Back from Pilchuck and Off to Other Adventures

Back from the North West to find the hot shop is still here and ok. A couple of our renters Dan and Dave got some work done while I was away. Fellow STARworker, Adam Landman was kind enough to keep the shop functioning for them in my absence. Thanks Adam.

Now that I am back the shop is up and running at full steam again. Tim Ayers, a friend of STARworks and newcomer to glass, has been in the shop lately. We have been working on blowing a mold of a large barnacle. Here are some shots from the second attempt of us blowing the mold.





Here is the before. You can see we have a large glass bubble. I was able to get my friend Jimmy to help with the blow, you can see him blowing in the end of the pipe while I am shaping the glass bubble. This was only moments before we went into the mold with the glass.

These are what came out of the mold. Look! They're giant glass barnacles, WOW!.....

This is only part of what has been going on here at STARworks Glass. We have also been getting ready for the upcoming school year and workshop season. Hope we can get some of you to sign up. We are also working on making 53 glass cloud animals for the Triad Stage in Greensboro. They are going to use them and some of our other work in there up coming production of The Glass Menagerie. I'll be posting photos of the work for them soon.













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Here is a photo from a latest Tour. A 4-H group from stanly county came down yesterday. As part of their tour they watched a glassblowing demo, and had a clay experience. Their Glassblowing Demo consisted of me and my "baller" assistant Adam Landman making a large wavy bowl. Which, is a really fun thing for people who have never seen glassblowing to watch. At the end there was a lot of good questions, usually people are to nervous to ask questions but not the girls in this group. They were very curious about just about everything we did down to why the bench was were it was. They also enjoyed a little science experiment that we showed them. If you want to know what that is you will have to come and see for yourself.

New Workshops and Other News!!!

Announcing the line up of workshops for April and May.

April 24-25: Intro to Glass Blowing full weekend class
May 8: 3 Hour Glass Blowing workshop
May 15: 3 Hour Fusing workshop
May 27-28: Intro to Glass Blowing full weekend class

Also the Next open house is Saturday June 5th. 4:30 - 7:30, check us out along with the rest of STAR, NC. As the open house follows events earlier in the day for STAR Heritage Days.

Other news I will not be here for July... I'm going to PILCHUCK ! ! !
I will a TA during the third session this summer for James Mongrain aka "Jimmy the Wig" here is the artist / class info from the Pilchuck catalog.

Renowned goblet maker and glassblower JAMES
Mongrain was introduced to glass at Minnesota
State University Moorhead and later studied at Mas-
sachusetts college of Art and Design and the Appa-
lachian center for craft. Since 1993, he has worked on
many projects with Dale chihuly, beginning with chihuly
Over Venice. In 1997, he opened Mongrain Glass Studio,
located in Mukilteo, Washington. Mongrain has worked
with such artists as Jim Dine, Jeff Koons, Kiki Smith, and
Robert Wilson. He exhibits nationally, and his work has
received much recognition, including a nomination for
the louis comfort tiffany Award.




Goblets: Form and Context All artists begin their visual education
by imitating in order to learn. American glassmaking aficionados look at historical
forms and copy them, so that the body learns systems of making much as the eye
learns to see and the mind learns to recognize. the venerable Venetian tradition
of delicate form and flourish in goblet making provides an excellent foundation for
accomplished glassmakers who wish to advance their design and making abilities.
While immersed in questions of function, design, and technical efficiency, students
will gain thorough and intensive experience with methods of hot construction, bit
work, teamwork, and the garage. Discussion, visiting artists, demonstrations, and
exercises will help each student define a personal voice within a long-standing craft
tradition.

On the 19th FWM Christian Academy came down for a tour of starworks and a Glass blowing demonstration. They all had a great time. The younger students especially enjoyed themselves. But good news for the older students the school is thinking about trying to put together a separate workshop of class for them.

We made two big platters for the demonstrations. Here is a photo of me working on one of them. Helping with the platter were Stephen Protheroe, and Laura Luttrell. Laura is new to Starworks but has some glass working back ground, having her in the shop helping was really fun for us all.

After a couple of months dazed and confused by trying to get whole lot of work in the studio done I'm back. Sorry for the delay I know a couple of you were missing what was going on in the glass studio, and are curious to know what has been happening.

LOTS OF THINGS!!!!

Eddie, Suzie, Mac, Steve, and I had a show in Charlotte. At the Red Sky gallery the four of us glass blowers showed some of our functional/ sculptural wares, and Mac and I did a very cool CoLab. Suzie has photo's from the show I'll have to hunt her down steal her camera and post them.

We also had a very successful Christmas open house. With over 80 of the locals snagging up and talking about our ornaments, and entranced by the HOT glass Christmas tree everyone had a blast. We are now going to have a Valentine's Day open house. We are actually going let a bunch of people who have never touched HOT glass before try to make a heart or flower! Like one of these.