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

Recently my eye has been caught by glass casting and pate de verre.

I came upon Cynthia’s Morganica blog a little while back and today saw this (click her link to see the post).  It highlights her work in casting realistic portrait images in glass which involves producing a sculpted mold first.

As I read this post I came up on the part where she talks about “better eyes on the first try” and explains how the master sculptors use negative space to represent the lens of the eye.  It’s amazing what you don’t see when you’re looking at a piece but when someone explains it like that you start to notice.

Thanks Cynthia, for opening my eyes!

Simon Pearce supports the Vermont Institute of Natural Science’s 31st Annual Birdathon happening from April 20 – May 22 with 100% of proceeds from the sales of his glass bird paperweights going to the Birdathon.  This event is the world’s largest bird watching competition.  If you love nature or are a bird watcher yourself, why not support them and grab one of these for yourself?

Brilliant pictures of glass art from the Museum of Glass.  Read about it and see more images at Joanne Osband’s blog, Still Coloring out of the Lines.

It might be a little hard to see from the glare on the window but once you get past that you see the incredible figurines made of glass.  I found this while surfing the internet at travelblog.org.  If you scroll down the page at that link you’ll see some other interesting glass art as well as other images from travels around Italy.  I always wondered what a hostel looked like.  Now I’ve seen one example.

I wouldn’t know, but it seems as if this seasons weather is having a big effect on people already. ::this is the sound of me rubbing it in from sunny Arizona:: Think about your favorite blogs and all of the pictures of snow you’ve seen lately.

Unfortunately for her, Kay Lodahl’s camera ran out of battery, and fortunately for us we get pictures of her glass work! The weather also has people staying close to home and on their computers so you can find her work at her Etsy shop.

If you’re stuck indoors, why not surf on by.

Glass Slugs

You’re especially in luck if you live in Cincinati, Ohio because that’s where the OUTSIDE store is that carries them.  If not, maybe if you email them they’ll ship one to you.  Or list one on Etsy.  Or point you in the direction of the artist that makes them.

I know I’d love a colorful slug for Christmas.

Do you love art glass but don’t have the time, resources or inclination to make it yourself?  Kersey and Preston show you how they celebrate art glass…by buying it at garage sales and surrounding themselves with it.

What about you?  If you don’t make your own glass art but love it, show us something from your collection!  Email me at glassart@craftgossip.com.

Just in time for Halloween I found a great fan pull made out of glass and in the shape of a bat. Not the cartoony black bats but the real thing.  The fun thing about it is that it’s made to hang upside down from your light fixture.  Too creepy?  Not if you’re like me and Halloween is your favorite holiday!

Now you can have your bacon in glass too. See the chronicles of Bacon Boy being made at Portland’s Glass Art Society conference in their mobile hot shop.

Attention glass workers…remember that cute little torch I blogged about a couple weeks ago? Now is your chance to win one, or even better…its big brother or its big daddy!

FlameTree Glass is having a contest for the best Halloween Glass Sculpture and the best Halloween Glass Bead and the prizes are GTT Torches and gift certificates to FlameTree Glass. Deadline is October 28, so get torching!

Here you will find daily, juicy tidbits on what is going on in the world of glass art. Fusing, kiln formed, casting, lampworking, stained glass, blowing, painting, enameling and more. And if you see that something is being left out, make sure to drop a note to send us gossip!

First up: Glass Sculpture in Murano, Italy.