EPA Targets Art Glass Manufacturers.

Recently, Spectrum Glass in Woodinville announced that it will be closing its doors, largely because of the aggressive actions taken by the EPA and their anticipated increased restrictions in manufacture.  Uroboros Glass and Bullseye Glass, both based in Portland, OR  are undergoing similar pressures, as are other art glass manufacturers in the USA.   The EPA is not basing these pressures on science, but on kneejerk assumptions. The EPA has yet to produce data showing a correlation between pollutants and manufacture. 

   The art glass world isn’t very big, and manufacturers are a small family.  This industry of just six manufacturers is facing $2.5-$3.5 million of capital investment due to regulatory changes with no advance warning. It is too much for some of them to bear. The industry is willing to meet new regulations but needs time to do so. Spectrum Glass has decided to fold. 

    I would urge you to take the time to read the press release by Spectrum Glass. It very painfully details the difficult decision they have made, based on the continued depressed economy and the increasingly oppressive EPA. I have attached the link. Similar press releases can be found from Bullseye Glass, Uroboros Glass, Youghiogheny Glass, Kokomo Glass and others. These manufacturers supply thousands of other businesses and craftspeople who depend on their unique glass styles to complete their work. They are now at risk of being put out of work themselves.The very suppliers who have created the iconic glass of the American stained glass legacy are at risk.  Lost jobs, foreclosed homes, the downward spiral continues. The USA, the premier manufacturer of art glass in the world, will be out of production and China will continue to make mediocre glass in squalid conditions.    http://spectrumglass.com/5-11-16PressRelease.pdf

    Many manufacturers have a large body and loud voice. The glass world whispers. No glass artist is asking for anyone to close their eyes to a real problem. The American art glass industry is about to shatter. 

I Feel Glorious!

A very grateful thank you to Kate Pittman for allowing me to use her original artwork for this piece.  I really love how the green trees outside shine through the textured clear glass in this panel. Now to get her all polished and in a wood frame.

Glorious!

   The geode sidelight was installed last month. A special shout out to my husband for the installation. I did get the hint however that he would rather not be responsible for installations from now on. I can't argue with him on that. Installation is the most stressful part of the whole project. I'm happy, the client is happy, and my husband is happy that it's the last install.












   The next project is a result of a marvelous piece of artwork by Kate Pittman, aka Rockstarkate. I saw a drawing she did on Facebook. I wrote to her and asked permission to use it for a stained glass panel which she very graciously granted. That was two years ago, and I'm finally getting to it.












   The hair, the body, the banner, the movement of the lines, all just screamed "glass".  I decided to use textured clears for most of the piece, with browns for the banner. I wasn't sure how to get the script on the banner pieces, I finally used my Dremel engraver, which worked just fine.
Everything is cut out and I will begin foiling this week.

Sidebar or Geode, That Rocks

   I've been working on a commissioned sidelight. The client wanted organic shapes and colors, so I thought of geodes. I think of them as nature's stained glass.  I presented a design that was accepted and off I went.



The design incorporated lots of glass globs, suggesting water and bubbles. The ribbons of amber tied the piece together. The geodes? Well, they speak for themselves.
     Usually when I start a project I work right through it. For some reason I found myself working a day, then backing off, then putting a few hours in, then walking away. I'm not sure what that was about because I was really enthusiastic about the design.
      Finally I managed to finish. Due to some scheduling problems, it won't be installed for several weeks, but the client is happy, and so am I.

It Just Needs A Bit of Catch-Up

   It seems that mini-stories on Facebook have superseded blogging lately. Let's remedy that right now!
  This last summer, flowers were the theme. Both were commission pieces, which is always a plus. But the pleasure isn't at the cash register, it's in the making of the piece. As is often the case, the design's subject matter had special meaning for the new owner. One was for a woman who had spent several years living in Holland. The other piece was for a woman's mother who loved irises.

            Then, at a yard sale, I found a lovely cake plate. Cake plates are generally flat, and this one had little tiny button feet. Perfect, I thought for a glass panel. I entered it at our local county fair, and won a ribbon! 

This week I finally finished a panel for my niece. She wanted a panel that represented hope and renewal. To me, that meant springtime blossoms. I used a dremel engraver to script a portion of Psalm 51.  

  

                                                                                                               

                                                                                                                            

Forever In Our Hearts

      On March 24th, 2015 San Jose Police Officer Michael Johnson was killed in the line of duty. In responding to a call for a violent suicidal man, he was shot in ambush and died. Sworn to protect and serve, attempting to aid a man bent on destruction,  he paid the ultimate price.
    As a retired SJPD dispatcher, this hits a nerve. Nothing I say, nothing I create will begin to fill the hole that Officer Johnson's death leaves, but I wanted to make a memorial panel for his family.
   As I began the design process, I realized it needed to be more abstract than literal, more representational than figurative.
    The two jewels represent Officer Johnson and his wife. They are surrounded and protected by a family of blue who will never forget their sacrifice. And because the Thin Blue Line and The Thin Red Line are protected by the thinnest Gold Line, the dispatchers, there is a thin band of gold representing them as well.
    Officer Michael Johnson and his family will be forever in our hearts.

One Angry Bird And One Lucky Lady

     Ellen's Angry Bird is done, and I like it a lot more than the first one I made several years ago. I'm not sure what these birds are so mad about, but they always look irritated.




















    I also had a request from a friend for a panel featuring tulips. She recently moved stateside from The Netherlands. Her favorite tulips were called Lucky Lady, and wanted that particular tulip incorporated into the panel. I titled this one Stephanie's One Lucky Lady, because I liked the double entendre.