Airport Art

I hope you have had a fantastic Summer. The next few months will be filled with Fall experiences. Are we ready? I have been noticing some public art lately, especially in airports. This caused me to research some airport art around the country. Airports are the first impression folks have arriving at their destination so it's pretty awesome to have great art awaiting them. I was recently in the Salt Lake City airport and Denver International airport. This gave me a taste of what can be done and what can be imagined. I have collected some fun images to spark your creativity (and mine) to make some public art or at least to enjoy it as you scurry to your gate.

This mosaic is in the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington. I have done some mosaic work and it's pretty fun. I can appreciate this project even more having had a taste of the medium.

I love the idea of this window. The couple is dreaming and the sky is full of astronomical constellations. It is in the Seattle- Tacoma airport. 

In the JFK airport is this beautiful array of color and light. I bet these glass pieces are so huge. 

One of my favorites is this colorful window in the Miami airport. I think I would forget where I was going as I walked down this hallway. 

In the Portland airport is this swirly glass window. I would love to see how the light dances through the glass. 

There is beauty in the simplicity of this window in the Reagan National airport. 

It looks like this glass in the San Diego airport is painted. Can you see the shadowing? It's lovely. 

I haven't been to all of these airports yet but they are some of the places I would love to visit just to walk around. If you have some photos of  the art in your airport I would love to see them. Each window says "Welcome to our city"

Visiting Roots of Knowledge windows at UVU

If you get the chance to visit the Roots of Knowledge windows at Utah Valley University in Provo, Utah, you will have a treat. The Holdman studio designed and built a beautiful wall of 80 panels in the school library

It all starts with Earth's place in the universe.

. I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner hosted in the room surrounded by the lovely windows. Aunt Annette is a donor to the school and was honored with the other donors with a dinner and presentation by one of the builders of the window.
Each panel depicts an era of time throughout history. The skill involved is so impressive. Having done this work myself, I know how much effort went into this project. The  objective of the project is to ignite hope and confidence in individuals to make a difference for good in the world.           

Some of these buildings are depicting real city-scapes while some are works of imagination using genuine circuit boards.

Most of the detail was painted with crushed glass fired a 1,200 degrees.

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It was fun to follow the history of explorers and events.

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Alexander the Great has his image in mosaic. 

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The detail is amazing along with the research involved. I recommend downloading the Roots of Knowledge app for more explanation of  the windows. Art has such an influence on our scenes and emotions. Especially stained glass. I was moved by the expanse and artistic vision of the piece. 

Hunting for treasure

This weekend I crawled around a house before it will turn into an estate sale. I was hunting for glass treasures. I am amazed at how much can be saved by one family. It was like burrowing in and around a rabbit hole of history. There were lots of lovely glass pieces hiding in old cabinets, drawers and cupboards. I found secret closets and a room full of cuckoo  clocks. I dug through piles of lace and linen, pots and pans, lamps and letters. The light started to dim as the evening came upon us and it was more difficult to see all the wonders of the place. Old Victorian lighting just doesn't do the trick.  We were very careful what we were reaching into. All in all it was a lot of fun wondering what some things even were. I came away with beautiful glass to incorporate into windows. I even found a clock for David for a steal of a deal. Its dirty and dusty but the exploration is a hoot.

There were many rooms full to the brim of "stuff". There was no rhyme or reason to the collections so we just explored every nook and cranny.

I was going to bring this 1930's table home with me to put a mosaic on the top but changed my mind. I couldn't bring home everything!

I got a few awesome table runners. 

This is the clock I got for David. He didn't even mind that the glass was broken. "I can fix that" he said.

I loved the color of this little bowl. Glass has amazing properties. Now to design some windows. 

Favorite Stained Glass Moments

One of my favorite stained glass moments is watching a client show us the installed piece in his or her home. We don't always get to experience this pleasure when we have someone else take care of the install. I feel elated to be able to bring joy to a family as they live with our art.
The Clarke's have a lovely home built in the 1800's. The original house was a tiny log house which they have brought up to date in a beautiful way. The original owner was a blacksmith. They have found many fascinating artifacts while digging around the property. They left an exposed wall of the cabin in the interior of the house where they have displayed these treasures.

I so appreciated the tour of their home and property and loved the joy they expressed while showing us where the stained glass tree of life now resides.

This gem of a house is so inviting.
It is a pleasure to be able to have a piece in such a welcoming home. 

Even the shed in the back is homey and inviting. It is original to the property.

This little shed window was made in our studio and looks perfect hanging here.

I loved the barn door effect that is below the window in the bedroom. The home owner made this window in class at our studio.  The colors look beautiful with the decor of the room. 

And here is the tree of life window. It is meaningful to the family in many ways. 

The colors in the tree represent a real tree in their back yard. The little bird had a red breast which is their daughter's favorite color. 

Eventually each child will be represented with a window and her's is the first. 

Just for fun I have added a close-up of their bathroom tile. I fell in love with it. There is an organic feel in the geometric shapes that is so pleasing. 

This is just an extra little something I thought you might like. I sure did. 

I did a "Wisdom Wednesday" Video That Goes With This.
"Decorating With Stained Glass"

Home Sweet Glassy Home

There are many ways to make where you live your own Home Sweet Glassy Home. It's fun to visit a friend and notice the style they have in their house or apartment. I have a friend who is an exceptional painter . Her home is full of murals, paintings and inspirational artwork. We laugh because as I enter her home I greet her politely then my eyes wander during our conversation at the wonderful things to look at. It's her own fault for being so talented. Another friend has an Air B and B in her home and wants her guests to feel at home while keeping a separate space for her family things. A client's home was craftsman style through and through. It could have been lived in during the early 1920's. Our home is definitely occupied by stained glass artists. You can't turn your head without staring into a design of colored glass. It's what makes our house our home. I would like to share with you some of the ways we have displayed glass around the place.

I gathered some veggies from our garden and plated them on a fused platter. You can't see the plate very well but the lettuce and tomatoes were so pretty I let them have center stage.

Some glass butterflies are settled on the bean plants. There is even a fairy sighting.

Blue butterfly among the cherry tomatoes. 

This mirrored star in the garden sparkles clear into the house when the sun hits it just right.

I know this is a Christmas scene but I like it so well it gets to stay up all year.

These mosaic cups are for a class coming up. They can be used for small planters, a toothbrush holder or for  pencils at your desk. I have gone with a beachy theme including starfish and turtles.

This sweet little lamp lives in the boudoir,

I can get my morning inspiration as I prepare for the day in my dressing area.
There are always new projects showing up around the house. Glass is such a versatile medium. Thanks for coming along for the tour. I'm sure there will be more in the future. 

Women of Faith greeting cards

We are excited to have just printed greeting cards with images of our Women of Faith windows. They look so pretty. If you can't quite swing the purchase of all these amazing windows then the next best thing would be to get yourself a set of these cards. The visions that these windows conjure are of strong women who set an example of strength and courage. 

The woman at the well 

Aurora - Morning

Woman of  Abundance

Queen Esther - For such a time as this

Eve - Shelter from the Storm

Miriam - The Guardian
If you would like a set of these cards please email us at david.gsglass@gmail.com.
They are $12.00 plus postage for 6 cards with envelopes in a plastic box. 

A time to play

This week was a holiday and we took some time to play. The sun was shining and the day was perfect for a jaunt to the mountains. We drove up the canyon to Sundance Resort for a break from glass breaking. The funny thing was that glass art was still on my mind. I could picture stained glass in places here and there and got ideas for what would be the perfect window. I wondered what it would be like to teach classes in the Art Shack and pictured my work in the little store. That's not to say that I can't relax, it just means I love what I do and it follows me into all aspects of life, holiday or not.  With a few days of diversion we are ready to get back to cutting and grinding. Next time there will be lots of windows to show you.

I love that we can drive just a little while and enjoy this awesome place. 

This is the counter in the Art Shack. I was impressed with the beautiful glass. 

Sorry, the video doesn't play, but it's still awesome.
Then on Independence Day we traveled to Star Valley, Wyoming for some family visiting and enjoying the gorgeous landscape. 

It was so nice to see David's dad and brother. 

David was able to visit his Mom's grave with his Dad.

The country is breathtaking.