Just thought I'd give you a peek into the other not so glamorous side of glass work. Today I wrapped up a long stint of sculpture-base-making (finally). Boy, just when you are kicking back, sipping your coffee, admiring your new work, thinking you're all done... dang.

But this nice simple design comes to the rescue. It's from Paul Tarlow's book on stand ideas for glass. It's an easy way to make a good, modern base for sculpture.

Here's how the project goes:

1. Realize you have to turn off the Perry Mason rerun, put on real clothes and get the heck to the studio if you're going to live up to your full potential and prove your grade school teachers wrong.
   
2. Buy beautiful clear fir 2x6 boards, each foot costing about the same as a good steak.  Cut them to fit each landscape.
   
3. Trace the curve of the landscape onto a board and mark where the pegs will go that will hold the glass snug on the base. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
   
4. Drill holes for the front pegs, Mark the back pegs (again) and drill holes for them.
   
5. Cut wooden pegs to fit in the holes.
6. Sand, sand, sand, sand.
   
7. Sand, sand, sand, sand.
8. Realize you should not have sanded in your glass studio, even if it was cold outside. Try not to think about the fact that you will have to dust everything in the studio. EVERYTHING. Wonder if wood dust will just burn off in the kiln anyway.
9. Drill pilot holes for the cute little feet.
10. Clean up the boards and stain them. Twice. Decide gray is ugly, try to cover it up with another color. Wonder what that weird sensation is in your sinuses.
    
11. Wax the bases and buff to a nice glow.
12. Hammer in the cute little feet.
13. Stain the pegs and glue them in. Cut plastic tubing and slide it over the pegs.
14. Whew, finally. Cross your fingers and hope the landscape will fit just snug enough to be secure.
15. Tell yourself you've earned another hour of watching Perry Mason reruns.

Dusting, sweeping, pruning, making! It's the last-minute rush getting ready for the Studio Tour this weekend, August 25-26, 2018.

To be honest, it's a little like deciding to have a big party and invite all your friends. It's exciting to think about seeing everyone. And it's a lot of work getting ready. And it's about the only time I ever clean. Don't judge me too harshly, I just have other priorities. Who wants to eat off the floor, anyway? Ick.

There are 51 studios to explore, spread over the length of the island (about 49 miles).  So you can see as little or as much art as you like. Studios are open 9 to 5. All the galleries will be open, too. I have some nice pieces in the Rob Schouten Gallery in Langley.

If you are a real hard-core art visitor you can meet 76 artists, working in every medium you can imagine. And then you can have pie at Whidbey Pies in Greenbank. And then you can take a nap. Kind of like Art Thanksgiving.

You can poke around my studio, where I'll be showing the layered glass landscapes and other weird experimental work.

Gina Michel, another Whidbey glass artist, will be showing her work at my studio. Here's an example - so much fun!

Here's a link to the catalog.  You can download and print it and you can also pick one up at the first studio you visit.

I hope I get to see some of you this weekend - indulge yourself!

Steph

This has been the season of kiln casting! I did two open-faced casting workshops this spring. It's so surprising to see the variety of work that comes out of the kiln.

Everyone did two projects. We started by making clay models, carving them and adding elements. We covered them with a plaster/sand investment mixture. We removed the clay, then we added glass powders, frit, twisted rods, dichro flakes, copper elements... just letting imagination run amok.

Casting is a lot of work but the payoff is that you learn tons of techniques and skills that go into making the work. That should provide all the skills you need to carry on with the work in your own studio. I hope participants keep sending me photos of new work!

We just wrapped up another "Working with Frit and Powders" workshop.

It is just a big old bunch of fun every time. The random goofiness of the forms makes every kiln load a surprise. What a wonderful group of people - many thanks for a great workshop.

The next one is scheduled for October 28-29, 2017. There's still time to join us  in the studio, I'd love to see you.  Details are on the workshop page.

Also - thanks to all who came to the open studio tour last weekend. It was nice to meet new people and see old friends. And it was great to have an excuse to clean up the studio. It doesn't happen that often. Right now it looks about twice as big as it did two weeks ago. I'll enjoy it until it fills up with piles of art stuff again.

Hope to see you -
Steph