to do that.
    • Reporting technical issues to our maintenance company.

    You also do not need to be a coding expert—we will teach you the necessary WordPress basics. Our paid maintenance company manages all the technical code, updates, and backups. The most important skill is knowing the website well enough to clearly communicate any issues to whoever needs to deal with them. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved, meet other glass artists, and help carry the load. Our current volunteer, Karen Seymour, is stepping into a new role and is ready to share her knowledge with you. Contact her or President Lesley Kelly to find out more or to volunteer for this position.

    I wish all of you a wonderful and joyous holiday season, with lots of family time and joy. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the holiday parties in December.

    Thanks,
    Lesley

  • 2025 Board of Directors

    We are looking for members to shadow board members and/or join the various teams 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 president Lesley Kelly to volunteer or if you have any questions.

  • A Warm Welcome and a Big Thank You to the Board of Directors and Team Leads

    We are delighted to introduce the dedicated individuals who will be serving on the Board of Directors this coming year, as well as the team leads who keep our Guild running smoothly. They will bring new ideas and energy to the Board and the Guild. Please join us in thanking everyone for their service!

    Introducing the New Board of Directors

    President: Barb Kienle: A retired education administrator, Barb now channels her energy into the luminous medium of fused glass. A Guild member since 2021, she enjoys interacting with and learning from other artists. Her work is a celebration of the natural world, capturing the serenity of forests, the vibrancy of flowers, and the peaceful beauty of the beach.

    Co-Vice President: Linda Schnell: An artist with arthritis, Linda has an enduring fascination with the intersection between art and science. Her background in engineering, along with a passion for collecting beach treasures, inspires Linda to create mixed-media art, including historic sea glass with ceramics and fused glass. Her latest marine life pieces may be enjoyed at Parklane Gallery in downtown Kirkland, WA.

    Co-Vice President: Pam Archuleta: Pam began creating glass art about 15 years ago and has been a member of the Guild since 2016. Her skills include glass blowing, torch working, kiln casting, and fusing, with a special emphasis on pate de verre. Pam’s art is often reflective of her appreciation for our natural world, and she loves to bring elements of nature to indoor spaces through her glass creations. Her work mainly focuses on the exploration of water, floral shapes, and natural geological processes. Her business has recently been renamed Lizzie Creek. 

    Secretary: Rose McBride: In late 2018, after a year and a bit of retirement traveling, Rose rekindled her friendship with a stained glass artist asking her for training and mentoring. Fascinated and inspired by the ever-changing play of light in glass art, Rose joined the Guild in 2019 and focused solely on creating stained glass artwork for three years. Her art was sold through Ten Oaks Gallery in McMinnville, River Gallery in Independence, Gathering of the Guilds in Portland, private commissions and through a gift shop in Salem, Oregon.

    After taking a 3-day class from Tim Carey at Bullseye and completing a multi-year course of study on painting with glass with Narcissus Quaqliata, Rose now uses a myriad of glass-transforming techniques in both her stained glass and fused glass art pieces. Her home and studio sit next to the Willamette Valley Vineyards and Winery south of Salem, Oregon. Rose has served as Board Secretary since October 2023. 

    A Big Thank You to the Continuing Board Members:

    Treasurer: Linda Roman: Linda’s experience in glass is very recent, and she is very interested in mosaic glass-on-glass. At this point, she has taken two classes from Kory Dollar at Marvelous Mosaic and has truly enjoyed it. She also has experience in pottery from her time living in Rochester, NY. Linda looks forward to continuing to serve the Guild as Treasurer.

    Past President: Lesley Kelly: Lesley has served as our President for the past two years. She joined the Glass Guild in 2004 and started running the Gathering of the Guilds (GOTG) shows. She has also served as volunteer coordinator for the GOTG information booth for many years, as well as Membership Chair and Treasurer in the Guild.

    Thank You to Our Team Leads and Other Volunteers

    We extend our sincere thanks to the following members who dedicate their time to leading our critical operational teams:

    Volunteer Opportunities: We Need Your Help!


    Website Team Lead needed: Keeps the website in order and ensures automatic updates run smoothly. Triages emails, invokes the maintenance company to handle real problems, and provides guidance to new website users. The WordPress skills needed are minimal and easy to learn but you do need to own a computer. The Team Lead coordinates with the communications, event, membership, and newsletter volunteers.
    We encourage you to reach out to the web-help team to learn how you can contribute to the success of the Guild in this position.

  • Welcome to our Newest Members

    Please take time to reach out and connect…even if you don’t live in the same area. The wonders of technology bring 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.

    Michael Bokrosh Mountlake Terrace WA
    Debora Cox Portland OR
    Niko Hostetter Portland OR
    Cheryl Mellnik Portland OR
    Dean Murray Dallas OR


    Brian Nelson Portland OR
    Andy Ryals Lake Stevens WA
    Lisa Stirrett Silverdale WA
    Misty Thornton Amity OR

  • General Meetings

    The next General Meeting will be discussing Float Glass Fusing November 16th at 3:30 via Zoom
    Glassy Cuts, our Featured Sponsor, will be the main speaker.

    In December we have holiday parties instead of a general meeting. We hope to see you at one of them:
    • December 6th at 5 PM in Beaverton OR (SW of Portland)
    • December 14th at 11 am in Seattle WA

    January 25th’s topic hasn’t been chosen yet. Please contact the VPs to suggest a topic for next year.

    Videos of recent General meetings, September: Sharing & Sherlocking and October:Torch-Work are on the website under Glass>education for any logged in member to see. They are arranged alphabetically and we try to start the title with the main topic.

  • Recent Event Photos

    If you are selling your work please log on and add yourself to the Glass>Members’ Gallery so we can link to your entry!

    Open Studios Glass Art Tour in Portland Area

    Part of Lyn Kennison‘s display

    Linda Roman and Kate Nichols at Lyn Kennison’s studio

    Lesley Kelly at Lyn Kennison’s studio

    Carlyne Lynch has a project for kids every year

    Greta Schneider at Carlyne Lynch’s studio

    Daryle Ryder stands behind her work at Carlyne Lynch’s studio

    Richard Glenn’s studio has great variety

    Linda Gerrard’s studio included guest Dianne Muhly’s work too

    Suzanne Tyler takes advantage of the sunlight

    Local 14 in Portland OR

    Visitors examine Cheryl Chapman’s work

    Greta Schneider does LOCAL 14 every year.

    (Mitz Kugler also participated in the show)

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    Enamel Play Day, Seattle WA

    Heidi Federspiel and Yvonne Cooper try various enamels during a play day in Karen Seymour’s studio

    Glass And Decor Studio Tour in Seattle WA

    Janiene Fitzpatrick really got into fall themed glass for the Seattle studio tour.

    Milo Snyder looks into one of his lamps, others are in the background on the right

    Mosaic and fused glass artist Bridget Culligan at her son Milo Snyder’s studio

    Karen Seymour’s lamps, tables, bowls and fountains in background with guest Yvonne Cooper in foreground

    Lael Bennett, another guest at Karen Seymour’s studio, had copper inclusions as well as her reactive glass this year.

    Member/sponsor Zetamari (Angie Heinrich in yellow) talks to visitors in her studio lined with the supplies she sells. Notice her mosaic mirror display is reflected on the left.

    David Smith explains his glassblowing tools

    Vendor Fair in Wilsonville OR

    This year’s Vendor Fair at the Charbonneau Country Club in Wilsonville was very well attended. Along with the potluck dinner there were 6 vendors and a drawing. Thanks to all who participated in this fundraiser and especially to Carlyne Lynch for all the organizing it took!

    The next Vendor Fair will be March 28th, 2026 at Sponsor NW Art Glass in Redmond WA

    Lots of prizes were lined up for the drawing. A big thank you to all who contributed prizes: Bullseye Glass Co., CBS, Creative Paradise, CR Lynch, Glass Bird, Glassy Cuts, The Last Stand, Maganda Glassworks LLC, Marvelous Mosaic, Portland Waterjet, Spirit of Glass

    Sponsor CR Lynch’s display of vitrigraph pots and plates with Sponsor Spirit of Glass dicro in the background

    Sponsor Bullseye Glass Co gave discounts on the glass they brought.

    Sponsor Glassy Cuts‘ display of system 82 glass colorants etc. She will be the speaker at our November 16th General Meeting

    A visitor talks to Gerald McBride of sponsor The Last Stand and Diamonds Grind Glass.

    Washington County Studio Tour (Portland OR area)

    Linda Gerrard talks glass with visitors

    (Sharon Dunham & Suzanne Tyler also participated)

    Bob Heath sent lots of photos. He has an amazing array of work. His demo of how he makes holes and some of the resulting bowls were what intrigued the editor the most.

    Julie Vincent also sent many more images than this. Take the tour next year!

    Bullseye Employee Art Exhibit

    We had a lovely turn out in spite of some crazy weather for the Bullseye Working Glass 2025 Exhibition on Saturday October 25th.  It was held down in NW Portland at the exhibition center across from the original Bullseye store that was on NW Everett. The art done by various Bullseye employees was quite amazing and creative.  It was fun to see all the ideas and processes they used to create their glass art. It was a special 2 hour event with food for the glass guild. 

    If you were not able to go it will be open one more Saturday, November 8th, to view those plus some other glass art in person. You can see all the artwork online but you know glass is better in person.

    Thank you to all who sent photos of events for this issue: Cheryl Chapman, Linda Gerrard, Bob Heath, Stephanie Johnston, Barb Kienle, Carlyne Lynch, Debbie Marchione, Kate Nichols, Karen Seymour, Julie Vincent

    Please send us photos of YOUR glass events and those you attend:

    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 and see one of our members, please take some photos and send the best 2 to the Newsletter team (600 px wide or “medium” resolution, about 500 KB, not more than 1MB if you can help it).

  • Coming Glass Events

    General meetings in 2025

    are via Zoom, usually on the 4th Sunday of most months, at 3:30 pm (no meetings in April, July, August, or December).
    Contact 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. Videos of many meetings are available to logged in members by choosing Glass>Education from the menu.

    Logged in members can submit their events under About> Contact Us, Submit Calendar Event tab

    Winter 2025:

    (Guild sponsored events are in bold)

    November
    7-9 Best of the NW Art Show, Seattle WA
    8 Bulleye Working Glass Exhibit, Portland OR
    10 Board Meeting via Zoom
    12 Sherlocking/Scaffolding, Fairview OR and Zoom
    14-15 Christmas Bazaar, Albany OR
    15 Class: Fused Holiday Ornaments, Portland OR
    16 General Meeting: Float Glass Fusing via Zoom
    20-22 Harvest Moon Bazaar, Boring OR
    21 Class: Mosaic, Portland OR
    25-Dec 23 Rain Spark Gallery Holiday Show, Lake Oswego OR
    29-30 Class: Vitrigraph Cane Design, Wilsonville OR

    December
    5-6 Holiday Marketplace, Corvalis OR
    6 Etsy Team Holiday Market, Salem OR
    6 Holiday Party, Beaverton OR
    14 Holiday Brunch, Seattle WA

    January
    12 Board Meeting via Zoom
    25 General Meeting via Zoom

    Our glass events don’t happen spontaneously: it takes organizing and prep. Give a little time and energy, get a lot more fun, glass info and sense of community. Just a few hours a month helping one of the teams with the many ongoing, easily-learned tasks will be greatly appreciated.
    For more info contact: Newsletter/publicity team, Website team, Sponsorship team

    December 6th is another potluck Holiday Party at Linda Gerrard’s In Beaverton OR. Tell her you’ll be there.

    And December 14th is a potluck Holiday Brunch at Karen Seymour’s in Seattle WA.

  • Featured Sponsor: Glassy Cuts

    Lisa Stirrett shows off a piece made with float glass at her studio in Silverdale WA.

    Glassy Cuts was born out of a big creative risk and one very determined artist. Before glass, Lisa Stirrett was immersed in Gyotaku painting, but that changed when she was commissioned to create a permanent art installation for the Kitsap Conference Center. The project required materials and techniques she’d never used — glass and metal — so she tracked down a Bullseye rep and a local metalworker to teach her what she needed to know. It was trial-by-fire, but she pulled it off. And somewhere along the way, she caught the glass bug. Big time. Within weeks she bought a 6-foot kiln and dove headfirst into glass fusing.

    But even as she got deeper into her new craft, one problem stood out: the cost. Bullseye glass was too expensive for a young artist trying to build a career. When she asked around about using float glass — the stuff from windows and frames — people told her not to bother: “That’s crap glass,” they said. Lisa’s answer? “Watch me.”

    She hunted down a compatible float frit supplier in Europe, started experimenting, and never looked back. Today, she’s the founder of Glassy Cuts — the U.S. distributor of System 82 Float Glass.

    Glassy Cuts is about possibility. We create products that make float glass fusing more accessible, more affordable, and more versatile, without ever cutting corners on quality. Our COE ~82 frit (compatible with 79–85 COE float) comes in dozens of vibrant colors and sizes from powder-fine to coarse, letting artists achieve full saturation without excessive layering or firings. We’ve also developed a full toolbox of float-compatible materials: pre-cut shapes, MyDots, stringers, dichroic, mica, mosaic bits, even ready-to-use kits and educational resources.

    System 82 isn’t just a line of products, it’s a way to rethink what float glass is capable of. With high-quality, richly pigmented frit and an ever-growing range of float-compatible materials, artists can explore familiar techniques like kiln carving, layering, texturing, casting, and vitrograph — all with the flexibility and affordability of float. From single-layer suncatchers to intricate, dimensional sculptures, System 82 gives glass artists the tools to push creative boundaries without compromising on quality or color.

    Lisa Stirrett Creative Warrior Studio

    And behind it all is a purpose bigger than glass. Glassy Cuts is based out of the Lisa Stirrett Creative Warrior Studio in Silverdale, WA — a women-run space that empowers women locally and globally through art. A portion of every purchase supports the Creative Warriors Nonprofit, which funds agriculture programs, microloans, and skill-building programs for women in Burkina Faso, West Africa. For Lisa and the team, every bit of float glass that ships out is a step toward something bigger: creativity, community, and lifting women up through the power of creating.

    If you’re new to float, curious about mixing things up, or just want to make more art with fewer limits, Glassy Cuts is here for it. We’re proud to be a part of this vibrant community of artists — and we can’t wait to see what you make next.
    See GlassyCuts.com for more info.

    Lisa will be our speaker for the November 16th General Meeting at 3:30 on Zoom. Come explore Fusing with Float Glass!

  • Thanks to our Sponsors!

    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

    Artifex Toolworks – Glass Alchemy – HIS Glass Works