It was one of the most interesting educational experiences that I've had in the glass world. There were several social events as well as education seminars about architectural glass installations, large scale public art projects in glass, and profiles of specific international projects in various stages of completion. All of the presentations were interesting. Highlights included Gordon Huether's presentation on his career, Richard Parrish's presentation of his work, and Narcissus Quagliata's profile of a multi-million dollar project he is completing in Asia. One highlight of our trip was that Stacey, Nicole, and I had a private dinner with Narcissus. It was total happenstance, but an enlightening time was had by all. Narcissus is an absolute gem! He is kind, introspective, funny, and a gentleman! After 30 something years in the glass world/business, he is still so enthusiastic about what he does and who it's done for. We couldn't say enough great things about him. He was a pleasure and we all felt very privileged to spend time with the "rock star" of glass.
Next came "The Bullseye Sale" in September. That event is always exciting and overwhelming. This year we had 29 cases of glass shipped in by truck and 29 cases of glass gone (purchased) in 2.5 days. Glass Artisans came to San Antonio from all over with their trucks, uhauls, and hatchbacks, just to "take it all away." Ahh...Good Times! It took us all about a week to recover, but we're always glad we did it!
Our October happening was our visit from Kerry Transtrum, a very talented glass artist and instructor. It was Kerry's third year here at Wired Designs, and it's always eye opening and fun. This year Kerry taught "Casting the Human Form." I got covered with all kinds of goop, from Alginate to plaster to rubber mold making materials. The students had a ball and they all came out with fantastic glass hands, feet, faces, and other body parts which shall remain undescribed! We can't wait for Kerry to return!
That brings us to November and our visit from Johnathon Schmuck. His coldwork class was one of the hits of the year. Students learned the glass lathe and intaglio cutting, they learned how to use every coldworking machine on earth! They also learned hand lapping with grit. I was a real non-believer prior to this class because of the mess, etc. Johnathon made it so easy, that I have been converted! We learned dozens of tricks with the tile saw, lap wheels, sandblaster, hand pads, and more. Beside all of the fantastic knowledge he shared, he was so much fun to hang with. He is the "master of zen." Nothing shook his calm, no matter how crazy! He'll be back in February for his famous "roll-up" class. We can't wait!I think you are relatively up-to-date now! I promise I'll be better at being timely. Stay tuned...There is always something fun happening!
Next year I am teaching for the Southwest School of Art and Craft. www.swschool.com I'm really excited at the opportunity to join this esteemed institution's roster of instructors. I'll also be teaching at the Glass Craft Expo in Las Vegas in April. www.glasscraftexpo.com That is another exciting opportunity. 2008 promises to be a great year!
