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.

Hot Stuff And Angry Birds

     Aimee's Raven Steals The Sun is all done and ready for framing. I like the movement in the red baroque glass in contrast with the gray seeded glass I used for the raven. Lots of texture and movement going on here.

 

  Another bird is on the wire now. This one is a remake of an Angry Bluebird I made for my daughter, Ellen, when I first started making stained glass panels. It met with a terrible accident.
     I have the pattern drawn and squared up on the work board, using this grumpy guy as my base. Tomorrow I'll start selecting glass.
 

Raven Steals The Sun again

     When I began with stained glass, one of the first panels I made was Raven Steals The Sun, which is a Pacific Northwest Native People's story, which can be read at length here http://www.northwest-art.com/NorthwestArt/WebPages/StoriesRavenStealstheLight.htm . The first panel I made was very linear and rigid. My daughter requested a panel with the same theme. Since her birthday is a few months away, I got started. This one is more fluid, and has more movement. I have all the pieces cut out and it's ready for foil.
    Ravens, of course, are black, and black glass doesn't allow any transmission of light. Here I used a seeded and textured gray to imply black.

Stitch And His Ride

   Elicia's  birthday panel is all done except for the wood frame. The plating worked well. I like the bevelled border too. The water is Uroboros ring mottle, plated by a very light green muffle glass, which was also used in the border. Those features will have more impact when the glass is in direct sunlight.

Little Tiny Stitches

   I really really don't like cutting tiny pieces. Stitch's feet are just little tiny toes. I'm glad I have them all done. The first layer is cut. Now to foil them, get it soldered, and cut out the back layer for the plating.
 

Elicia's Lilo and Stitch

   My granddaughter Elicia found an image that she asked me to make for her. It's a Disney image of Lilo and Stitch, so is off limits to make for sale, but I can make it and gift it to Elicia for her birthday.
















This one is a challenge, because I will either need to plate the glass or fuse it for the underwater portion. I've had very little experience plating glass, and no experience fusing it. I'll need to do some reading on both to decide the best course of action.
   The primary work is done on the pattern, but I will need to refine it.

Thinking Clearly

    There are those that would say that most teenagers do not think clearly.  I'm here to tell you differently.
    Both my granddaughters are very artistic.  When she was 13, Serena drew a sketch that fascinated me, both because it was thoughtful and because it was different. I asked her if I could use her artwork to create a stained glass panel.
    "Nona, why do you even ask?"  She said.
    "Because artist to artist, I need your permission to use your original artwork, even though it may look a little differently when it's done. It's still your concept, and because it's the polite thing to do."
    Insert teen eye roll here.









    So three years later, I managed to get it done.  I used teal green waterglass, dark blue waterglass, clear baroque glass, and brown streaky granite glass. Then I soldered some steel bicycle gears on the back side.  The style is definitely all Serena. I'm just the glass cutter.
   Serena's "Thinking Clearly".

Out Of This World

   Well I'm pretty happy with how Pillars Of Creation turned out. I debated on putting a bevel border around the whole thing, and finally decided against it. Really, the contrast between the dark blue water glass and the interiors of the geodes is amazing, and when it's in the full sunlight, oh my...it's out of this world!

A Change of Direction

  Instead of starting Serena's piece, I got sidetracked in a different direction...actually a different galaxy.I have become entranced with a photo from NASA's Hubble telescope, nicknamed The Pillars Of Creation. I've been trying to figure out how to make it in glass. Should I plate it? Sandblast? While in Angel's Camp last month I bought a pile of agate slices at an amazing rock shop, StoriesInStone.com and I think it's a perfect compromise. Today I worked on the pattern and will probably start cutting glass next week.

The Glass Addiction

  I thought I could put the glass away for the winter, especially after finishing the huge project for the church. That lasted about a month, and I found myself hauling it all out again.
   Last year I bought a metal cutout of an Egan dital harp, with the intent of including it into a stained glass piece. Since my design process is a little regimented, I tried for a looser feel for this piece. I don't know that I nailed it, but it was a fun piece to make.

    Just as I began working on the church windows last year, a woman in Seattle contacted me about making a panel for a bathroom in their Bed and Breakfast. I had to ask her to wait since I was committed to the church project. I just finished the panel Molly's Iris, last week. The colors are subtle in ambient light, but absolutely glow with direct light.

   Next....something inspired by my granddaughter Serena's artwork. Stay tuned.

This Little Light Of Mine

    The drive over to the church today was less stressful than yesterday in some ways, and worse in others. Today is the day we have to lift each panel up vertically, fix it in place, shim it perfectly, and shoot in the exterior stops. My mind creates one catastrophe after another. What if a panel bends in half?  What if it doesn't fit?  What if the nailgun misses and shatters a panel?

     Ed has been so patient during this whole process. I should have known he knew what he was doing.  After I watched him move the first panel into place, I felt a huge pressure lift off me. He made it look so easy.

    We began with the Lion and Lamb window. I have heard the phrase "And the lion shall lay down with the lamb" so many times, I didn't realize that the phrase doesn't actually exist in scripture. "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."  Isaiah 11:6.  Still, the symbolism and imagery remain.

 
 The next window is my favorite, He Is Risen. "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' but when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."  Mark 16:1-4 Perennial lilies remind us of rebirth and renewal.  The open tomb glows with heavenly light. The rising sun lightens the sky.








     The Alpha And Omega window, the third one, has multiple symbols. The Greek letters are in royal purple.  "He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.'" Revelations 21:6.
  The wheat and grapes symbolize the Eucharistic bread and wine.  "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. "  John 6:48 

   The final window is the Holy Spirit Descending As A Dove.  She is surrounded by olive branches, symbols of peace and reconciliation.  The dove is often used throughout the Bible as a symbol of hope, and as God's grace. "And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.' "  Luke 3:22.  The Holy Spirit is also represented in the flames above the dove's head. 

   I can't begin to describe how it feels to have these windows safely in place.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to do this work.  I am so grateful for Ed and the support he has given me throughout this project.  My hope is that it will enhance the peace and worship in this church.   

What A Ride

   What an anxious morning. Ed and I loaded the glass rack into the truck then began moving each panel to the rack.  Honestly, I was a mess the whole way over to the church. Every bump seemed like a mountain.  Every curve was ski moguls.  Only by God's grace and Ed's excellent driving did we make it without any noticeable damage.  Ed carried each panel upstairs into the sanctuary. Then we drove back home for lunch, loaded up ladders and power tools, and drove back to put in the stops.

    Ed cut the stops into appropriate lengths, leaving gaps for the rebar on the back sides of the panels. Then he used some hardwood we had (leftover walnut flooring) to make stops. The walnut is sufficiently dense that it won't shrink or deteriorate over time. The gaps will also provide space for the necessary air circulation.

    Tomorrow the windows will go up. If we break anything, that's when it will happen. I have every confidence in Ed's glazing abilities, but my stomach won't stop doing somersaults until we're all done.











     So the stage is set, the players know their parts. All we can do is do the best we can.

Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Clean Up

   The last panel was polished and put away today, pending installation. The stack of twelve panels in the garage doesn't look like all that much work.  Ed tied them down securely so the cats don't knock them over during the night.


















   I went back into the craft room and began the clean up process. Sweep up tiny shards of glass and throw them away. Clean out the grinder. Sweep more shards. Sift through larger shards. Which ones to save as usable scrap and which ones to throw into the what-do-I-do-with-these? bucket. More sweeping, more sifting. Pull that tired old piece of sheet rock off the work table. There is still a lot of clean up to go, but I haven't seen the top of the work table in a long long time.
   Ed has the stops all sanded, primed and painted. Saturday I'll finish sorting and stowing the leftover glass. Installation begins on Monday. I'm so excited!

Yay!

    Yay!  The last piece for the last panel is foiled and ready to be soldered,  This week will be soldering and cleaning this panel.  Ed will be working on preparing the wood stops for installation.



















As I did for the other windows, I made a mock-up of all three panels together to get an idea of the finished window.

Next?  Installation!