Glass Art » fused glass

Free Stained Glass Patterns!!

cathimilligan — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:11:47 +0000

I found a site for stained glass folks where all of the patterns are free! Free Stained Glass Patterns. How cool is that? Now you might be saying, but nothing’s free…and this is kind of true here too. If you’re using the patterns for your personal crafting and not mass producing the pieces help yourself. If you have a question about something that you’ve found on the site just contact the site owner. And these patterns can’t be posted on other web sites. But check out the site. even if you don’t do stained glass some of the designs may inspire you for a mosaic project or a fused project. You never know. It’s certainly worth a visit.

At Glasscraft – Bullseye’s got a Contest!

cathimilligan — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:06:14 +0000

Are you attending Glasscraft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas next month…April 9-11, for the expo but check for the schedule of classes and if there’s any room left in those classes. Bullseye glass will have a booth there and they’re having a drawing. Sounds like fun! There are 5 $100 gift cards available in the drawing. So if you’re heading to Vegas for some glass fun go over to the Bullseye booth and sign up. And while you’re there look for me. I have a booth too! I’ll be there selling handmade glass beads. And of course reporting on the event for you guys…and buying glass…and tools…and checking out stuff for my studio…so much fun!!

Wired Designs – Class Scedule

cathimilligan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:39:18 +0000

If you’re in the San Antonio area of Texas and are looking for a long list of fun things to do go to Wired Designs. Check out their list of their upcoming classes. So much fun! So much to do! Jewelry making, glass bead making, glass fusing, stained glass, metal clay…I could go on. They also offer open studio night. How cool is that. But also check out their web site since they don’t just offer classes. They’re a Bullseye resource center and they sell tools and kilns and have a gallery for art glass and jewelry. It’s just exciting to see a facility that provides so much for its customers. So if you’re in Texas and want to play with glass…

Bullseye Resource Center – Santa Fe, NM

cathimilligan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 21:16:57 +0000

I am so excited for the glass artists in Santa Fe and those that don’t even know they will be glass artists. Bullseye Glass is opening a resource center in Santa Fe. Yea ha!! I’m kind of jealous…but congratulations to all involved and all that will benefit from the opening. The grand opening is July 14th and I’m looking forward to an excuse to head over to Santa Fe to check it out. This is a facility that is Bullseye owned and operated and will spread the word of glass art in an area already well known for its artist community. I think they will be well served, both Bullseye and the community. Congratulations on a wonderful new adventure!

New Tutorial from Fusedglass.org – Fossil Vitra

cathimilligan — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:09:44 +0000

New tutorials are always a good thing and this one from fusedglass.org is no different. What’s really nice is that it produced a really lovely piece that doesn’t look like a lot of the typical fused glass pieces out there. So basically what we have here is taking organic materials and introducing them to your fused piece. Nice results ensue. This tutorial first appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of Glass Craftsman magazine and it’s another technique to add images to glass. Using leaves and powdered glass sandwiched between sheet glass the look of natural materials is achieved. I think it’s a really nice look and look forward to giving it a try in one of my pieces if not more. Thanks Paul!

Kokomo Glass – A Place for Glass

cathimilligan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:53:58 +0000

Kokomo Glass in Indiana is the oldest manufacturer of opalescent and cathedral glass in the world operating continuously since 1888. That’s amazing!! They have one of the most extensive selections of glass ever. According to their web site they can manufacture 22,000 different solr/density/texture combinations of sheet glass. But they’re more than just sheet glass. They have a hot glass department, they sell dalle de verre pieces, rondelles and all kinds of other glass goodies. They’re located in Kokomo, Indiana and offer regular tours of their facility.

Check out their FAQ page for all the information you could possibly use about their company and products. And just look around at all the glass eye candy. Makes me want to head on over to Indiana.

Kiln Info You Should Know

cathimilligan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:32:35 +0000

a ceramic kiln

On the web site fusedglass.org you’ll find a great deal of useful information regarding glass and fusing. I wanted to bring your attention to the kiln page today for some frequently asked questions about kilns. Things you need to know before you buy a kiln or things you may be curious about even if you already own a kiln or two or three…

The whole web site is full of great information and examples and answers questions I didn’t even know I had. Please check it out when you need to know about glass fusing!

More GAS Conference 2010 Events

cathimilligan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:10:52 +0000

So you’re going to Louisville for the GAS Conference next June, 2010 and you want to know what’s up before the conference. The party before the party. There’s always pre-conference activities and I’m here to entice you to check out what’s planned.

If you like horses and horse racing there are a couple of events perfect for you. There’s the Backstretch Breakfast and Louisville Stoneware Tour or the Horses and Bourbon Tour. The first allows you to witness training of the horses at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, while enjoying breakfast in the Trackside Kitchen. After that you check out two floors of race related exhibits at the Kentucky Derby Museum and see Churchill Downs Frontside and the Winner’s Circle. Once you’e done with the horse stuff you go over to Louisville Stoneware, to see how this stone ware is created. But maybe you prefer Bourbon…then go on the Horses and Bourbon Tour. First you go to the Kentucky Horse Park to visit with more than 30 different breeds of horse. YOu see the blacksmith, International Museum of the Horse and enjoy lunch at Holly Hill Inn. Finally the bourbon, at one of Kentucky’s oldest distilleries, Woodford Reserve. But where’s the glass you say. Oh you’ll get to that…check the GAS web site for more information if you haven’t received your conference information brochure.

Stained Glass Pendant Tutorial

cathimilligan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:15:10 +0000

I’m not a stained glass person. I have nothing against it…I just don’t do it. My thing is melting glass. But there are really cool stained glass projects out there that should be shared. Today’s post is a tutorial for such a project. It’s simple and could be your gateway to larger stained glass projects. Stained glass is beautiful and should be appreciated for the work that’s involved. The cutting and grinding and preparing the layout, as well as wrapping each piece with foil and finally soldering each piece into place.

This project from about.com’s jewelry making page, and is by Tammy Powley. As I said, this is a simple project and has the potential for a lot of projects. This is for a pendant but there’s no reason why you can’t make links for bracelets or necklaces or make two that would make great earrings. You’re only limited by your imagination on this one…and maybe what glass you have on hand

What Do You Do With Glass?

cathimilligan — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 07:57:21 +0000

My passion is glass. I melt it and form it into cute beads…pretty beads…sometimes beads that blow my mind. I also fuse glass into objects…functional art. A sink…a lamp…plates and bowls. Then there’s mosaic. Bits of glass and tiles adhered to objects and walls and surfaces. It’s all about color and form and function regardless of the technique used. What do you do? How do you make your glass sing? This is a bit of audience participation…we’ve done it before. Inspiration was the last bonus bead blog. So this one will be about what you do with glass. The first five comments I receive will get a set of beads I’ve made. Little accents. Some fabulous Double Helix glass. Maybe Terranova, one of my new favorites. Maybe Kronos. Could be Triton. Maybe Aurae. Your comments will determine your beads. But there are no bad beads…

Field Trip – Third Degree Glass Factory

cathimilligan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:07:33 +0000

Next time you’re in St Louis you must stop by the Third Degree Glass Factory. This looks like a very good time for the glass lover. Classes, events, glass…good times. It’s a full service public art glass space established in 2002 by Jim McKelvey and Doug Auer. They offer studio rental space for glass artists as well as education, gallery space and a gift shop where local artists can sell their work.

Regular events bring in the public to educate them on the glass good time. Third Friday Open House parties is one of the events that sounds like a blast. There are demonstrations, music, drinks and you can even sign up for hands on glass experiences such as tile making, glass bead making or maybe make a paperweight. Next event is November 20, 2009. I know I wish I could swing by.

Field Trip – Bay Area Glass Institute

cathimilligan — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:33:47 +0000

Today we’re heading to San Jose, CA to visit the Bay Area Glass Institute. The Bay area is blessed with a number of places people who love glass can go to learn more about glass. They offer classes in all aspects of glass working as well as studio rental time. There’s a gallery and a gift shop. They have events and lectures series offerings such as Third Thursdays. All of this sounds like loads of fun. I’m kind of jealous that we don’t have something similar in Los Angeles. Might have to do something about that…

So if you’re interested in venturing up California to the San Jose area or you already live up there take a tour of the Bay Area Glass Institute and pick me up a trinket from the gift store.

Bullseye at SOFA in Chicago

cathimilligan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:51:37 +0000

stairs...

If you’re going to be in the Chicago area November 6-8, 2009 head over to SOFA, the Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair being held at the Navy Pier’s Festival Hall. This is a show I’ve always wanted to attend and have only dreamt of being able to show at. 68 top galleries and dealers will be showing fabulous art from around the world. There will be lectures and special exhibits too.

Bullseye Glass will be there with a staircase they made for the show. They’ll be at booth 607 with this awesome glass staircase. Their theme for the show is “Building with Light: Contemporary Glass Art + Architecture. You can learn more about it at Bullseye’s Blog…

working on stair parts

A Glass Fusers Information Paradise

cathimilligan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:21:10 +0000

This cool piece is by Kimbrill.

As some of you may have noticed I like a web site that informs. It’s good if it sells materials and tools but I think information and feedback from other artists is so important. I want to pass on to you the web site FusedGlass.org. It’s a very cool place to visit. There’s lots of information and forums and a gallery of work…check out some of these pieces I’ve posted.

This is by Brad Peterson.

They do product reviews and have knowledge of kilns and have tutorials. So much to explore. Do you fuse? If you haven’t yet you’ll probably want to after you visit this site.

And if you’ve already started fusing and you have questions about firing schedules or just need a place to start from you’ll find these things here. So very helpful.

The Creative Process

lori greenberg — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:44:21 +0000

If any of you read Watch Me Create, the team blog that I manage and write for, it is no surprise to you that I love hearing about artist’s creative processes. Ranking right up there at the top of my favorite things are pictures of designing in sketch books. So you can imagine my delight when I came across Lucinda Storms’ blog post at Belvedere Beads.

If you visit Lucinda’s blog you will also find some of her paintings and other projects she has been working on.