Ray Series

I recently brought several pieces to the home of Gary Gemma in Palm Desert. Here you can see one displayed beautifully.

 

 

 

Gary Gemma in place

 

 

 

 

 

In Gary Gemma Home

Beach home project completed!

What an exciting day it was. And I was nervous, as I always am with commissions. I knew I had put a lot into this piece, and that I found it beautiful. I had achieved all of my clients requests: tipped forward open shape on top, thicker stem, translucency to let light from the window through, and all of the colors from their beautiful giant Peter Lik sunset. Its hard to tell the scale sometimes, this piece (Amethyst Rising) is 46″ tall!

Success! Gary and Susan Kaplan were thrilled!

 

"Amethyst Rising" Commission for Gary  and Susan completed! They were thrilled!!!!

“Amethyst Rising”
Commission for Gary and Susan completed! They were thrilled!!!!

 

 

"Amethyst Rising" companion piece for "Phaedras Cup" placed in November 2014

“Amethyst Rising” companion piece for “Phaedras Cup” placed in November 2014

 

 

 

Kaplan commission beach home completed

 

 

 

Remember this piece placed in November?

Beach home for Phaedra’s Cup

 

 

 

Phaedras Cup

This piece was created for the CA beach home of Gary and Susan Kaplan. On this visit to their home I also brought the white piece to help envision scale and color.

I’m very excited to be working on another piece for the second window area!

Phaedras Cup for Blog

More in the Big Horn home

In the Big Horn Palm Desert home of Judy Henley

In the Big Horn Palm Desert home of Judy Henley

Luce for Judy

Luce D’ La Luna in Big Horn home

Recently place this piece “Luce d’ La Luna” in the fabulous home of Judy Leland of Palm Desert, CA

With all the surrounding color in her wall art, my piece makes a glistening addition in subtle neutral colors.

 

In the Big Horn Palm Desert home of Judy Henley

In the Big Horn Palm Desert home of Judy Henley

Fiore Bowl

Another example of my Fiore Bowl series here in a Scottsdale AZ home.

 

Leland home

 

Closeup Leland home

 

 

“Golden Garden” compliments traditional elegance

Thank you Phyllis and Gary Levitt for this photo of my vessel from the “Golden Garden” series.

It holds its own in this vibrant room…

 

Golden Garden (Gary and Phyllis Levitt

Fiore d’ Mare in Dana Point home

I recently place this piece in an ocean side home. “Fiore d Mare” has a beautiful aquarium background, how appropriate!

 

Fiore d' Mare-Dana Point

Celadon Bowl in Scottsdale Arizona home

 

 

 

Thanks to Penny Currier for this photo of my work in her Scottsdale Az home.

Looks beautiful in front of this peaceful landscape….

Celadon Bowl- Scottsdale home

Phaedra Bleu

Here is my most recently completed commission for a Dallas client’s second home in Beaver Creek Colorado.

“Phaedra Bleu”  stands 36″ tall and will float on a glass shelf in a built in niche.

Below the chalice, sits a companion piece I created to live nearby.

 

Commission for another Beaver Creek Colorado client

Commission for another Beaver Creek Colorado client

Naples News

Ever google yourself? Oh. Right. I’m not supposed to admit it.

Anyway, below is a shot from the Naples News in Florida. Seen here is my work at the Bonita Springs National Arts Festival where I placed first in glass last Spring.

The grouping in front, “Stria Biance”, is one of my favorite series. A Photo from the Naples Newsdeparture from my bold palette, this piece is strikingly shell-like.

Naples News

Ever google yourself? Oh. Right. I’m not supposed to admit it.

Anyway, from the Naples News this spring a shot of my work shown at the Bonita Springs National where I won first in glass.

The grouping shown in front entitled “Stria Bianca” is strikingly shell-like, beautiful neutrals, a departure from my often bold palette.Photo from the Naples News

“Georgia O.”

Just finished this commission piece “Georgia O.”

Wow! Looks fabulous here in the New Orleans home of collectors Eddie and Karen Soll.

So fun making my work! Doubly rewarding when I see pictures where it lives and  it works so well!Georgia O. (Soll residence 2)Georgia O. (Soll residence)

Happy Client!

This beautiful piece from my Fiore D’ Mare (Flower of the Sea) series now graces the home of happy collector Nala Gradkowski!

 

Happy new collectors!

Happy new collectors!

Happy new collector!

Happy new collectors!

Happy new collectors!

“ANDROMEDA” in a beautiful Beaver Creek Colorado home!

Thanks to MaryLou from Gallery One Naples and The Klein Family for this shot of “Andromeda” in her new Vail Valley home. WOW!

Andromeda in Klein homeAndromeda in Klein home

 

“ANDROMEDA” in Beaver Creek Colorado home….

WOW! I was so pleased to see my piece in it’s beautiful new home in the Vail Valley.

Thanks to The Klein Family and MaryLou from Gallery One in Naples Florida!“Andromeda”-Klein-home6.jpg

“OPIATA” in Texas traditional style home

I’m always so pleased to see the variety of homes that showcase my work so beautifully, from the traditional to the contemporary. Here you can see photos a client sent recently. They show my grouping “Opiata” in their Texas home which has a traditional Tuscan feel.

Ray Series

My love of the ocean flows forth in my Ray Series wall pieces…

Excited!

It’s nice to be home after being back east for a couple of shows. Profitable, and really great to get to know some new clients, but lately I channel Dorothy (as in of OZ).

Now on to exciting new work! For the La Quinta Fine Arts Festival I will be unveiling my sculpture consisting of stacking forms lit from the interior. This piece, as yet untitled, stands 5+ feet tall, the first of a new series. Its looking pretty fabulous and I hope to make it an indoor or outdoor inatallation. Below find a sketch to give you an idea. OK back to work…

 

 

and “Dawn”

Here is an image of “Dawn”,  the second of the two wall installations recently placed in the San Diego home of Alex and Charlene Korn.

 

New Glass Wall Art!

Wow, its been a busy time in my life! Here you can see some recent wall pieces that I installed in the beautiful home of Alex and Charlene Korn in San Diego. They were looking for the art to reflect the colors of the sunrise in one niche and the sunset in another. Voila! See “Dusk” (also reflected in the mirror).  “Dawn” in my next post…

Blown Glass Process

Glass Blowing Process

Hand-blown glass was invented in the middle of the last century B.C.E. Craftsmen discovered a technique called inflation, which involves inflating a ball of molten glass at one end of a blowpipe by blowing air into the opposite end of the blowpipe. When the glass is heated up to high enough temperatures to result in a molten state, it takes on liquid properties. At this point, a glassblower or gaffer will puff small bursts of air into the blowpipe, which directs the air into the center of the molten glass and begins to inflate it. As the glass cools, it begins to harden. This hardening is essential to forming the desired shape of the glass vessel that is being created. A process of heating, cooling and reheating is used to create the final product

The glassblower preheats one end of the blowpipe before dipping it into the molten glass in a furnace. After the desired amount of glass is clinging to the blowpipe, the glassblower will roll the blob of glass onto a slab of marble or a flat sheet of steel that are both cooler in temperature than the molten glass. By introducing the molten glass to this cooler surface, a hard skin is created on the outer layer of the glass. This assists in shaping the glass. After this step, the glassblower blows into the opposite end of the blow tube, inserting a bubble of air into the molten glass. At this point, various tools are used to shape the glass, including wooden paddles, large tweezers-shaped tools called jacks, and shears. The paddles flatten and cool the glass. The jacks are used to pull and twist the glass, and the shears are used to cut the glass. After the final size of the piece is achieved, the glassblower will finish the bottom of the piece first, which is attached to a long tube known as a punty. Once on the punty, the glassblower can shape the top of the piece and add colors and patterns to it.

Glass is heated to molten temperatures and shaped using three different furnaces. The first furnace contains the molten glass in its unformed state. The second furnace is called the glory hole. This furnace is used to reheat the glass as it cools in order to allow the glassblower to continue shaping the molten glass. The last furnace is used to cool the glass, slowly hardening it into its final state. This furnace is referred to as the annealer. Glass needs to cool slowly in order to prevent it from shattering. This furnace ensures that this happens by gradually lowering the temperature of the glass until it is completely cooled off.
How Is Hand-Blown Glass Made? | eHow.com