Workshop at BAGI - Day 2

    I spent that evening walking around downtown San Jose. It was quite a scene. People watching is always a trip.  There was a stand up evangelist at one point - microphone & amplifier, bible in hand, standing on a crate. It was a fairly busy spot on the sidewalk in a courtyard, he was facing the street and traffic and there was some interaction from the crowd.  Sort of showboating on the ol' soapbox.  A block away was another, this time in a not so busy spot, no amplifier, just on a crate against a building in some dramatic lighting.  This guy had a sense of conviction that was very intense - you could feel it as you walked by.  More real, in a way.  Less approachable.  Witnessing these two reminded me of a scene from Monty Python's "The Life of Brian".

    There were a few other minor observations along the way that evening, families on vacation, touring.  One of them left a camera behind - good job I noticed, that really would have put a damper on the evening!
    Onward to the next day!  There were molds to be finished & molds to be blown! The shop was a flurry of activity, as there was another workshop going on at the same time - Murrini making with Jonathon Schmuck.  It was fun to have multiple things going on around us.  I have been familiar with Jonathon's work for quite sometime & it was good to get to hang out a bit.  One of the students in Jonathon's class was Todd Tankersley, a professional photographer from San Francisco.  He was entranced by my mold collection & asked if he could photograph them!
    We had a blast blowing all the molds, some with success, others were a learning process.  That is one of the fun things about the workshops, It is really like sketching out ideas and seeing what is possible, and how these processes can be used in a person's own work, beyond the two days.  Here are some pics - Click!
    At the end of the day, Jon, Rich & I gathered up a ton of glass & blew the Biggest Mold I own.  It was a fun way to end the session. We made a bit of a mess, but man, what fun!  There was much video taken - all of which needs to be edited - it will be posted as soon as I get to it.

Mold Blowing Workshop - BAGI - Day1

    Despite the disappointment of not seeing the Big Trees, I did enjoy the ride through Cali to San Jose.  The weather was increadible, and the views even more so.  Another dramatic mountain along the way, Mount Shasta towers above the surrounding lands at 14,000 ft and change.  All I can say is WOW.  

      I was on track to be in San Jose right around six - until I stopped at a rest stop to cook some soup.  A fellow pulled in next to me in his little blue Triumph.  Stewart was travelling from Oregon to a spot in California where he has been working the land into an organic vegetable farm.  We meandered through life & times - it seems that there are many folks out there paring it all down to the basics, giving up on the rat race and searching for something more meaningful.  It could be that I am just noticing that more, now that I am on this path.

    I finally rolled into BAGI at around 9 pm.  As I turned the corner to park, I was swarmed by hundreds of folks on bikes. Al were decked out - there were tassles, bells, glowsticks, boomboxes, trailers - all laughing and enjoying the moment.  Apparently in celebration of 4/20, there was a "Bike Party" - where everyone went from point to point for live music & mild debauchery - the parking lot next to BAGI being the first stop.  As much as I wanted to join in - I had work the next morning & was quite tired from driving.

         I arrived back at the shop first thing in the morning, refreshed & ready to go.  The three folks in the class, Barbara, Rich & Jon, were energized and ready to go.  Barbara had arrived with pastries from Moonside Bakery - she and her husband own - man oh, man was that a treat!   She also arrived with loads of stuff to play with - including some molds that she was already using that she wanted to modify.  Rich & Jon have been blowing glass together for some time, and seemed to have a bit of a reputation as merry pranksters around the shop.  Everyone had a great sense of humor, there was no shortage of laughter and jokes.

    Here is a link to the first day - Click!

San Jose Bound

    There are so very many things to see and experience along the way.  I have taken to following my instincts.  This also means that I don't really plan very much.  I just try to allow myself enough time between destinations so that I can explore things as they present themselves.
    I would need a couple of weeks to explore Seattle, and I cannot afford that time this trip.  So I boogied straight on through to Tacoma.  The Museum of Glass there is such a cool spot.  The quality of the work on exhibit there is always top notch.  I had visited in 2003, where I saw Bertil Vallien do a large casting demo.  The demonstration floor is awesome - stadium seating with a mezzanine all around & closed circuit TV where they can really zoom in on what the artists are doing.  I would really like to demo here someday.

    That Hot Second passed, time to head on south.  I spent the day driving through Washington, seeing what I could see along the way.  I drove towards Mount Ranier, I heard that Paradise is on the side of that volcano.  It was pretty rainy, although an exciting drive - I decided to turn around, and save it for a clearer day when I am not so rushed.

I seem to be having a difficult time these days committing to being somewhere at a certain time of day.  The publisized events are not a problem at all - they keep me anchored in a way.  Its the other stuff in between - I get torn between too many different options. I am not sure why this is.  I almost freeze up, as though I am not sure what the right decision is.  I call this "getting in my own way".  As a result, things will happen like not letting friends know I am in town until about an hour before.  This is what happened in Portland, where a friend of mine resides.  All I really had to do was give a little more heads up. Like a couple more hours & we would have hooked up.
    I did take a couple of ours to walk and drive around and check out Portland.  Had a beer at Tugboat Brewing Company. Okay, I had two. They were really tasty.  Took a little breather & got back on the road.  I don't really like driving at night - I miss too much scenery.  Rest stop & nap time.  Woke up at 4:20 AM on 4/20.  My workshop at BAGI was the next day, and I had some miles to put behind me.  Especially if I was going to see the Giant Trees!  I realized a little later that the scale of the maps in my atlas are not consistent - California is a Very Large State!
    That being said, I didn't stop for much until I exited in Southern Oregon at Grants Pass to take 99 towards the Giants.  I stopped at a coffee joint for some, and noticed that the tip jar was hand blown glass. There must be a hot shop around here somewhere.  I started walking two blocks up turn right.  Two blocks down the street I about to turn back towards the truck, when I noticed the word "Glass" written on the side of a building.

The group of artists at the Glass Forge were very welcoming. I ended up grabbing the truck & showing them what I was up to. I blew into a couple of my molds, and so did they.  We all got on quite well - I could have stayed there all day!  We traded t-shirts & I went on my way.  I will make a point of coming back for a visit.  I will be coming back this way I think - I didn't get a chance to see those trees.  I didn't have time. It is okay, for I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. I have waited all my life to see the giant redwoods, today just was not the day.  I had a class to teach the next day in San Jose.  This is something I was really looking forward to. It is very special for folks to see what I am doing & that they want to be a part of it.  It can be overwhelming at times.

The Northern Route

    The last week in Bozeman was an intense one.  I started it with an Easter sunrise service at 9,000 ft. on the side of Lone Mountain in Big Sky.  First time on a ski lift. I am slowing working my way onto the slopes!

   Many projects started that I needed to tighten up before leaving.  I have been determined that I will not leave a trail of unfinished business behind me.  I do not know exactly what life has in store for me - part of this Adventure is to tune in to the current moment & embrace it, not living in the past or future.  I spent my time wisely, enjoying a bit of what the area has to offer socially as well.  It will always be a place that I return to, whether it be for a brief visit, or for an extended period of time.  I came with the intent of starting a public glass studio and found that the seeds have already been planted (Morris' vision of what can happen rivals my own!).  I hope to return in late summer, and bring some soft glass into the picture with me.

    I decided that I would like to drive across to Seattle to see a couple of friends, then South down the coast to San Jose, hopefully with time to stop by the Giant Redwoods along the way.  I traveled through Western Montana, stopping off occasionally to stretch the legs & see some sights.  I had to drive around Butte for a little while, it has a fascinating history - one that is so directly tied to the industrial growth of the U.S. and the world.  There were many new paths under construction, it seems to me that they are finishing up a walking tour of sorts.  Here is a link to some photos from my visit.

   Made it into Washington State that evening, slept a few hours at a rest stop.  I awoke just before dawn, stopped by a lake to watch the sunrise.

    The drive that morning was gorgeous, the landscape going along rather flat until right near the Columbia River where the hills start to undulate & there is a gorge that the river runs through.  Just across the gorge, up a hill then BAM! Far in the distance stands a sleeping volcano, Mt Ranier. Fortunately there is a rest stop there, so I didn't have to pull over to the shoulder.  The sight of this mountain struck me, as it appeared to stand alone, a hundred miles away, massive power rising high into the sky.  I did my best to capture this experience - some photos here.
    I  made into the Seattle area in the morning. I didn't call as I knew Jason would know when I would be there, and of course, he had walked out front to get the mail as I pulled up.  Such a warm welcome with friends that I have known for a couple of decades, yet have not seen in almost one of those.  Amy & Jason have a very special place in my heart, and it was wonderful to be able to spend a couple of days with them & meet their children.  They shared with me the things that make their life there so special.  There was a hike in the rainforest, much silliness with Legos, musical jam sessions, drawing sessions with pastels, and some wonderful meals prepared with Love.  The house was a handyman special that has been lovingly crafted into a home.  That place & its backyard reminded me of how powerful the energy we put into things can be.
    It was tough to leave, but that is the way it is for me now.  I had a conversation about this with my cousin just before they left Montana (oddly enough - the day after I left).  "We are the lucky ones - we get to go and see everyone".  The bittersweet part is that every moment is but a fleeting moment.  Each one is intensely beautiful, then gone.  That is the way life is - I feel that being sedentary can dull this down.  We need to be reminded of this impermanence.

Getting Ready to Set Sail

I have had a strong desire to return to California for a visit.  My previous visit was terrific.  I feel like I made some very real connections with folks there.  And I really want to spend a little time with those giant trees.  So will begin the Spring Tour.  I leave on the 16th of April, and will travel West to Seattle and then South along the coast.  I hope to visit several friends and studios along the way.  I had been planning this trip, to come back to Bozeman before heading East in late May/early June (the Summer Tour).  Word of my father's health has redirected my plans a bit - I will now be going to Oklahoma between California and the East Coast.  I had just signed up for a P.O. Box in Bozeman when I got the news.  Seems like the Universe doesn't want to let me settle down just yet.

    I have a workshop scheduled at Bay Area Glass Institute for April 21 & 22, where I will be teaching folks about the glass blowing molds I use and how to make them out of just about anything.  I blew a little glass here on my previous visit, it is a really nice facility, and I am looking forward to a return.
    The following weekend I have been invited to have a show & will be the lead demonstration for Public Glass' Hot Glass Cold Beer fundraising event.  Followed by a workshop the following week. I am going to do my best to work in any additional visiting artist demonstrations in between.  Exciting stuff!
    I am making the work for the show here,  the concept being a play on the 99 bottles of beer on the wall song, instead being 99 bowls made of glass on the wall.  I have been making these little dishes and I think it would be pretty neat to display them.  It is a culmination of the work I have done here in Bozeman, and what the experience has taught me.  Making multiples becomes meditation.  Making glass keeps me on the right path, in a healthy state of mind.  I had no idea what was in store for me when I came back here.  That I would learn an entirely new aspect of glass.  That I would be welcomed with open arms & such generosity.  That I would get to collaborate and play like I have not done in a very long time.  It has helped me work through some very intense moments.  

Regarding Balance

    Balance is one of those things I have been working on all my life.  It can be quite elusive.  I am not sure if I have ever had this figured out, actually.  Sometimes, I wish there was another one of me - an opposing brained me that could take care of all those things that don't seem to come naturally.  Balance in every aspect of life, takes constant attention. There are many facets to this life.  There is the manic creative that delights in pure expression, this being the most powerful force, the one that drives the bus.  Then there is the part that has to figure out how to fill the gas tank of said bus....
    The variety of activity need to keep going can be a little overwhelming at times.  I seem to go in waves. I get caught up in driving the bus, then, crap, the bus is out of fuel.  And so on and so forth.
    Things have been quite interesting for the past month. I feel like I have been progressing in a very positive way in the glass studio.  Furnace dipping boro is quite a different feel than what I am accustomed to.  I have been adapting my soft glass techniques, blowing into molds making a limited series of small vase-pipes - Morris has kept some amazing colors swrling around in the furnace for me, so I have been producing as much as I possibly can while the furnace is hot.  I have been getting some very positive feedback regarding the work - that is always very encouraging.  The creative juices are in full swing, there aren't enough hours in the day!

     All this being said, life doesn't stop either.  Just as I started to make plans for the Spring & Summer Tours, some pretty heavy family matters have come up.  Enter the unexpected balancing act!
   

A Big Anniversary

    It was exactly one year ago, I was finishing and sending in my application for the Kohler/Corning Residency.  This is an amazing residency sponsored by Kohler (yes the faucet, sink & toilet manufacturer) and the Corning Museum of Glass.  For me, it was a pivotal moment, being the first residency I have ever applied for.  I found that there was a state of mind I needed to get myself into in order to finish the application.  I worked on it for a couple of months, finishing work, taking photographs, and figuring out how to express ideas that I have been mulling over for years into a very short proposal.  I had to completely believe that I was going to be awarded the residency, and wrap my head around what that actually meant.  It meant that I would be leaving Philadelphia, to begin a new chapter of my life.  I would be completely devoting myself to the pursuit of my artwork.  I would be going out on a limb, opening up for others to see. I could be amazing, or fail spectacularly.  I delivered it to the Post Office about 10 minutes until close on the postmark deadline of April 1.  Not that I didn't have enough time to get everything done, it was that I had convinced myself that I was committed to the fact that everything was going to change if I sent the application in.
    Here's the cover letter to the proposal:

I have had my own studio for 11 years, which has allowed me to concentrate on sculpture in a variety of materials.  I have also worked as a project manager/consultant in the creative construction industry.  At the Kohler/Corning Residency Program, I would like to marry these two skill sets to work on a large scale with a team of skilled artisans. I am comfortable working within the dynamics of a studio that has many projects happening simultaneously. As a glass blower and a project manager, I have experience with the give and take that occurs in these situations and believe it strengthens the relationships between the participants, while adding energy to the work.

I have been exploring the idea of sculpture consisting of a vocabulary of symbolic, modular shapes and elements for several years. These elements become symbols that have individual meaning and when put together create new meanings in their relationship to each other, the space and viewer. I see large scale installations that relay the essence of a story, constructed of modular components made of metal, glass, wood, and ceramic. 

    The Proposal:


    I will develop a series of modular pieces of sculpture which will have the potential to be assembled in many different ways.  A vocabulary of shapes, sizes, textures and colors will be created representing individuals, events, and how they relate to and affect each other.  I want to create an experience for viewers that will evoke feelings and emotional responses to this abstract language. I see these forms manifesting as room sized fixed installations, as well as being presented as “kits” for others to assemble using their own vision or expression, thus creating a living language in three-dimension. 

Time line:

Month 1 – Planning, drawing, creating mock-ups, understanding studio logistics and installation spaces

Month 2 – Continue with drawings, mock-ups, begin making models and prototypes

Month 3 – Using a variety of materials, create blow molds and glass manipulation tools

Month 4 - Time at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass to make pieces using these molds and tools in the hot shop, and any cold working that is necessary.

Month 5 – Return to Kohler Arts Center, assess the stock. Plan installations and design non-glass elements

Month 6 – Create non-glass components

Month 7 – Final constructions and site installation.

Here is a link to the photos of the work.

    I thought it was pretty good.  The big thing was that I actually followed through with the application. No more just talking about what I was going to do someday, time to start doing it.  Once that piece was in the mail, things changed for me.  I spent a couple of weeks at my brother's place on the Potomac River, house sitting & trying to figure out what I was going to do with myself.  It was during this time that the seeds for what I am up to now were planted.