This is the second installment of a column devoted to lampworkers and lampworking that I hope will become a regular feature in Common Ground/Glass Line. The first column ran in the January issue of Common Ground, but due to incompatible publication deadlines, did not run in Glass Line. In this column, I will try to cover news and current events that are of interest to lampworkers and will devote space to technical tips and maybe even a little gossip. Since this column is by and for lampworkers, I would like to repeat my request for contributions from readers. This is your column, so take advantage and send me anything that you may think is of interest to other lampworkers, show announcements, publicity, awards or honors, technical tips, personal notes or gossip, and I will pass it on.
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If you do not have a computer, what are you waiting for?
Speaking of computers and the internet, by the time the next installment of this column is published, I will have my own home page on the world-wide-web (WWW). I have several areas of interest that will be represented there, but there will be hypertext on my home page that will link to a page devoted to glass, especially lampworking. On that page will be links to other resources, particularly places like Pilchuck Glass School, whose home page is now in the planning stage. There will also be links to scanned images of glass that can be viewed and downloaded. Right now, I have mostly images of my work, but I will be welcoming others to scan slides of their work and upload them to me so I can add them to the image libraries. Believe me, this is not just an incredibly powerful and cost effective form of communication and information- sharing, it is also one heckuva lot of FUN!
For those of you who have never surfed the net using WWW, boy are you missing out! I predict that within 10 years, people will have internet accounts the way they have telephone numbers now. But, unlike the telephone, talking to someone halfway around the world costs no more than talking to your neighbor across the street. The net brings the entire world to your computer monitor. It is a wonderful thing!
Well, by the time you read this, the GAS (Glass Art Society) convention will have come and gone. But as of this writing, it is still two weeks away. Shane and I have compiled a list of lampworkers and their slides that is impressive! We have collected slides from lampworkers from Canada, Japan, Australia, Tasmania, Scotland, Austria, Poland, Israel, The Republic of Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, not to mention several dozen from the good old USA! We are gonna have some time of it trying to squeeze it all into a 45 minute presentation. We are expecting a good turnout too since there are no other events scheduled during our time slot. We feel very honored to give this presentation and want to do our fellow lampworkers proud.
Also, during the special Penland Day event planned for Saturday, five prominent lampworkers will be giving demos in the new lampworking studio just recently completed at Penland School. Workin' for nothin' will be Emelio Santini, Roger Parramore, Ricky Dodson, Lewis Wilson, and myself.
I survived another trip to Philadelphia and Baltimore this year to do the winter wholesale markets. The weather was very mild this year in stark contrast to the white-out blizzards of last year. The shows were very strong as a result and the general consensus among craftspeople was that things are very good right now... so good that some are comparing it to the boom years of the 80's! I personally shattered all previous records for orders taken at both shows. The last day of Philly, I spent avoiding my booth in an attempt to save some production time to sell at Baltimore. That's how good it was!
Officially, the Rosen Group's newsletter, "Connection" reported that an all time record $22,221,248 projected sales were posted for this year's show. There were approximately 1200 exhibitors so... well, you can do the math. In the medium of glass, the average sales were $26750 per exhibitor! Any way you slice it, it was a very successful show.
Our lampworker's dinner was another success. We returned to the scene of last year's debacle, the Lemon Grass Thai restaurant at 3630 Lancaster Street, Philadelphia. In attendance were the following lampworkers: Glenn Annable, Tamara Loughlin, Bill Rasmussen, Laura Rasmussen, Holly Goldstein, Tim Jerman, Marco Jerman, Ricky Charles Dodson, Jana Burnham, Milon Townsend, Don Jacobson, Margaret Nehen, Ritama Haaga, Karen Monestier, and myself. We passed around the exotic treats with the strange names like 'Young girl on fire', 'Evil jungle Princess', and 'Screaming Mermaid'. Then, at Bill Rasmussen's suggestion, we each in turn introduced ourselves to everyone else. Almost immediately, this exercise deteriorated into something resembling a pseudo-friends-of-Bill meeting. "Hi, my name is Tim and I'm a lampworker". (Everyone else, slightly tipsy, in unison) "HI TIM!" On around the table it went until finally, the restaurant manager, who was starting to lose patience with us broke in, "My name is Bo (not his real name) and I am the manager of this restaurant!" (Everyone else, a bit more intoxicated by now) "HI BO!" The poor guy just could not understand what in the world was so funny!
Bandhu Scott Dunham from Prescott Arizona has written a book that is due to be published in May or June. It is called "Contemporary Lampworking: A Practical Guide for Shaping Glass in the Flame". It contains a 256 page 'catalogue of techniques', as Bandhu describes it along with a few exercises for the reader to follow. There is also a lampworker's survey which contains photos of contemporary lampwork along with information on each artist. Copies will be available for $32.95 + shipping sometime in late May or early June. You can contact Salusa Glassworks for details. As soon as I see a copy, I will do a brief review for next issue's column. Bandhu also publishes an interesting newsletter called "Attitude Problem", a self-described 'multipurpose non-conformist rag' that appeals to a broad range of generally disenfranchised people like... ...skateboarders and lampworkers! Check it out.
Lewis Wilson has just completed his latest video project and last week he sent me a copy to look over. It consists of five two-hour tapes, each demonstrating in Lewis' unmistakable style, basic flameworking techniques. The first tape is mostly simple beginner stuff, very simple geometric shapes and small animals. Each subsequent tape features more advanced techniques running the gamut from pendants to fairly complex pieces like dragons and large solid animals. Most of the designs shown are wildlife of some form or another which is the traditional repitoire of the novelty lampworker. But it is not the sole purpose of this tape to teach the world to make dolphins and unicorns. Rather, it is the manipulative techniques involved that Lewis wishes to demonstrate. Make no mistake about it however, he intends for the viewer to be able to learn enough from these tapes to make money at lampworking, and he repeats the monetary value of time-saving techniques again and again. There is a disclaimer at the beginning of each tape that reads "This video is intended for people with lampworking experience. They can easily use this video to learn to make sculptures." This apparent contradiction makes little sense until you consider Lewis' background and history as a lampworked bead teacher. He has directed this video to the many beadmakers he has taught whom he believes have an interest in learning pyrex sculpture. To this end and for those people, these tapes are an effective teaching tool. But the tapes do have value beyond their intended audience.
Someone once said that a good demo is worth ten-thousand words. If this is true, Lewis' video is a real bargain at $180 for the set (or $36 for each tape). He gives the viewer a very clear look at every procedure, using careful editing and even some advanced video tricks like spit screens to bring every detail of the procedure up close and personal. He talks continuously through each demo, a skill I have always marveled at, carefully describing in as much detail as anyone would ever care to hear, every single move he makes. There is no room for misunderstanding what he is doing. This can be very tedious for more experienced lampworkers, but is an invaluable aid for a beginner. The beauty of a video is that the beginner has it at his disposal and can watch the demo again and again. You can't do that in a classroom. Included at the tail end of each tape is a "product review" covering several torch stands, Timework benchtop kilns, Northstar Borocolor, and Dichroic Pyrex. More of a plug than a review, this portion of the tape is nevertheless informative and useful, even if the exact same segment is included at the end of all five tapes. I am sure the dedication of these videos to the manufacturers of Northstar and GM Vacuum coating (dichroic Pyrex) brought smiles to the faces of Paul Trautman and Jerry Sanberg.
"Sculptural Glassworking" is not art. It is an unpretentious and well-produced instructional video with a specific purpose directed at a specific audience. It is doubtful that these tapes will make Lewis rich, but they are likely to set the standard for instructional videos for some time to come. If you wish to learn lampworking, these tapes can provide a valuable learning aid. To order, contact: Crystal Myths (505) 883-9295
I spoke to Fred Birkhill recently and he was very excited about a new toy he was making: a small pot-furnace. It seems he wants to combine the skills of offhand glassblowing and lampworking into a seamless production system. To this end he has also built a small benchtop glory hole... for less than $20 in materials. Remarkably, he runs the glory hole with a small National torch using oxygen as an accelerator! He claims the glory hole gets extremely hot very fast and works wonders with small lampworked constructions. He is not the first lampworker I have seen with something like this. During my visit to Seattle and Pilchuck last summer, I stayed with Don Niblack briefly. He has built something very similar to what Fred built and uses it in much the same way, although he uses a conventional venturi burner instead of a National torch. I think benchtop glory holes and pot furnaces make a lot of sense and will someday become an intregal part of most lampworkers production systems... as long as they can be made and used safely. Look for diagrams of these devices in a future column.
This summer is a banner year for lampwork classes. No less than eight full courses taught by nine respected lampworkers are being offered on the campuses of Penland and Pilchuck alone! Here is a brief rundown of what is available:
Habitat Gallery in Pontiac, Michigan just held their annual "International Invitational Glass Exhibition" and included in this year's prestigious show were lampworkers James Minson, Hubert Stern, Heike Polster, Shane Fero, Ginny Ruffner, Lucio Bubacco, Kari Russel-Pool, and Paul Stankard. Susan Plum recently completed a stunning solo show at the Maurine Littleton Gallery in Washington DC in January. Shane Fero also just completed his latest solo show at the Ariodante Gallery in New Orleans in March. Alison Sheafor is currently showing her work at the Vetro Marmo Arte Gallery in Gahanna, Ohio. Emelio Santini is scheduled to have his first-ever solo show at the Glass Gallery in Bethesda during July.
There are a number of shows going on in Asheville in conjunction with GAS. Among these are the Asheville Art Museum's "SE Glass: A Regional Survey" which will include lampworkers Shane Fero and myself. Shane is also one of seven artists participating in "North Carolina Glass Focus" going on at the Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville May 12 - July 29. Also on exhibit at the Blue Spiral during GAS will be the works of Paul Stankard, Brian Kerkvleit, and myself. Sally Prasch and Susan Plum are participating in "In Women We Trust" during May at Vitrium Gallery in Asheville.
Well that's about all I have for this issue. If you have anything to contribute, please don't hesitate to contact me. Until next time... KEEP IT HOT!