Patterns Everywhere

You can't open your eyes without seeing patterns. As a matter of fact I see them when my eyes are closed too. They are everywhere. I smile when I hear an interviewer ask where an artists' ideas come from. How can you pin that down? Ideas are floating around our heads a mile a minute. It's settling on one that's the tricky part. I think our job is to be amazed. When we are amazed at our surroundings we find the art in the moment. While writing "Mandalas for Meditation", a book of patterns and essays , I paid attention to the circles, squares and curves of meaningful things. Just bringing together a few of these mandalas was a labor of love. Here are just a few of the windows I built for the pages of this book.

It was inevitable that "Mandalas for Success" would follow. I thought of how entrepreneurs became so connected with their logo and their brand. This is not only to encourage revenue but also to relate to the core of the business they were beginning. Not only is this relevant to businesses but also to everyday life. A mandala is like a vision board. Symbols are collected to articulate the feeling and purpose behind the brand or the intention. The feelings of your heart can come out in the lines and curves of the design. Here is a peek of some mandalas inside "Mandalas for Success".

I would be thrilled to help you design a window for your home or business. There is meaning and function to the glass art you choose.

You can order these books and also videos by clicking this link. 

 

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. 

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. 

Invite The Light Slideshow

Jeanne had this great brainstorm while talking to a mentor which resulted in a 41 second video that you can see at

https://youtu.be/2wvL-KQycE0

Click On The Picture to go there

I (David) have watched a TV series recently on Netflix that I found interesting. It's called "Find It, Fix It and Flog It" Made in Britain, a couple of guys go looking through rummage sites and find items that have some potential and they take them, fix them up and sell them. I find it interesting to see these folks creative  processes at work.

Glass On My Mind

Welcome to "Glass On My Mind". Here is the coolest part of the name we chose. The first letter of each word spells our name, GOMM! Yea!

 I have so much to share with you. Glass projects are everywhere in the studio and my enthusiasm is so electric that I wake up in the night thinking about what I want to do next.

Glass is truly on my mind. The project I would love to introduce to you as the first post is a series of four cherry blossoms. We are still working on the third one and then one more to go. The clients are so nice and have an amazing home where these windows will reside. They have seen the cherry blossom festival in Japan and wanted that same feeling in their bathroom. How fun is that?

We met together to talk about colors, the feel of the subject, and of course, price. One of our unique selling points is to invite the client to be a part of the project. She was able to look through our glass and choose the shades of pink that reminded her of the beautiful cherry blossom trees.

 I drew the first two designs with lots of open space As your eye moves to the top of the tree in the third panel, there you are greeted with a cacophony of pink, white and green. You get lost in the flowers. Can you just imagine soaking in the tub, covered in bubbles and looking up at these windows? I know I would be in the water so long my skin would look like a prune. Aah.
The cutting did take a while, then there was foiling the pieces. Soldering and cleaning is the final stage.

The third window has 475 pieces so it is time consuming, but oh the finished product.

Thank you for joining me. I hope we have many conversations about the art of glass and the art of life.