A welcome message!

Welcome to the blog!

Did you know you can sign up to subscribe to a blog? To subscribe to this blog, please use the handy buttons on the vertical menu bar to the left (you have to scroll down).

You can also leave comments, your comments are welcome. You can leave comments on any of the patterns or blog entries. Right below each black and white pattern image, or blog entry, there is a 'comment' link at your disposal. If no one comments, I'm going to feel like I'm screaming in the desert, and we wouldn't want that, would we?

Andy Warhol

I've just come back from the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Below is an interpretation of Andy Warhol's black and yellow self-portrait.

Nico

This is Christa Paffgen, better known as Nico, another addict, model and chanteuse who spent time with the Velvet Underground and Warhol's entourage. She had a child, Ari, by French heart throb Alain Delon, a child whose paternity he's always denied despite a spitting image resemblance. The child was pretty much abandoned at his paternal grandmother's. She sang with a thick German accent, and a gloomy, stretched out voice completely devoid of any hint of vocal pirouettes.

Edie Sedgwick, Factory Girl

Edie Sedgwick died at the age of 28, in 1971, from substance abuse, and after having spent time in mental institutions. She was a notable Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan hanger on, a beautiful rich heiress that went down in flames, or rather, in a fog of opiates, nicotine and alcohol.

Celine Dion

A pattern for a stained glass portrait of Quebec chanteuse Céline Dion.

Victorian Art Glass Festival

In beautiful Victoria, BC.

Glass Campus

Classes offered during the spring include:
GLASS ART JEWELRY
INTRODUCTION TO FUSING & SLUMPING GLASS
INTRODUCTION TO STAINED GLASS
INTRODUCTION TO TORCHWORKING GLASS
WEEK LONG INTENSIVE STAINED GLASS CLASS

Eartha Kitt dies at 81

The self-described "sex kitten" was once called "the most exciting woman alive" by none other thatn Orson Welles. She was one of the first African-American sex symbols.

She earned two Emmys and being nominated for a third, as well as a Grammy. She also had two Tony nominations.

She will be remembered for singing "C'est Si Bon," "Let's Do It" and "Just an Old Fashioned Girl" and the cooing "Santa Baby."

Upcoming Glass Exhibits, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

Link

February 11 to May 2, 2010

Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933) is famous for the original and spectacular effects of colour and light that he achieved in his blown vases, stained glass windows and lamps. A Canadian first, this exhibition focuses on Tiffany's outstanding contribution to design and the technology of glass.

Michelle Obama in Glass

Hillary Clinton in Glass

Summer Session at the Pilchuck Glass School

Download PDF catalog

Of note:

May 19 - June 5
Kéké Cribbs teaches painting with enamels.
Silvia Levinson teaches body part mold making and kiln casting.

June 9 - 26
Learn beginner glassblowing with Sonja Blomdahl
Bill Concannon and Joy of Neon

July 7 - 24
Judith Schaecter, Pilchuck has TWO glass painting sessions!
Charles Cohan teaches printmaking with glass (flat glass)

July 28 - Aug 14
Pâte de verre with Alicia Romney

Aug 18 - Sep 4
Ethan Cohen's unique glassblowing/coldworkingn combo. Highly recommended!

Summer Session at the Penland School of Crafts

The full schedule isn't out yet, but here is a tantalizing preview!

Session 1: May 24–June 5, two weeks
Einar de la Torre & Jamex de la Torre--Recombinant DNA
Judith Schaechter--Stained Glass

Session 2: June 7–19, two weeks
Kiara Pelissier--Introduction to Furnace Working
Linda Sacra--Beads Imitating Nature

Session 3: June 21–July 3, two weeks
Joe Cariati & Adam Holtzinger--Design Aesthetics: Challenging the Basics
Brian Kerkvliet--Fantastic Flamework Fantasies

Session 4: July 5–17, two weeks
Jasen Johnsen & Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen--Hot Sculpting Experience
Sally Prasch--Flameworking with Sally

Session 5: July 19–August 4, two and one-half weeks
Jonas Sebura--From Concept to Completion
Wayne Strattmann & David Wilson--Glass & Light: Beyond Neon

Session 6: August 9–21, two weeks
Leo Tecosky--From Within Out
Eric Goldschmidt--Comprehensive Flameworking

Session 7: August 23–29, one week
Kaeko Maehata--Not Too Late (beginning hot glass)
Jan Williams--Experimentations with Soft Glass

Summer Session at the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG)

Download whole program (HUGE PDF file, 27 pages)

There are many exciting course, several of which are worthy of my enthusiastic recommendation:

June 1-10
Shi-Ichi and Kimiake Higuchi teach pâte de verre. (juried)
Davide Salvatore teaches murrine. (advanced glassblowing)

June 8-10, June 15-26
Jiri Harcuba teaches engraving (great opportunity!!!)

June 16-26
Joel O'Dorisio brings mold blowing madness

July 20-25
Flamework lifelike flowers with Maragaret Neher
Jayne Persico teaches kiln-cast jewelry
Martin Kremer teaches pattern making in kiln working

Jule 27-Aug 1
Paul Stankard (yes, PAUL STANKARD!!!) teaches miniature flameworked paperweights.
Harry Seaman brings you up to the 'next step' in glassblowing.

August 10-21
Kiln-formed light fixtures with Mark Ditzler, woot!

September 7-12
Learn beginner glassblowing with Amanda Gundy. Great opportunity!
Lost wax kiln-casting with Milon Townsend, oh my, that should be FUN.

One week tuition: $750, board $520
Ten days: $1125, board $700
Two weeks: $1400, board $1140

Jewelry Patterns

There are few websites on the internet that offer jewelry patterns. Many feature beads or beaded jewelry, but rare are those with silver or gold jewelry ideas.

If you are new at jewelry making, please visit Jewelry Patterns. All the patterns are free!

At the moment only silver ring patterns are posted, but much more will be added later, including diagrams for lost wax casting rings, riveting projects, etc.

Resizing and printing patterns

The good news is that there is absolutely no need to purchase specialty software to resize or print (full size!) your patterns. Chances are you already have the software you need on your computer.

Check out the links below for details:

Find MS Paint on your computer
Resize your patterns
Print your patterns

Indian Head Pattern

Here it is by the ever so accomplished Joy:

Memorializing the Bush 'Legacy'

Muntadhar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi broadcast journalist for Cairo-based, Iraqi-owned Al-Baghdadia TV. Al-Zaidi's often reported on plight of widows, orphans, and children in the Iraq War. On November 16, 2007, al-Zaidi was kidnapped by unknown assailants in Baghdad. He has also been arrested twice by the United States armed forces.

On November 16, 2008, U.S. president George W Bush was interviewed by his own sister, who to describe what he thought his legacy would be. He said that he would be remembered as the 'liberator of the Iraqi people.'

On December 14, 2008, al-Zaidi threw his shoes at the would-be liberator, George W. Bush, during a Baghdad press conference, a sign of extreme disrespect in Arab culture.

Now you can immortalize this moment in glass:

Modesty, a free pattern.

For the readers' enjoyment.

Searching for stained glass patterns online.

Finding stained glass patterns on the internet has never been easier. There is an ever-increasing number of stylish, quality stained glass patterns available to the hobbyist or even professional, often for free.

To acquaint yourself with the large number of websites offering patterns, I recommend the Stained Glass Pattern Directory. It is by far my favorite list, as it is the freshest, with fewer broken links, and it always seems to be the first to dig out websites as they begin to offer patterns. Note that the websites are listed in decreasing order of quality. Top sites are rated 'five stars' and bottom sites are rated 'one stars.'

It is my observation that this page is nearly always first to list new websites and has the fewest number of dead links.

Here is a screen shot when you scroll down the big page of the Stained Glass Pattern Directory:



If the patience for searching websites one by one fails you, and you'd rather search by topic, despair not! Run to Find Stained Glass Patterns which is by far the most comprehensive listing of individual patterns listed by topic. It's the only site of its kind on the web.

Here is a screen shot from the Find Stained Glass Patterns website:



Find-stainedglasspatterns.com was the first website to make a comprehensive topical compilation of all patterns available on the internet, be they for sale or free. Its usefulness has been widely recognized by webmasters that have copied its content onto their pages; imitation continues to be the best form of flattery.

Find-stainedglasspatterns.com continues to be a step ahead of its imitators. It is still the only one that lists patterns that are for sale. Newly created patterns appear there first. Also, many patterns are not listed by the imitators owing to the complexity of creating redirect links to some of the patterns.