Pittsburgh Photos and Comments

Here are a few pictures and some relevent comments.
This is a picture of Wayne, who is from the Philly area - really friendly and a nice guy - we hung around a little. Note: I rotated the photo appropriately before I downloaded in the computer and it is still off. If I go in Photoshop and save the photo then it's allright - takes too long and I am in a hurry, It's 2:11 am and I have to be be at up at 5:30 am and be at the restaruant @ 6:00 am.

I stayed at the Omni in Pittsburgh - Really nice place. This is a picture of the lobby.

This is a picture of me (black clothes and red stripe in the shirt) and Scott Novota (Known as Gnat in the blogoshphere).
Scott was a really nice guy. I got to meet his wife known as Minimolly - (if I understand correctly, nicknamed that because she drive a mini-cooper and her name is Molly) and also got to meet Corkchop - I think thats Gnat's boss at work.

I will post more later. The pictures quit uploading. sat there for 35 minutes and still wouldn't upload. One reason I don't post more often!
Bye for now.
CM

Back From Pittsburgh

Hello everybody! I have been really busy since I got back from Pittsburgh. Busy trying to catch up at Italian Jim's Pizzeria. Busy, endeavoring to put into practice a little of what I learned in Pittsburgh. I don't really have time to post tonight. I have an early morning in the morning. I will post a little later and report on the Dante Marioni and Janusz Posniak class and what it was like meeting these two great glassblowers and great people! I got to meet Gnat, Mini-molly, and Corkchop who have posted here. I got to meet Wayne from Penn., Josh, from the studio where Bruce Ferguson operates out of and a number of really nice people. Well, don't get me started. . . too late! But anyway it was a great trip and experience - I will write more about that later. Just wanted to post something since it had been so long. I will post pictures from my new camera of the workshop that I attended and some other stuff.
I'll be back. (read as Arnold Schwarznegger)
CM

Whew! - I can almost see Pittsburgh!

Hello everybody. I haven't had much time to blow glass. I have worked on a few cabinet drawer pulls - now I can't find my little brass inserts and $40 diamond bit to drill in the knobs to insert the brass inserts- I'm sure I put the drill bit in a safe place where I wouldn't lose it. I'll find it. Someday.

I've done a few commissioned light fixtures for Dr. Stewart in Shawnee. His light fixtures are the best in Shawnee. If you don't believe me, just ask me. "Yep thats right, they are the best!" - See I told you so.

I've worked a little bit on some other things for people. (people are buying other people gifts and in case the person who is to receive the gift is reading this I don't want to give it away by telling what I am working on)

I've worked a little bit on some vases to kind've warm up and improve my basic skills so I won't look like a complete idiot to Dante and the rest of the workshop people. (workshop info down lower)

As I have mentioned earlier, I am going to Pittsburgh for the Glass Art Society conference ( A big, once a year thing for glass blowers- kind've like a glass blowers convention I guess). You get to see a lot of demonstrations and techniques and tools and people. If I get time, I will try to go see Frank Lloyld Wright's "Fallingwater" house. I'm sure I will have plenty of time to relax. Yeah, right! Still, if I get time I would really like to tour that.

The big highlight for me is I am signed up for a 3 day workshop, 9 am - 10 pm by Dante Marioni and Janusz Pozniak. The way I understand it is that Dante Marioni is arguably the best glass blower(at what he does) in the United States. Janusz is not far behind if any. Look at their stuff.
Dante Marioni
Janusz Pozniak
INSANE!
AMAZING!
WOW!
UNBEEELIEVVABLE!
From what I hear, Dante doesn't give workshops very often. A rare and unparalleled opportunity! I'm pretty confident that I will probably be the least experienced glassblower in the workshop. A little intimidating to say the least. However, I intend on rising to the occassion and meeting the challange with excellence in every way. Those of you waiting on me to make some of your stuff. . . the good part is I will be better when I get back . . . that means your stuff will be better. Please continue to be patient.
For those of you who I got to and made your stuff before I left. . . you got screwed! (JUST JOKING!!!!!!)

Gnat, if you see this post before the conf. I would like to meet you in person. I should have my cell phone. The number is 405-659-6169, give me a call and we'll try to get together. I'll be staying at the Omni William Penn Hotel during the conference and at a little bed and breakfast kind of place during the Dante workshop (It's closer to the workshop)

We have been so busy at Italian Jim's Pizzeria I just haven't had time to really prepare like I wanted to. We had 15 caterings today alone! We have 11 tomorrow. My day starts around 5 am and generally doesn't end until after 1 or 2 am. We are on pace for another record breaking month! We are doing over 60% more than our record breaking month of March 2006! We are glad for the business! Well, I have to be up before 5 am this morning (4 hours to sleep). I still have to get packed. I plan on packing everything I need in one carry-on bag. We'll see how that materializes. Don't know If I will be able to post (or have anything worth posting) before the conference.

I will leave OKC Sunday morning at 7:30 am and fly SWA to Phoenix, then nonstop to Pittsburg. Then fly back next Sunday. I'll be gone one week. Linda, Micah, Krista, Kim, and Anna and all the Italian Jim's employees will help hold down the Italian Jim's fort while I'm gone.

Congratulations to Andy Boatman and the crew @ Blue Sage Studios on the Open House over the 3 day memorial weekend.
Linda, Micah and Anna, and I went over there and helped Andy celebrate. His new place on 1218 N. Western, is really nice. Not as nice as Andy, but it's really nice.

To those of you on the fence about commisioning me to blow stuff for you call before I leave for Pittsburgh, cause after the Dante class, prices automatically go up through the roof! Just joking! Most everthing will still be under $1000. (ha ha)

Bye for now.
CM

New Work

Plum and Gnat, thanks for the nice words. Here's some more new things. One is a saffron platter with a florence lip wrap and body wrap. The other is a light fixture that is pink with G-50 Black body wrap - then optic molded - then twisted (to make the fishnet pattern - and blown out with a G-50 black lip wrap. Thanks to Bruce Ferguson for teaching us how to do that "fishnet" thing last year!

Finally Pictures!

Wow, what an ordeal. Most all of this I had taken up to our restaurant (Italian Jim's Pizzeria - located at 342 S. Mustang Rd., Yukon, OK 73099 - 405-265-0919) - ( Yes, shameless plug! ) where I display and use as a retail outlet for Bella Forte Glass.

I had to bubble wrap, put in boxes, load in pickup, carry home, take out of pickup, carefully unwrap, clean with glass cleaner,(still missed a few spots), go to Home Depot, buy more lighting, come back home, install new lighting, photograph, wrap up, load pictures on computer, upload on blogger, load in pickup, take back to pizza shop, yeah, you get the picture. Note to self, "Next time, TAKE PICTURES BEFORE TAKING THEM TO THE DOGGONE PIZZA SHOP!"
Anyway, I like the "Gold Ruby Extra" pieces with the "Florence" interior and accents. This was the first time I had used the Gold Ruby Extra - A new favorite color!
Sorry the photograph of the Violet Blue Bowl with the lapis blue lip wrap was washed out - The Cerulean Blue with florence set is a favorite as well. The Saffron platter was okay, I liked the saffron really well but should have chosen another color for the lip wrap. (Brain freeze!) The last photo is Old Gold Transparent with lemon yellow body wrap & red lip wrap.

Micah Says, People want pictures of Glass!

Yeah I know. That's what I go for too. Here's what happens. I blow the stuff, usually I am pretty excited about the things I have blown (at least some of them). I check the annealer @ about 14 hours. Still too hot to open, 15 hours, still too hot to open, 16 hours... 225 degrees - Okay, I take a quick peak - open and shut the door real fast. Wait a minute, Wow the temp is about 200 degrees, but it's climbing back up. Open again real quick, everything made it. back down to 200 degrees. Climbing back up . . . Okay, I'll crack the doors now and let it cool down. Leave the shop. Walk in the house. Get a drink. Walk back out to the shop. Get to thinking "Man it would be stupid to pull out a piece premature and have it crack. Go back in the house. Use the bathroom come back out 3 hours later... (just a joke - the 3 hour part) come back out a few minutes later. Open the doors to the annealer wider. Reach in and touch to glass to take it out - even though the annealler says its 147 degrees, the glass is still probably over 200. Bad idea. Get frustrated at my impatience, go back in the house for 30 - 45 minutes, come back out and every piece is cracked! (Another joke - every piece cracked part) Anyway, come back out, can't wait to touch them and pull them out and look at them. Still pretty warm, get excited, wrap them in blankets, put them in a box, take them to Italian Jim's Pizzeria(our pizza restaurant) and put them in the display case, still warm from the annealler. Spend time getting everything placed just right. Switch other stuff out. Move and rearrange. Satisfaction! Looks like something on a Chihuly website. (Not really - but looks pretty good for what I'm used to) Then, I think, "You know, it's going to be a whole lot of hassle taking everything out, hauling it back home where I have all my picture taking stuff at. I'll take the pictures someday......" Pictures never get taken. Have moved on to making the next new hot thing that I can't wait to see and get to the display cases at the pizza shop. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

Now you know what I have to deal with when I have to deal with ME! What a pain.

Okay, this time I really will, Get the glass, Take it out of the display cases at the pizza shop, Take a chance on the right person coming in looking at the empty spaces, seeing the old stuff I blew (which of course is not nearly as good as what I just put in the display case), them thinking, "There's no new stuff here!" and leaving.

But I really will get the glass and take the pictures and post them. I really will. I really will. I really will. With God's help I really will. If I repeat it enough, it will happen. I really will. . . .

Note to Gnat and MiniMolli:
Those plastic jars I use to put the frit in: I used to use glass bottles because glass is just really cool. Dropping and breaking a full really cool glass jar of frit is not, so I opted for really cool plastic jars with big mouth openings. (A lot better than the smaller mouth opening that I had). The bigger mouth makes it a whole lot easier to dump frit back in the jars at cleanup time.
I ordered one each of the 16 oz, 24 oz, 32 oz, 48 oz, & 64 oz plastic jars to see which size suited me best. I chose the 32 oz because it would hold over a kilo of frit and then some. I bought them from US Plastics.

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=usplastic&category%5Fname=3&product%5Fid=165

Stock number 66269
Pet® Clear Jars For Packing
Virtually unbreakable jars are ideal for packing industrial products and foods. Made of the same material that soft drink bottles are made and meets FDA standards. Caps are included. Dimensions are listed diameter x height.

Pictues will be coming. We have done some pretty neat stuff. Also will post picture of my new grinder. It is a fine piece of equipment! I have been grinding my bud vases that I blew for the restaurant and the bottoms of platters etc. A great touch to finish off a piece! How did I ever do without it?

Still working on getting those knobs like I think couple of folks (you know who you are) want them.

Quick Post

Hello, sorry I haven't posted any pictures. I took some pictures but I took them in a place that wasn't the best for taking pictures and they came out too dark. Don't like dark pictures!

Anyway, we have been blowing some basic stuff, just trying to get back up to speed after 3 months off. Most have gone decent - a few went south - a few were awesome.

I resurrected the "Artifacts Series". I blew probably the best of that series that I have ever blown. They were a little bit bigger - they are the biggest to date. The color combination is . . . well it's. . . . . STUNNING! I used "Florence" which is basicly a creamy white with just a faint whisper hint of pink - and then. . . . Gold Ruby extra. WOW! I then blew a 2 piece Sea Form type set to match and then placed the 3 piece "Artifact" set and the 2 piece Sea Form type set together. 5 pieces that are . . . . . . well I just like to stand there and look at the beautful color combinations. I 'll have to get some picts of that and post it.

Also, I have been supposed to make some curtain hold back knobs and have experiemented but not happy with what I have done yet. Still working on that.

Just finished a couple of pieces tonight - now I have to go work out. I have lost about 19 pounds in the last 3 or so weeks. I want to be in shape when I go to Pittsburgh so I can perform at my optimum there learning from Dante. In a perfect world, I need to lose about 40 more pounds - Sounds mind boggling sometimes. Anyway will take more pictures and hopefully post soon.
Thanks
CM