Centraal Station Antwerpen gaat uit zijn dak!

A friend of mine sent me this video. It shows how infectious art and music can be.

It is spontaneous and fun. I think we need a little more of this kind of attitude today. It helps to bring up the spirits of people who may need a lift and keep us going if we are already feeling happy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY&feature=player_embedded

The link above is the youtube (4 minutes long) you will want to watch. The link below is to the Central Station Antwerp web site. Awesome looking building!

http://www.aviewoncities.com/antwerp/centralstation.htm

What can I do?

When I work with customers to design a window specifically for them, I try to find out as much about them as I can. Dale and Barb came to me looking for stained glass for their front door. Their last name begins with "V", and they have grown pumpkins for many years. They live in a farmhouse that is being restored that has a lot of stone. And, they wanted light to come through, but didn't want people to be able to see inside.

That is where this design came from. The V is very viney looking and adds to the vines of the pumpkin. I used all clear textured glass to maximise the light that comes in but textured enough to keep visibility down. The clear texture around the edges mimics the stone of their house and the textures in the pumpkin and leaves duplicate the textures found in them as well.

Today I delivered this window to them and that is always fun. Dale has done some stained glass in the past but was not up to, nor could he find the time for, a project of this size. He also mentioned that this is not a design he would have considered had he done the project on his own.

It is fun working with people who have either worked with glass in the past, or had glasswork made for them prior to their trying it on their own. I am currently working with a customer who is taking private lessons. She finds this especially helpful because she can get the help where she needs it. After trying a couple of projects on her own, she is now tackling a much larger one. Side lights for her home with matching doors. Each panel is approximately 16 square feet. By offering private lessons, I am able to do things like visiting her home in person to help her with things like reinforcing the windows properly, installing them correctly, etc. Some people, like myself, find it much more effective to have somebody show them the way - rather than telling them how to do it.

Whether you are a browser, a glass artist, or a potential customer... if you have questions give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to connect with you and help where I can.

ART SHOWS: Come see me tomorrow from 11am - 11pm at Art-O-Matic 419 in Toledo. It is a free event with artists (both exhibiting and demonstrating), musicians playing, poetry reading, videographers... What a great week-end to be involved in an event like this. Hope to see you there!

Pat

At The Lake Is Done

My internet has not been working properly for the last couple of days but I am up and running now. Previous blogs have shown how this stained glass panel has been created... the process I used, etc.

Once I was able to fire the glass in the kiln to about 1500 degrees, I cooled the kiln and woke up at about 4am to see what it looked like. The bad part about firing things in the kiln, for me, is that I can't sleep while I'm waiting for the kiln to cool enough for me to see what it looks like.

I have been working these pieces into beveled borders which allows the fused glass to stand out, and the bevels to highlight it's beauty.

I'll have this and others like it for sale on my web site soon. Enjoy the day!

Pat Deere