From the Studio and Other News

As a glass artist it is always exciting to expand ones color palate. I love to work with the reduction glasses produced by Double Helix Glassworks. Just a little bit of extra sparkle or luster can add interesting effects to almost any piece.  When I work on the torch it is most often set to produce what we call a neutral flame: a balanced equation of propane and oxygen. A second option is an oxidizing flame, which some glass colors prefer- this is a cooler heat, which often produces a hissing sound when used. A third choice is a reduction...

As I child I remember spring days as a time to draw circles and dig holes for our annual neighborhood marble games. The games ranged in complexity, but even the simplest games were worth keeping a few glass orbs at the ready in your pocket. These kinds of games have been played for hundreds of years, starting with clay marbles used in ancient Egypt. Round nuts and small stones were also popular precursors to the iconic glass pieces still used today. While the glass marbles in my pocket in the 1960s were mass produced, possibly in the USA, German hand...

  As a glass worker living in 2021 it’s amazing to reflect on a substance that was created almost 3500 years ago. Through the ages, craftsmen developed the skills of glass blowing that allowed for both practical items, such as light bulbs, pitchers and windows, but also beautiful pieces of art. Skills first cultivated by the Romans and then the Italians continue to inform and influence the work of glass workers today. My time visiting and studying at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY has illuminated the contributions to the art of glass work from countries all over...

  February seems to be the appropriate month to talk about the color red. It can be brilliant and strong like the dragon in the Chinese New Year’s parade or warm and luscious in our Valentines roses.  Throughout history not only has it symbolized courage, danger and sacrifice but also love, passion, anger, sexuality and joy. We employ it every day in some aspect of our lives, making it a very dominant color. The human eye sees red when it looks at light with a wavelength between 625 to 740 nanometers. Red is the color evoked by light that our...

Enamel (also known as crushed glass) has a long and very interesting history. When you start to think about enamel and it’s applications, it may conjure up visions of the heavy pots on your stove or possibly the old piece of jewelry in your mother’s collection. The fact that it can be applied to gold, silver, copper, aluminum, stainless steel and cast iron makes it incredibly versatile. It becomes an even more attractive medium when one takes into account it’s many other special qualities; it has long lasting color, it is smooth, hard, and scratch resistant and does not burn....