Santa Dog Ornaments in Fused Glass

Just for dog lovers--Santa Dog Ornaments! Hand-cut glass, 7 pieces each, fused with a hook and hanging ribbon.

Here is our etsy shop link: Omega Glass etsy shop

Wendy's Trees -- Whimsical Glass Sculptures

Wendy loves to draw trees. I don't know why, but there it is. She especially loves to paint her trees onto glass and then do funky things to the glass, thus creating one-of-a-kind sculptures. Here are a couple.

 In this sculpture, Wendy included metal foil and copper wire fused between layers of glass, dichroic glass accents, and sculptural etching on the back. Pretty unusual, I'd say. (It sold right away.)

This tree is even more whimsical, with its blue, yellow, orange, and red glass frit curving around the tree. This is Wendy's most popular interpretation of the tree. Each time she makes one (they are all different, of course), they sell.

Love them trees!

Announcing our new ArtFire Shop!

OmegaArtDesign

Unique Gifts

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.

Wendy's Art a Permanent Part of Lynnwood High School, WA

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!

New Glass Tiles in White, Black, and Turquoise--Dots and Dashes

Dots and Dashes 
Custom Fused Glass Tiles

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

Photographing Glass Art--the Challenges and the Rewards

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:

Hanging Bud Vases

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.

A Summer Sail

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.

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.

"Spring Tulips"
This artwork began its life as a line drawing I made during one of last summer's art festivals. I decided to represent a portion of it in glass.

First I painted the tulips onto clear glass using glass paint. Then I added a white opaque backdrop with blue and red frit. Another layer of clear glass on top and more frit--in yellow, orange, and a lighter blue. All three layers were fused in the kiln at 1485 degrees.

I put the finished piece onto a black mat with epoxy, and framed the whole art piece with another, white mat. The glass is 5" x 7"; the frame is 10" x 12".

$125

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

Do You Like Modern Sculptures?

Clean and crisp lines mark this sculpture unique! "Retro Crest" has a 60's modern vibe with its cobalt blue, aqua, and white squares and rectangles contrasted with the lime dots. Fused in a "tack fuse" cycle, this piece has textual depth and tactile pleasure. It was handcrafted as a fully unique piece by Wendy Clark. Complete piece stands abou 11" x 9" in the stand (included). $145

Wildly Whimsical Art

Isn't this piece fun? Wendy made it the other day--usually she focuses on careful geometric pieces, but this time, she just went crazy! Starting with a cobalt blue translucent background piece, she added some geometric opaque pieces for structure, then had a blast with colorful stringer and a candle flame, creating the "doodles" you see here. She fused it in a tack fuse, which means each piece is textured, not flush to the background. Standing in a wrought iron display stand, the total piece is about 9" x 12" in size. $165

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.