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   It seems that mini-stories on Facebook have superseded blogging lately.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.