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
Today was a day of hard work and cold, cold hands at the Arts of Snohomish Gallery in Snohomish, WA. Wendy and I are proud members of this artist-owned galler (I'm the treasurer), and today was the day to make the exterior shine.
Artists, husbands, significant others, Kiwanis members, and high school students all came together to weed flower beds, remove unwanted plants, plant new plants, and spread beauty bark to make the gallery's landscape beautiful.
I spent most of the day painting our corner sign--it was completely white beforehand, and I wanted to give it a Victorian feel while drawing the eyes of passers-by.
Our grand re-opening is next Saturday, May 1, 3:00 - 6:00 pm, so it you're anywhere near Snohomish, come on by! We are the Arts of Snohomish Gallery, 105 Cedar Avenue, Snohomish, Washington.
We love mosaics! Whether they are on the wall of an ancient Pompeiian villa or on the floor of a Seattle Banana Republic, mosaics appeal to something deep within us.
Using bits and pieces of fusible glass, I create my mosaics by carefully fitting together the pieces like solving a jigsaw puzzle. The colors need to coordinate, the shapes need to be interesting, and most of all, I need to be patient. The "grout" is really very finely ground glass called "frit."
Sometimes, I enjoy adding surprising details to my mosaics. The bowl above has bright lines of colored glass called stringer placed randomly on top of the mosaic.
The bowl to the left includes round dots of glass and a mix of translucent and opaque glass pieces.
The bowl below features stringer in the shape of swirls on top for something really fun.
I don't think I'll ever stop making mosaics, and fused glass mosaics keep offering me more opportunities to play!
Visit some of our mosaics for sale on our etsy shop:
Back in 2000, Wendy created two glass windows for her high school in Lynnwood, Washington. Using the Native American story of the crow and the sun as inspiration, she drew two large images then sandblasted the images onto glass that would become two windows into the computer lab.
This September, the brand new, $100 million Lynnwood High School opened. She and I visited there last week and were so excited to meet withe the librarian and see how her windows look in the new library. You see, when the architects were designing the new building, he insisted they include the windows, even though they are different sizes.
We are happy to report that the windows look great, and Wendy is a star!
Wendy saw how much fun I was having designing tiles, so she decided to join in. Introducing . . . Dots and Dashes.
Starting with an opaque white background piece, Wendy added a layer of clear glass on top and then her design of turquoise dots and black dashes in two thicknesses. These tiles are 4" x 4", and they can be made in many different colors. Complementary 2" tiles give you the option of mixing and matching for interest.
What I love about these tiles is that you can place them horizontally for one look or vertically for a completely different feel. Personally, I think they would look stunning in my shower, vertically of course, to simulate the water.
To see more of these tiles and our complete collection, visit our website and click on "Custom Fused Glass Tiles": www.OmegaArtDesign.com
When Wendy and I first opened our shop on etsy, we took out our camera, shot some clear straight photos of each piece, and loaded them up. Then we sat back and, well, nothing happened. I began to notice that our photos didn't look like most of the other photos on etsy, so I began to read some of the tips for taking photos.
Photographing glass is a special challenge because of the reflection. How do you get a head-on shot of glass without any glare? And without buying lots of fancy equipment? My answer--practice! And find a good place to take the photos.
Here are some examples of recent photographs I took of our work:
I like this photo for a couple of reasons. I think the colors look good together. I like how the S's line up, and I like the diagonal lines of the bud vases (experts say diagonal lines create a more dynamic photo). I took this photo on a bench just inside my front north-facing window. This spot provides indirect light so I don't have to use the flash. I put the vases on an off-white sheet to provide a neutral, bright background so the eye is focused on the vases. I did have to lighten the photo in PhotoShop, but the colors are true to the actual vases. Oh, and I rotated the photo so it looked like they were hanging, which is how they will look on someone's wall.
I like this photograph because of the sharp contrasts between the white and black which also really highlights the bright, sharp colors of the bowl. The contrast also highlights the unusual, fun shape. Also, the angle is different, providing a view that's a bit unusual. The bowl lines up diagonally, too, for that dynamic look.
Based on the color theory of Josef Albers, these tiles remind me of the olive in a nice, cold martini. Refreshing yet sophisticated. I love how the tiles look so different depending on how they are mixed with different colors.
We can make these tiles in just about any size: 2" and 4" are standard.
To see more of the Albers tile collection from us, go here: www.OmegaArtDesign.com and click on "Custom Fused Glass Tiles."
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 and I are announcing our first fused glass class in Snohomish, Washington:
Glass Fusing 101 (3 hours)
In this introductory class, you will learn the basic techniques of making fused glass while creating flat fused glass pieces yourself. Possible projects include:
coasters,
tiled box (box costs extra),
decorative wall piece such as an animal,
sun-catcher,
cross,
backsplash tiles, or
mirror frame.
Make pendants and magnets with scraps!
We provide all materials, including fun extras such as frit (small glass chunks), fiber paper, glass paint, and stringer for unique designs. Class size limited to 6.
Your pieces will be available for pick-up within one week of the class.
Date: Sat., May 1, 2010
Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm Price: $65
Teachers: Judy Macauley and Wendy Clark,fused glass artists and members of the Arts of Snohomish Gallery
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."
This month, the Arts of Snohomish Gallery presents two of our members, Tatayna Deynega and Sakae Ouchi. They are both talented painters with very different styles. One is from Russia and the other is from Japan, but both have made their way to the Pacific Northwest to our gallery.
Join us on April 10 for the reception! Here is the link with more information: Arts of Snohomish Gallery
We are so excited to announce that Art Tile Co. is now carrying our very own custom fused glass tiles.
Art Tile is a great store, located in the Maple Leaf community of Seattle. Currently, we have three different designs featured there with plans to provide them with more. This is going to be an exciting new phase in our business!
JUDY: Passionate about art from childhood, I love both creating art and admiring others' art. I've been a fused glass artist for two years, after teaching high school English for twelve years. I love playing with whimsical designs and free-flowing pieces, such as mosaics, as well as the geometric precision of pieces inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and Josef Albers.
**************************************
WENDY: Art has always terrified me. The
self-inflicted pressures of creating something beautiful, perfect,
meaningful, and forever lasting is quite a toll to measure up to. Art
is often an intimate experience, easily allowing the uneasy feelings of
vulnerability. It is only in this journey of acceptance and finding the
courage to let go that allows that which is within to come forth. In
not only accepting the imperfect but appreciating and fully embracing
it, I am able to move forward with my work, freely relishing the joy
and freedom that creativity yields. It is this perpetual tug-of-war
between the controlled and wild freedom that my work teeters upon. Art
in any form is my passion, and it is my great pleasure to share it with
you.
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