myglassart.org Social network for glass artists and fans

My work is very time consuming. I work long hours to make the pieces I make. Most of my larger pieces take 2 to 3 weeks to complete. The mermaid tookalmost two months. Platters and smaller works take anywhere from a couple days to a week. I draw a small sketch, undetailed, and it is basically a line drawing. If i need to make it bigger I go to kinkos and have it blown up.

Last week, I had the good fortune to meet up with my long-time friend and hero, Harvey Littleton. He and his lovely wife for 61 years, Beth invited me to a wonderful barbeque place, close to his home and gallery in Fort. Pierce, Florida. His home, during the winter months, overlooks the river and on clear days you can see as far as 27 miles away, so you actually have a great view of the ocean.

Although glass is my hobby, and I love it, sometimes it (almost) turns into work. This was the case when I, together with my team of incredible glass artists, were finishing our latest exhibition that is now on display at the McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida. Good old, blood, sweat and tears, people!

My wife and I have been planning a trip to New Zealand this November for a long time now. Last month I started looking online to see what the lampworking scene was like down there. I quickly realized there wasnt to much going on with borosilicate glass, at least what I could find online. I did find one distributor who is selling Glass Alchemy colors in a town north of Auckland.

We are getting our first cool nights of fall. The confederate rose out at the country house is starting to bloom. It should be magnificent in a week or two. The ginger here, those that survived the battering of Hurricane Ike, are still blooming and the angel trumpet just put on a huge burst of blooms.

The pain of working in glass. I had spent 2 months working on a picture only to have accidently broken it. That is so frustrating and disappointing as it truly was my best work. Think I need a little time to pout about it before I attempt another, lol.

A problem I have had (maybe since birth) is that I have a tough time accepting compliments. I guess I just never wanted to be perceived as a bragger. Now, this does not seem like a problem by itself, until you, out of a wrong sense of modesty, diminish your own work and your accomplishments as an artist, by not accepting compliments or just waving them away.

I started out my professional life as a mechanical designer. I worked for five years designing everything from automotive assemblies to jet landing gear. I found the lack of creativity in my job absolutely stifling and in 2003 I left the field completely to persue art. Since then I've received a B.A.

Let me start my first real blog by answering a question I get all the time (No, not the question: “Do you ever burn yourself?”, even though I hear that question almost as often, only from people not familiar with working with 1,600 degree hot glass): "Why did you decide to become a glass artist?"

Thought I should try to start a blog about my glass. You'll notice quickly that im not much of a writer. I have a hard time translating my thoughts to type so we will see how this goes.

I hate Florida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The heat never ends. I just got back from a bike ride, I was trying to make it to the Y.M.C.A. to work out.(which is only 4 miles away)
It literally says on my thermomador outside 95 degrees at 10:00 am.
So add in the 100% humidy and the streets are on fire.
I never made it there, and I had to come back home.

Where are all the buyers?
Sure I do my art because I love it, I couldn't live without mosaics.
I have work all over this town and out of town. I have work at juried events.
Galleries, Nurseries, Pond stores. Wide range.

People need to stop being afraid the world is ending soon, and buy some ART.