Carlyne’s Adventures at the Las Vegas Glass Expo
I have gone many times to the Glass and Bead Expo in Las Vegas, but this was my first time as a teacher and booth holder. I walked 2-3 miles a day for the last few months to try to get this old body in shape. It helped improve my energy and stamina! I taught 3 days, 9-5 Designing the Vitrigraph Cane. I only had one day with each class and did not have the class time to have the students design and cut glass for their own designs. I wanted to teach design and a few advanced pulling techniques, and it worked very successfully!
I created six designs: Pinecone, Tulip, Rose, Geometric, Ladybug, and Flower (millefiori). I created step-by-step instructions with lots of full-color photos of the process. I turned this into a 72-page E-Book and a quick guide on a new product: The Pot Melt. This product has no need for a vitrigraph kiln but gives my metal pots another opportunity to create great elements. I sold out of them at the show.
4″ pot and one of the plates. See more plates at Carlyne’s new website
I could not have done this successful class without the Pacific Northwest Glass Guild. I have volunteered for many years with the Guild and helped foster many new members and WOW did they come through for me. Suzanne Tyler, Lyn Kennison, and Margie Rieff came over multiple days and cleaned glass, cut and chopped glass for my 16-tack fused pots for the students. Suzanne also was going to Las Vegas show but was stacked with classes but wanted to help. She not only did glass cleaning and chopping but designed my E-Book cover and Pot Melt Guide cover for me! They were stunning! Speaking of the E-Book, Rae Williamson and Rose McBride proofed it for me.
I had been training 3 people for the last 3 months on designing the cane: Daryle Ryder, Penny Hsu, and Lisa G. Lisa had a family emergency and had to cancel but gave Daryle her seat in a class. Daryle and Penny stepped up and worked hard and magnificently! I also had a booth to staff and Daryle and Penny took turns in the booth Friday and Saturday. Penny spent the entire day Friday in class with me learning and helping sell the tools that Gerald McBride makes for me.
My adventure teaching in Las Vegas started because I had an online friend on the Vitrigraph support group, Shannon Lynch, who insisted I put in a proposal for Las Vegas for the last 2 years. She came to spend time in Oregon with family and stopped and pulled with me for two days. She had never experienced my type of Vitrigraph and insisted I put in a proposal, and I did. Once again Rae Williamson and Rose McBride proofed my two E-books and proposal. Greta Schneider took my hand made murrini and crated two example tiles for the booth and classroom the day before we left!. These example tiles were critical for demonstrating my custom plates and murrini designs. The Guild members really came through to help me pull off this awesome opportunity! Thank you.
I registered and actually took two half day classes myself on Wednesday. A morning class with making molds and an afternoon class with float glass. Wednesday night was loading and setting up the loading the kilns for the first day’s class. A special paragraph for Daryle Ryder….
Daryle was brand new and went through three solid months of training. She had to rebuild and reload so many designs. Understanding what the glass does as it is squeezed through odd-shaped holes is not easy. She had to learn to pull, cut and center the rod. She was fantastic at the show. She gave demonstrations, and her hard work paid off. Her tulip design was the best murrini design pulled!
The arrival to Las Vegas of the team that was to set up the classroom was delayed eight and a half hours and Daryle and I had to set it up the classroom ourselves. We unloaded the truck, set up the table displays and sales table, supervised the kiln rack building, and loaded the kilns for the first day of class. It was a lot of work but we got it done.
I have been taking classes for almost three years with Narcissus Quagliata and thinking and learning about the design processes. Sketching, planning, making test tiles and alternative hold times and firing schedules. I discussed the science of glass and the nature of multiple firings with components and the effect of cumulative heat. Components is Narcissus’ biggest lesson as it was mine also. Designing the cane is the same. We pre-fire components, which means we will be firing 2-3 times and the cane might need even another firing when used. Firing schedules need to be slowed down and hold times altered to allow the components to meld. I taught design and glass movement and my students loved it. The class was designing the cane not twisting, and lining up the pull.
Sunday I got to work the booth that Sue Darte shared with me. I bought her second-ever pneumatic cane chopper and I brag about it and sell lots of them on various FB pages. She originally gave me a 4 foot table but expanded it to a 6 foot table. She was even more awesome than the finely engineered cane chopper! I had one in the class and demonstrated it, and my class folks helped sell her out.
I finally got to spend time in the booth on Sunday. It was a fabulous opportunity to network and to meet other attendee’s and instructors. There were great networking opportunities throughout the show. The whole event was just wonderful and the party Saturday night was also great fun. In addition to having such a wonderful time, I got some really interesting offers to teach in some other venues or other locations. More about that will be announced in the future, and one may even be in Europe! I also picked up some great presenters for our monthly glass guild meetings!
(Carlyne will be discussing Pot Melts at the May 25th General Meeting)