Church Window you say.......

Yes! This is in fact a window that was a custom order as a memorial. It's located in a Catholic church in the Green Bay area. The church had been rebuilt and wanted to stick with a more contemporary nature and so required that there were no images. It was so much fun to work on. There are actually 2 windows that are about 5' x 18"  and are mirror images of each other. There are some amber squares made by Chicago Art Glass called turtle backs and some glass nuggets as well as some wonderfully textured glasses in greens, ambers and clears. Remember  you can click on the close up views for a larger image. Enjoy! 



A Well Spent Afternoon.....

When we recall the times  in our lives that have made us smile, we usually think of special birthdays, weddings or once in a lifetime vacations, but last Saturday I had the pleasure of remembering old times with my high school Art teacher Mr. Ron Hahlen. He was the featured artist for this particular Saturday at Outside The Lines Gallery in Dubuque, Iowa, my home town. The smile I had when we greeted stayed with me all day. Remembering all those times, made me realize once again, how my creative side of life has been shaped by this teacher. How different my  life might have been had I took typing in summer school with all my friends rather than taking the Art class that I was much more interested in. After that as much time as was possible, including study halls, was spent in the Art Department, soaking up possibilities. It wasn't until later that I realized how well equipped the Art Dept. at Dubuque Senior High was, not only with pottery wheels, kilns, wood lathes, etc. but with a teacher who would help expand our minds in just about every area from metalsmithing to pottery, to drawing, woodcuts, and photo silkscreens. It only left me wanting more. And now it remains a large part of my life. Thank you Mr. Hahlen.

 Here, for my potter friends, he uses a torch(something we now apparently have in common) to quick dry thrown parts to connect with slab built parts. I wish I could have had a photo of the finished piece. You can find more info on Ron Hahlen at  http://www.otlag.com/  You can also find out more about this wonderful Gallery there as well. Below is a small glimpse inside the Gallery, a well appointed space with lots of great art.

 

Artistree Gallery Delights

I guess I'm a bit behind in my posting as I took these items up to the Artistree Gallery in Land 'O Lakes with the intention of posting their availability. But they sold before I could get the job done. I guess I better get busy with the other photos I have now. The pair above is made from Muschio Verde glass with Silver Plum dots and Fine Silver spirals. The ear wires are handmade of Sterling Silver.

Fine Silver textured rectangles with spiral disks and Champagne Freshwater Pearls

Silver glass twist bead encased in clear with one "wing" perched on a Sterling holder and suspended on a rubber cord.

Wine Stoppers for Brigadoon.....

Just yesterday I delivered a small batch of Wine Stoppers to my friends, Linda and David, owners of Brigadoon Winery.    http://www.brigadoonwinery.com/index.php   They're salt ot the earth people and I always enjoy visiting with them . They own a small winery in Tripoli, which sells some household favorites of ours like Highland Red and their delicious Merlot. So beautifully labeled bottles always need a little something special to go on top. I hope these can fit the bill. This one is made with 2 Hollow lampwork beads with clear and white stringer and bubble dots.

This pieice uses a twist design which is encaseed in clear and  has clear "wings"added with a single bubble dot.

Silver leaf and glass frit in deep purples and greens, cover this tab shaped bead.

Transparent Ink Blue covers a white base, with strands of silver dots. White flowers , side mounted clear bubble dots, and a single clear wing make the finish.And last is a bead made with several colors on it's base. Several different blues and silver leaf wrap around the body with a single Murrini at the base. It sits on a glass disk of silver based glass. Enjoy.