Put a Bird on It! (Glass Sculpture, that is)

We love the cable TV show "Portlandia"--probably because we live just up the freeway a few hours and can relate to the nuttiness presented in this fun show about Portland, OR. (If you haven't seen it, check it out on OnDemand.)

When Wendy created her tree sculpture (see photos), we knew it was calling out for a bird. So we "Put a Bird on It," and voila! Fun and whimsical.

See this item on our etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/38561535/put-a-bird-on-it-fused-glass-sculpture

The little yellow bird was tack-fused onto the tree for depth and fun.

Three pieces of Dichroic glass add an elegant touch.

New Fused Glass Jewelry Class Announced

Wendy and I have added two NEW classes in Fused Glass Jewelry. These are going to be so much fun! I can hear the excitement in womens' voices when they call to register. I'm busy now (even at this moment!) fusing new jewelry pieces to show students, playing around with dichroic glass, sepia slides, and 22kt gold adornments. And frit and stringer and glass paint . . . all the goodies that make creating jewelry so much fun.

So when are these classes?

Date: Saturday, June 19, 2010
Time: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
Place: Arts of Snohomish Gallery; 105 Cedar Ave., Snohomish, WA
Price: $65
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Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Place: ArtWorks; Dayton and 2nd Ave., Edmonds, WA
Price: $65
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Date: Saturday, July 10, 2010
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Place: Arts of Snohomish Gallery; 105 Cedar Ave., Snohomish, WA
Price: $65

In each class, you will learn how to create beautiful fused jewelry using Bullseye glass, dichroic glass, frit, and metals. All materials are provided for in this class. By the end of instruction you will have up to 10 pieces of beautiful glass jewelry to keep for yourself or gift to friends and family.

Jewelry will be fired and ready for pick-up 1 week after class. Class size is limited; first-come, first-served, so sign up now to reserve your spot!

You can email Judy at alpha@OmegaArtDesign.com or see our website for more info: www.OmegaArtDesign.com

Evolution of an Idea in Fused Glass Spurred By, "What Do I Do With Bits of Glass?"

I love our customers! They look at our work and get ideas that push us into new realms.

It all started with a simple tile I made when I piled up hundreds of bits of colored glass on a 4" clear glass. When I took it out of the kiln, Wendy and I both said, "Cool."

Then I thought, "If that looks good, then I'll bet it will look good as a bowl!" And it did! So I named this line, "Anything Goes."

Weeks later, an etsy customer contacted us. Could we make her an oval for her fireplace mantel in the same style? Yes, we could! And did! And IT looked cool.

So I tried it with a little bit of design, using orange, yellow, and blue frit swirled in the middle. (Truthfully, I did this because I was running low on glass bits, but I had jars of ready-made frit.) Thus I created "Starry Night."

Recently, a woman from Connecticut contacted me and asked if I could make her a piece similar to "Starry Night," but as an 18" platter. Whew! That's big! Her plan is to mount seven bowls/platters on her stairwell, kind of like bubbles (she said). When I opened the kiln to my fused 18" circle, we all stood around and said, "Wow. That's big." We liked it. We saw future table tops in it. We saw possibilities.

I slumped that bad boy into a platter, and now it is "Super Nova Explosion." My customer received it the other day, loves it, and is going to send me a photo when her installation is complete. And that's my story.

New Jewelry in Fused Glass Classes! Snohomish and Edmonds, Washington

We are excited to announce our newest class: 

Jewelry in Fused Glass

No experience is needed at all.  

Learn how to create beautiful fused jewelry using Bullseye glass, dichroic glass, frit, metals, etched stencils, and fusible decals. All materials are provided for in this class. 

By the end of instruction you will have up to 10 pieces of beautiful glass jewelry to keep for yourself or gift to friends and family.

Jewelry will be fired and ready for pick up 1 week after class. Class size limited to 8. First-come-first-serve, so sign up now to reserve your spot!

Price:  $65

Date:   Sat., June 19, 2010

Time:  2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Location: Arts of Snohomish Gallery; Snohomish, Washington 

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Date: Thurs., May 27, 2010

Time: 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Location: ArtWorks Studio; Edmonds, Washington

Email Judy at readtobe2002@yahoo.com to sign up or get more information! 

 

New Fused Glass Sculpture: "Spring!"

This is another result of Wendy's recent spring break--a beautiful fused glass sculpture bursting forth with leaves, rain, and pieces of dichroic glass. The unusual half-moon shape looks sharp in the iron stand. Here's the link to our etsy shop to see this sculpture and more: "Spring!" fused glass sculpture.

Wendy's Fabulous Fused Glass Tree Sculptures

Today it's Wendy's turn to shine as an artist. She just took her spring break, and boy did she go to town on the fused glass artwork! I love the one featured here. She drew her whimsical Maple tree on clear glass using black glass paint, added lines of black and dark blue stringer and three squares of dichroic glass, then fused it onto a sheet of opaque white glass.

This glass sculpture stands 10" high and 7" wide in a black iron stand. Here's the link to the etsy listing: "Black & White Maple." 

Flowers on Your Wall? Hanging Bud Vases in Fused Glass

Brighten up a dreary spot in your home with some flowers--hang them right on the wall! These bud vases have a copper wire hook for hanging and a holder for flowers and water.

I make them from translucent glass, and each one has pieces of dichroic glass for added sparkle. They sell for $28 each from our etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/OmegaArtDesign

Fused Glass Class Leads to Very Cool Art!

Every once in a while Wendy and I teach a fused glass art class. (We keep saying we need to do it more often.) One of the benefits to us is seeing what our students create. I have to say this bowl is one of my favorites.

This was made by a young woman who was fascinated by frit. She began with the canoe-shaped clear glass then began creating her design on top of it using orange, yellow, and blue frit. Then she put a sheet of clear glass on top and added the black swirls in more frit. She added the dichroic glass touches last of all.

This bowl took two fusings: the first, at 1485 degrees, fused all the layers into one solid piece, while the second fusing slumped the piece into the bowl.

All in all, a cool project that we would never have thought of! Yay students!

See the impact a bit of dichroic glass has? Fused Glass Mirror Frame w/Dichroic

Shimmery dichroic glass pieces complement the black, white, gray, and apple green glass pieces, making this mirror frame POP! Fully fused at 1450 degrees and annealed slowly for strength, a mirror and hook epoxied to the back make this piece ready to brighten a quiet corner or create a small focal point.

Size: 5" x 4"

$22

See this mirror for sale on etsy at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22437480

Surfboard Art: Hammerhead Sharks Swim on This Fused Glass Sculpture

This is a stunning piece Wendy made last summer, inspired by her 18 months' service in Guam as an Air Force Airman. The base is two layers thick: clear glass over a deep amethyst glass. With glass paint, she painted the hammerhead shark, ocean waves, and other disctinctive designs on the top piece, then she "shaed" them by painting their shadows underneath, in blue. This gives the piece a beautiful depth, like the ocean itself. Dichroic glass pieces add additional intrigue. It's both art and practicality: it is slumped into a useable platter. Large: 20 3/4" x 8 3/4". On sale now through ebay for $199.99 minimum bid.

Surfboard Interpreted in Fused Glass

Ocean Waves

The inspiration for "Ocean Waves"? Wendy was stationed for 18 months in Guam with the Air Force years ago, and can't forget the warmth of the water, the weather, and the people. Evoking the warmth of Pacific Ocean waves, this surfboard she made has various shades of aqua that bring the ocean inside. "Ocean Waves" is made with two pieces of translucent glass, cut and ground to size. Wendy hand-painted designs in gold and white glass paint on the glass, then added pieces of dichroic glass for depth and sparkle. Fused at 1450 degrees and annealed slowly, the surfboard shimmers with ocean colors.

Whether you wish to display the surfboard on a table or mounted on a wall, we can provide the display pieces. (Our wall mounting system sets the piece one inch from the wall, allowing light behind it.) Size: 10.5" x 5". $60

Christian Crosses in Fused Glass

Here is one of many different crosses I've made in fused glass. It reminds Wendy and me of cathedral stained glass windows we've seen in Europe. Each cross is 5 1/2" x 7", and it can hang either indoors or outdoors. I have them in many different colors. These are our best selling item, at $32 each.