Hello from sunny Alberta … home of the Wild Rose. Located just ten minutes from the Edmonton International Airport, we relocated to Leduc in the summer of 2023.
My glass interested started in 2010 when we were holidaying in Quartzite Arizona shortly after retiring from my day job as Director of Human Resources for the City of White Rock.
We joined the local Rock and Gem Club and started taking classes in everything they had to offer.
Memories of Spring
I kept hearing about this amazing woman named Greta and finally got to meet her. I enrolled in her beginners glass class and discovered dicrohic glass…it was just as sparkly as all the rocks we had been grinding in the lapidary shop. I was hooked from day one and Greta and I became best friends. When I returned to Canada I did not have anyone to keep my learning going so spent hours on the internet and Facebook connecting with other glass artists who were willing to help with my journey. I am forever grateful to them.
I discovered that I love to experiment and without any formal art training, did not know what I was supposed or not supposed to do so pushed a lot of limits. My husband still sometimes ask me if I am really going to make something or just play. In my quest for learning I have experimented with just about every process and technique out there.
I had the pleasure of hanging out with Dennis Brady (Glass Campus and Victorian Art Glass) who also loves to experiment so sometimes we were like two mad scientists. An example was when I was testing enamels for him. We mixed them with so many mediums including Murphy’s oil soap and liquid shortening…glad he was the one who had to fire them as the stink was awful but we had interesting results. I joined him in Las Vegas as his TA at the Glass and Bead Expo show…loved the experience but it was exhausting.
Poppy Fields
Spring Bear
Here’s Looking At You
Angel of Death
One of my visits to Portland, Greta took me to a Guild Board meeting and I was so happy to find an organization that had such great glass artists and best of all, they invited me to join them…it has been a wonderful experience. I have served in the role of Membership Director and a member of the newsletter team. I am not an active seller as I love donating my work to the various charities I belong to or support.
I have taken courses from artists such as Kelly Crosser Alge, Cheryl Chapman, Marguerite Beneke, Evelyn Gottschall Baker, Bob Leatherburrow, Alice Benvie Gebhart to name a few. Currently I am studying with Narcissus Qualiatia who is an incredible, creative master of glass. My next course will be with Derek Hunt…I love learning as much as I love experimenting.
Sunflower
Connections Across the Universe
Bruno
My teaching involves students who are interested in learning all aspects of glass which makes for wonderful long term relationships. Recently I introduced my Leduc students to my Vancouver Island students. We decided to do a new project each month together. This month’s project is a creation using glass leaves…lots of freeze and fuse, casting, grinding, and painting happening.
Glass Maple Leaf
Autumn Pleasure
I love that there is always something new to learn with glass and that it keeps you humble. Just when you feel like you have mastered something, you open the kiln and the kiln gods give you different outcome than you expected. It keeps me coming back…again and again.
Hi, everyone, summer is coming and there’s a lot to look forward to with activities from the Guild. Carlyne and Barb have a lineup of great topics coming together for the monthly meetings, and there are two picnics in the Seattle area in July and two in August for the Portland area. Also, we have a really exciting Powder Challenge coming up that will be introduced on June 23rd at the monthly meeting and then if you are interested, you can sign up for the Challenge and do a new powder project for 30 days. In addition, we have a signup for a class with Nadine Booth that will be in October – see the related article in the newsletter. The monthly Sherlocking event at Margie Rieff’s house has been a success and if you would like to join us on Wednesday, May 22nd at 6:30 pm to learn new ways to create glass. I look forward to seeing you at these events and have a fantastic summer!.
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.
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 youlog into pnwglassguild.org and go to “For Members” (which only appears when logged in) and choose Member Contacts List.
Bonnie Anderson, Redmond WA Katherine Blank, Snohomish WA Vickie Jarrell, Gates OR Lori Larue, Vancouver WA Brian Mayer, Portland OR Cindy McGavin, Milwaukie OR
Roger McGinnis, Port Angeles WA LuDell Parrett, Salem OR Lori Peterson, Helper UT Diane Routt, Amboy WA Marnee Wilson, Vancouver WA
I don’t remember a time when art was separate for me. Art is my breath as I exist through this life. Its how I make sense of the time and space I inhabit, and the world around me. Art is my first language.
I was a weird kid. I learned to read when I was three, so when it was time to go to school I struggled to pay attention while the class was learning their letter sounds. In first grade, my hearing loss was discovered, and that helped explain why I wasn’t following directions or listening to my teacher. I may not have been paying attention to my teacher, but I was definitely paying attention to the intricately jointed hermit crabs in their habitat in the back of the room. How they moved and interacted with each other, how they would suck back into their shells when someone dropped a book… I had questions. How did they keep their shells on? Did they have a silent language that only crabs understood? Do they ever get cold? What would it be like if they were big and I were tiny? My imagination would run free while school droned on.
Growing up, I was always able to find ways to entertain myself, and I cherished my time alone. One summer I spent weeks trying to craft perfect bird nests. I watched robins gather mud and grass, and wondered if I could fool them into using one of my nests. I don’t ever recall a time that I felt bored, there was always something new to learn.
I mention my childhood because I believe I was lucky to have finished school with my curiosity and imagination intact. Like many kids in school, I grew up believing that art was ‘extra’. Most important were math, reading, and science. Art was like recess, and recess was something you outgrew. The problem is that once you take away recess, things get serious fast. We become more concerned with how we compare to others, we are more careful about the time, because ‘time is money’ and we can’t afford to waste either. The beautiful, child-like creative spirit we all embodied at one time takes criticism to heart, and we no longer want to risk being wrong. It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized that art is ubiquitous. Art is science, art is math, art is music, communication and language, art is play. As a teacher I’m blessed to be a part of others’ journey in rediscovering that creativity and curiosity as they learn to see in new ways.
As for glass, we became acquainted when I was 6. I didn’t believe my mother when she told me the broken glass panel on our porch window would cut me if I touched it. I inspected every part of the break, which appeared so enticingly smooth, and wondered if my mother was tricking me. She was not. Even after the stitches, I secretly decided I would never stop touching glass. I’ve been intrigued and drawn to it ever since. I began working with glass as an art form in 1994. With my earnings from teaching art to groups of homeschooled children, I purchased my first kiln and began to play. I sold glass jewelry at art shows in the midwest and a few galleries while raising my four daughters, and was fortunate to be able to work from home in my tiny studio. During those first years, I longed to make art that satisfied my soul, but could only afford glass to make jewelry-sized work. I started using glass powders to color sheets of white glass to expand my palette, then used a sgraffito technique to doodle along the edge of the sheets. Later, I made sheets of glass with diary entries scratched the glass powder, and cut them into pendants before they could be read. My work evolved away from jewelry in about 2005, and I began making drawings in glass powder exclusively.
A few years later, I tried an experiment to see if I could learn how to teach my technique to others. I put together a ‘worst case scenario’ class, figuring if I could successfully teach that group, I would likely be able to teach anyone. I invited an oil painter, a goldsmith, a customer service telephone agent, and his brother, who swore he couldn’t draw a stick man. Add to that, a woman who loved art as a child but quit after an art teacher told her she didn’t have talent, and a nine year old girl. I figured the group would either be a fantastic combination or they would eat each other. Everyone in the trial class created work that surprised me, and I have been sharing my fused glass sgraffito drawing techniques in workshops from that day forward.
In 2017 I went back to school to finish my BFA degree in Glass and Metalsmithing at Bowling Green State University. I studied intensely, and was awarded research grants to develop a new enameling technique using aerosol graphite spray, and to conduct experiments using mason stains to color glass powders for use in pate de verre. Being in school allowed me the space, concentrated time, and equipment to realize work that matters to me most, and the immersion within a community of diverse creative people just can’t be beat. My time at BGSU was worth every penny of the student loans I now have, and my only regret is that I graduated at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic with my diploma arriving in the mail.
Today, I continue to teach artist workshops at various studios in the US and abroad, and am always up for a new gathering! You can find my current teaching schedule and other upcoming events on my website www.ModernAncientGlass.com
Interested in participating in the Guild led 30 Day Powder Challenge, join us at the June 23 General Meeting for more details.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the University of Oregon Craft Center is truly an incredible resource for students, faculty, and the broader Willamette Valley community. Offering members “the freedom to experiment with their crafts, collaborate, and explore new artistic possibilities”, the Craft Center boasts eight different studios in the EMU on campus, each devoted to a distinct artistic practice, including one focused on glass.
Started in 1974, the Craft Center has grown and changed over the years to reflect student interests and needs. Today, the Center serves more than 4,000 students each year, including 300 – 400 who use the Glass Studio, in addition to community members.
In the Craft Center hot shop
According to Assistant Program Director David Wagner, the majority of the students using the Craft Center are not majoring in fine arts. Instead, “it serves as a place for students to stretch their creative muscles, do something fun, and de-stress from the anxiety and pressure of a college workload.” The Craft Center also offers students a sense of community and a place to make connections outside a strictly academic environment. Wagner notes “The Craft Center is an important campus resource, used by students, faculty, and staff, and was one of the first campus programs to re-open after the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Faculty are drawn from the local community and include both professional glass artists as well as amateurs who love to teach and share their skills. Students sometimes develop into instructors as well, providing them an opportunity to hone their leadership and artistic skills. The primary torchwork instructor is a former student and the stained glass instructors count both a student and an alum among their ranks.
In the Glassworking Studio, you can find fusing kilns, stained glass tools and equipment, torches, flameworking tools, and an annealing kiln, as well as a hot glass studio with a covered, outdoor glass blowing area. With a strong boro culture, it is a key resource for Oregon torchworking, as well as being one of the best equipped hot shops in the region. While the Craft Center is not designed to be used for commercial or production glass, it provides the regional glass community a great opportunity to learn and practice new glass skills and collaborate with other artists. In addition to providing equipment for use in the Studio, artists may purchase glass and other materials onsite.
With a welcoming and encouraging environment for artists of all skill levels, the Craft Center offers workshops and classes as well as open studio time. Community members without a University of Oregon affiliation can register for Craft Center workshops each term after the student priority registration period and can sign up for Open Studio Passes when studios are available. Studio Orientation is required for all new studio users not registered for a workshop to become acquainted with studio policies and space usage.
The Craft Center will be offering a number of glass workshops over the summer, and Open Studio times will be available from the second week of July until the end of August. If you are interested in a workshop, studio time, or becoming an instructor, check out their website at https://craftcenter.uoregon.edu/ or email them at craftctr@uoregon.edu.
We had another very well attended and successful Gathering of the Guilds show this year! The new room and load in location presented some challenges but things went fairly smoothly and the new layout also worked quite well. We do not have specific numbers to in time to publish for this newsletter but those will come later.
Thank you to Lesley for all her hard work and patience coordinating things for the glass guild and to all the team leads and their volunteers (and Mitzi for setting up Sign Up Genius). Our guild also put on many glass demos each day that were well attended and much enjoyed so thank you to all the artists who participated in those.
This show is a lot of work and also costs quite a bit to put on, but is wonderful exposure not only for the artists who participate but for the art of glass in general. It helps give the public a much better understanding of what goes into producing a piece of glass art, and they also see the huge variety of techniques that we learn and use to produce our unique pieces of artwork.
Linda Roman, treasurer, and Lesley Kelly, president and PNWGG Gathering of the Guilds coordinator, did heroic service.
(Margie Rieff took most of the photos but forgot to get one of herself in her own booth. Lesley Kelly and Greta Schneider also sent photos. Thank you to all!)
Carlyne Lynch organized the demo schedule and gave demos while also selling her art (vitrigraph tools as Sponsor CR Lynch).
SponsorNW Art Glasshosted our first Seattle/Redmond Area Vendor Fair. We had 17 people show up despite the challenging traffic (construction closure and President Biden in town closed both bridges from Seattle for a while) and the gorgeous 83 degree weather. They all brought food to share so were were well fed. Gerald McBride, The Last Stand and Diamonds Grind Glass, was our only actual vendor but several members who teach put out information about their classes.
Rose McBride studies Gerald McBride’s wooden stand display while everyone else bids on the silent auction donations.
We had some great demos:
Jim Mathews (Glasshoppa.com) showed some inexpensive and functional equipment for finishing drop vessels
Sponsor Gerald MacBride, Diamonds Grind Glass, demonstrated his battery driven grinder which has water at the tip so you don’t have to work underwater
Karen Seymourtalked about how to achieve your desired texture by choosing the right peak fusing temperature.
Lael Bennett listened to a question after describing some of her reactive glass experiments.
Michael Dupille made a mold from Castalot and described how to use his durable casting and slumping product ( sponsor NW Art Glassalso sells it)
Stephanie Johnstonshowed how to make silicone molds easier to use by adding color and opacity
Many thanks to all who participated. We hope to see even more of you next spring.
Portland/Vancouver Area Vendor Fair Organizer Needed
We discovered our vendors generally need to know the Vendor Fair date and location many months in advance in order to make plans to participate. Without someone actively organizing the event at this point the Board decided to postpone the Portland/Vancouver Vendor Fair until 2025 and we are considering basing it in Vancouver to begin alternating with Portland. If you want to be sure this fun event happens next year please volunteer to begin leading the Vendor Fair organizing effort and contacting vendors and sponsors as soon as we have a date and location set. Email Sponsorship Team Lead Stephanie Johnstonfor info to get started.
Here come 4 more chances to get together with other glass folks. Some locations will be having a mold exchange. All would love to see your latest project or hear plans for your next one. See the individual event listings for details.
August 11, Battle Ground WA (N of Vancouver WA) 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday, hosted by Gail Haskett (the date was changed to Sunday the 11th from the earlier mentioned date)
On behalf of the Guild, Member Linda Gerrard is bringing fused-landscape artist Nadine Booth from Arizona to teach a 3-day class October 23-25. Learn how to convey the ambiance of nature by enticing viewers to step into your scene by layering various forms of glass. Gain valuable insight into glass placement, torch work, frit usage, coldworking and much more.
Note: Intermediate to advanced fusing experience is required
Students must wear long pants and closed-toed shoes.
Bring: dust mask, bent-nose tweezers, glass cutter, running pliers, grozer, mosaic nipper, tapered metal teaspoon, ruler with cork backing/straight-edge, glasses (prescription or safety), and a notebook
Cost: You must be a current member of PNWGG $575 per student (includes glass, metal mounting panel and silicone, paint brushes, and multiple fusings)
The class is full. If you would like to be contacted as alternate if someone must cancel, or if you have questions, email Linda Gerrard
Class location: Candlelight Glass Studio, 2215 SW 187th Ave., Aloha, OR
• The June 23rd meeting will introduce the “Powder Challenge“. Contact our VPs Barbara Kienle and Carlyne Lynch to get on the speakers list or if you have an idea for a future meeting topic.
• Did you miss a recent meeting but wish you hadn’t?General meetings are open to everyone but you have to join the Guild and log in to view the videos:
Some of the recent videos are unedited in order to make them available sooner. If someone wants to help their fellow members by editing them we’d really appreciate it, please contact our VPsto volunteer.
What is it? Creating imagery with finely powdered black glass on a sheet glass substrate. Sgraffito is a subtractive technique; light areas are created by scraping away the powdered glass, while dark areas are made by adding piles of powder. The finished drawing is very vulnerable until the piece is fired in a kiln so don’t sneeze! We will be working to complete 30 fused glass powder sgraffito sketches in 30 days.
Getting started may be difficult and you may not have experience using glass powders in this way. I hope though that you accept the challenge feet-first and I promise you will improve by leaps and bounds over the next 30 days! We will begin on July 1st so get your black powder ready…
2024 International Contemporary Mosaic Artists Conference in Eugene OR
MemberCarlyne Lynch sends us this: “I attended theInternational Contemporary Mosaic Conference in Eugene this month. What a rare and great opportunity to learn from the vast experience and art on exhibit. Our very own Kory Dollarof Marvelous Mosaic Fine Art won the Innovation Award for her entry of “Hoot”. Congratulations Kory.
The word of the conference was Andamento. It was borrowed from an Italian musical term and refers to the flow or movement of tesserae (the pieces) in a mosaic. Andamento directs the eye and sets the tone for the image, whether that is calm and measured, dynamic, chaotic or playful.
PNWGG sponsor Marvelous Mosaic Fine Art hosted a book signing and recorded Dr. Bodycomb’s talk for the PNW Glass Guild. The video is available to logged-in members under Mosaic… in the Glass>Education menu or here.
ArtInBloomSeattle.com
Several Seattle members and their friends held their annual garden art studio tour and sale again this year. Not shown are members David Smith and Bridget Culligan We had “Interesting” weather and were able to prove the birdbaths and bowls held water and didn’t blow away in heavy wind.
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 publicity team (400 to 600 px or “medium” resolution, about 500 KB, not more than 1MB if you can help it).
Future Events
General meetings in 2024 are via Zoom, usually on the 4th Sunday of most months, at 3:30 pm (not April, July, August, or December).
Contact our VPs 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 members by choosing Glass>Education from the menu.
• “Sherlocking” – This monthly troubleshooting and discussion group is for members wanting to troubleshoot their glass pieces and techniques and has decided to meet most 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 6:30 pm (does not meet in July or August this year). In person near Portland and via Zoom. Check the Calendar for upcoming meeting dates.
(our glass events 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.)
• The PNW Glass Guild’s September Open Studios in the Portland/Vancouver area is looking for a new volunteer to lead it: Linda Gerrard has been doing it many years and wants someone to shadow her this year so they can take it on next year. The event will be September 14-15. Contact Linda for more info.
• See the related Vendor Fair article above about the postponed Portland/Vancouver area vendor fairlooking for a volunteer to start organizing now for next year. Contact Stephanie Johnston, sponsorship team lead.
• Refract is celebrating glass in Seattle October 17-20: The Guild is sponsoring the GlassAndDecor.comStudio TourOct. 19-20 as part of larger RefractSeattle.org glass celebration. Contact Karen Seymour about hosting a site if your home/studio is north of the ship canal and south of the city limits. Also contact her if you are volunteering to organize carpooling from your town to come to Refract. Refract has over 50 venues presenting glass of all types. It is mostly free or the normal cost of museum entry.
Although the origins of glass are ancient and found in many civilizations throughout history, Dichroic Coated glass is a relative newcomer to the art glass world. Many people have heard the story of the artist rummaging through the Dumpster looking for cast off Dichroic glass that was being thrown away by the scientific community. So what exactly is Dichroic glass and how did it end up in the world of art?
Patterned Glass
Dichroic glass is actually a coating process that is completed in a vacuum deposition chamber by vaporizing quartz and metal oxides with an electron beam gun and condensing micro thin layers on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. This coating that we commonly call Dichroic glass today, is actually an “interference filter” permanently adhered to the surface of a piece of glass. The technology used to manufacture the optical interference filter has been in existence for over 40 years. It is known as “vacuum thin film deposition.” The roots of this technology date back to the late 1880’s. The significant commercial development of thin film deposition however, waited to be spurred by our military and aerospace requirements in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In the last 40 years this technology has played a key role in optical coating for a vast variety of optical instruments, lasers and laser systems, fiber communication links, optical recording/storage heads and media, display systems, infrared guidance and detection devices, photoelectric converters, architectural glass, eyeglasses, and many others.
It was 40 years ago when Jerry Sandberg of Coatings By Sandberg, Inc. pioneered his first vacuum, vapor deposited, thin film coatings strictly for art applications. Now, when the word Dichroic Glass is mentioned, the name “Sandberg” quickly comes to mind. The Sandberg Family is the backbone of this high tech aerospace application reinvented for the art glass industry.
Back in the early 1970’s, Jerry Sandberg was working for a vacuum-coating laboratory in Newport Beach and happened to take notice of an artist digging in the trash for pieces of Dichroic out of spec mirrors and started talking with him. This was the first interaction that Jerry had with the artist community and was immediately fascinated with the creative potential of the glass. Jerry then worked with these artists to create the first three Dichroic Glass Colors specifically designed for the art glass industry (Cyan/Red, Magenta/Green and Yellow/Blue).
Specialty Glass
It wasn’t long before Jerry also started experimenting with the coatings in the kiln. A third generation jeweler as well as a world class engineer, Jerry used his knowledge to create some of the first fused Dichroic Glass jewelry. His experiences using the Dichroic glass allowed him to see first hand, what other artists were now experiencing for the first time.
For the next twenty-five years Jerry continued to supply the art glass market and continually expanded the pallet of colors at the request of his ever-growing group of artists. A few other coating houses soon started to offer similar vacuum deposited coatings due to the buzz that Jerry had created and nurtured for many years. For Jerry, customer service and a quality product were paramount. The first distributors started selling Dichroic Glass during the 80’s as it became more and more popular.
In 1996 Nona & Jerry formed Coatings By Sandberg, Inc. Their mission was to supply the art glass market with reliable, consistent, uniform and durable Dichroic Glass coatings at a reasonable price. Customer service as well as customer support were key and still are to this day. Before Nona & Jerry were able to finish building their own custom vacuum deposition chamber with a price tag of one million dollars, the two had thousands of dollars in artist orders waiting to be produced. The first CBS Dichroic glass was created in November of 1996. CBS had to sell directly to the end user as distributors were not familiar with the company and unwilling to carry its product. Within the year some distributors were already requesting to open an account with CBS due to the multitude of artists requesting it by name.
As the demand for Dichroic Glass grew, CBS also began to expand. Not only did we expand production, we also expanded our product line and developed new coatings and patterns. We invited well known artists to come teach us at our plant and learned about fusing, slumping and manipulating glass. This all helped keep us in track with what our clients were doing and allowed us to offer extensive technical support to our valuable customers. At this point we coined our slogan “The Art of Dichroic Glass” since our products are specifically made with the artist in mind. In fact, the Sandberg’s specifically designed their chambers for the optimization of art glass as well.
By the new millennium CBS had single handedly created the standard in Dichroic Glass Coatings. Our colors were understandable. The color shifts during hotworking was predictable. The coatings were stable and most of all CBS was reliable. All the top distributors were on board with CBS and carrying inventory. As the leading manufacturer of Dichroic Glass CBS has a commitment to the well being of the struggling artist, on up to the world-renowned master, in the supply of quality Dichroic coatings.
In recent history we have created many more patterns, specialty rainbows, stripes and images. Imagine, we started out with 10 patterns and 16 solid colors, and now have 25 pattern and 23 colors and over 130 combinations of the two! We have also coated a multitude of glass including: architectural glass, stained glass, blown glass, fused glass, castings, bevels, rods, stringers, tubing, gems, jewels, drusys, cabochons, buttons, ear plugs, ceramics, glass block, tile, and more. We have coated pre-made items such as sculptures from Milon Townsend, hand blown bowls by James Nowak, beads from Sharon Peters and Swarovski and Waterford crystal, and have even worked with The Walt Disney Company.
Dichroic Extract
Dichroic Glass Coatings have come a long way in 40 years but have many more years in store. Thanks to so much excitement in the art market, Dichroic glass is now used for construction in the form of tile, decorative skylights, mood lighting, lighting fixtures, mosaics, sinks, sconces and sculpture. We realize that the future of Dichroic glass is very dependent on CBS and its practices. We are constantly in a state of analysis, research and development and we now have Distributors all over the globe. We have also hired “in-house” artists to help test and provide vital input to future product. We have expanded our sample department in an effort to offer smaller amounts at lower price points. Most recently we have designed a new Dichroic surface texture know as Crinklized Dichroic™. In the future, CBS will be experimenting with additional surface texture, shadowing techniques, new deposition materials, unique patterns and more.
In addition, in 2005 the Museum of Dichroic Art (MODA) was created and it now houses the largest know Dichroic glass collection in the world. It is currently located in our lobby in Orange, California and is available by appointment for guided tours throughout our facility on a daily basis.
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
I have been attending one or two glass fusing classes per year for 20 years! This does not make for an experienced craftsman! I have to relearn everything each year. But my passion for anything glass began immediately, when I toured the art glass manufacturers here in the PNW 20 years ago. What a privilege to be exposed to so much diversity and talent in the art glass field.
I joined the PNW Glass Guild a few years ago at the behest of Sheri Spurlock, the owner of Melt Glass. She informed me of the discounts available to Guild members. Soon after, I attended Guild meetings and special events and found this open, glass-enthusiastic community. It has been a wonderful experience from the get-go; from becoming aware of all the fusing techniques to the camaraderie of other enthusiasts. This past year I attended classes offered by Ann Cavanaugh and Kory Dollar – learning two completely different glass techniques.
Now I am in a position to focus, which I’ve yet to do! My goal is to solidly understand the techniques of glass fusing and glass-on-glass mosaic work. In appreciation to the Guild for what it has offered me, I’m serving this year as Membership Chair. As with any organization, there are too few people and too little time to cover all the duties to make it run smoothly. It’s my privilege to be here! Hope to meet you all along the way!
I grew up in a flourishing craft city in upstate NY. Taking advantage of the rich culture, I took many classes from Genesee Arts Co-Op and RIT to become a potter. I enjoyed this craft for more than 15 years. When I moved to the West Coast, I became interested in glass, and I took a Mosaic class with a friend at Marvelous Mosaics Fine Arts. After that I was hooked! I love glass with all the different colors and textures. The class was great, and our teacher Kory Dollar was so knowledgeable and patient. Since then, I have gone on to take several other classes from Kory to extend my knowledge in color, composition and glass cutting. To broaden my glass experience I have taken classes at Bullseye and Melt. Both are excellent resources to learn different techniques.
Through friends I joined the PNW Glass Guild and was cajoled into becoming the Guild’s treasurer. I’m now in my second two-year term. And despite the hard work, it’s been a great way to meet other artists in the Guild.
I have shown my work at the 2023 PNWGG Gathering of the Guilds (GOTG), Shirley Bishop’s Open Studio tour last September, and the Portland Artisan Holiday Market. I will be at this year’s 2024 PNWGG GOTG at a group booth and also as a cashier on April 19-21st in Portland. I hope to see you there!
I realize that with the current weather we are experiencing here in the Northwest, it may not seem like Spring is just around the corner, but it is definitely on the way and we have a lot of great events lined up. Starting in April, we have the Gathering of the Guilds on April 19-21, 2024 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland and the Vendor Fair in Redmond WA (near Seattle) on May 11th, 2024. In addition, there are the Monthly General Meetings on the 4th Sunday at 3:30 to discuss various topics and the “Sherlocking” (troubleshooting) meeting at Margie Rieff’s house the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. These are Zoomed so you can share your pieces and experience if you can’t physically attend. There will be also be picnics in several areas this summer (see article below for picnic dates and places)
Please also consider volunteering in the planning and production of any of the events as well. Volunteering can be as easy as coming to Gathering of the Guilds and booth sitting for an hour and meeting up with old friends and making new ones during the show, or helping with one of the committees who work to make the guild successful, or taking a position on the board, or anything else you can think of. Any assistance you can provide to the guild would be greatly appreciated. Please see the website for alink to volunteer for helping with the Gathering of the Guilds and share the excitement as we show off much of the amazing glass art created by your fellow members
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.
