Art Thread: gary bolt

[gary bolt]

Now that I've actually made some Hellboy related glass pieces I thought it was time to start an art thread of my own. I'll show process shots when I can. Once I get my Hellboy pieces posted I'll show you some of the sculptural glass I exhibit in galleries.

Here are some process pics of the Screw on Head I made for the holliday exchange. We started by making the general head shape with a long neck attached to a metal rod. Some areas were heated with a torch and pushed in (eyes and mouth) and other areas were added on (ears and nose). Once we had the basic head shape we attached another rod to the top of the head and broke it off the original rod. This process (called "puntying up") turns the piece around and allowed us to clean up the neck and add the screw. A blob of glass is left on the top of the head and has to be ground off and polished once the piece has properly cooled.

Let me know what you think.

Gary

[fitzroy]

Superb stuff Sir Teddy
Love your stuff, and knees

[Ose]

The in-progress pictures are great Gary! It's neat to see (and hear a description of) the process for something that isn't the usual blown glass. I've seen a few glass demonstrations before, but they were all for vases and run-of-the-mill stuff that appeals to tourists. Seeing how something more sculptural is done is just plain cool.

And I should have known better than to look here at 5 in the morning. Shiny things distract me at the best of times, and they distract me even more when I'm sleep deprived...

[Tad]

Thanks for posting the process, Gary. So is red glass hard to come by? I'm thinking a glass Right Hand of Doom would be major league awesome.

[hellboyone]

That looks really hard. Great work, Gary.

R.

[gary bolt]

Thanks for the interest and compliments you guys (even knee compliments!). We have clear glass in our furnace so a red hand could be done but it would add a lot of labour.

I need to go get ready for work, Morna and I are hosting a huge annual Christmas event at the studio tonight. Here's a teaser of a clear Right Hand of Doom that I made with my team last week. I'll post finished shots and more process shots tomorow.

Gotta run!

[petriacce]

Thanks for the interest and compliments you guys (even knee compliments!). We have clear glass in our furnace so a red hand could be done but it would add a lot of labour.

I need to go get ready for work, Morna and I are hosting a huge annual Christmas event at the studio tonight. Here's a teaser of a clear Right Hand of Doom that I made with my team last week. I'll post finished shots and more process shots tomorow.

Gotta run!Damn, that is so awesome my eyes teared up. I'm serious. Holy crap.

[gary bolt]

Wow, I wasn't trying to make anyone cry!

Cry baby! :)

[petriacce]

Wow, I wasn't trying to make anyone cry!

Cry baby! :)Who're you calling a cry baby? http://maijagraham.com/avatar.jpg

[gary bolt]

Wow, I wasn't trying to make anyone cry!

Cry baby! :)


Gary! That's so mean. Well ya almost made me tear up pets, with that post. (Up at six peeling eggs I'm probably pretty punchy!)

The RHOD IS spectacular but I still love screwy. I hope Someone loves it as much. I know you're thinking - well, just make another one but it doesn't always work that way. There's a considerable amount of beginners luck involved with things like that - believe it or not.

oops! sorry used Gary's log-on

this post was brought to you by morna

[Tad]

No worries about the red. I'll just display it against a red background. :p

Seriously awesome work!

Thanks to morna and Sir Edward for bringing an appreciation of glass to this board!

[DonneFan]

That hand is WONDERFUL! How long does it take to make one? Isn't molten glass pretty? Ive only worked with metals, but glasswork has always intreagued me. Seriously, beautiful work!

[+ uniform.grey +]

Wow! What an amazing process and gorgeous outcome!

This is really cool of you to put up in progress shots and give us all a peek at the wonderful-world-of-glass-art.

Good luck with your Christmas show!

And that RHoD looks awesome! I'd love to see more!

[JohnThompson]

Lovely work, Gary! Of course, I couldn't help but notice your impeccable taste in reference material for Screwy!

What do you use to polish the glass after its ground? My wife makes some glass jewelry, and it would be nice to polish the edges smooth.

Need I say this? More, more! I'm surprised that you haven't made a glass skull for Morna yet.

[Tad]

Morna married him for his skull. Gary allows no sharp edged tools or cutlery in the house when he's sleeping.

"He awoke to find his wife staring at him, or rather, his head. He wondered if she imagined herself with xray vision. Then he noticed the fillet knife in her hand..."

[icbm1987]

Great Work Sir!

*lets the darkness swallow him once more*

[Johann]

Wow, Amazing process its great to see the steps in creation.

[shonokin]

Holy cow, those are really and truly cool! :eek:

[E. Spears]

wow. Just wow. The process is so cool, and the finished peices are gorgeous. Seriously. The Hand is marvelous.

-ERS

[gary bolt]

Thanks everybody! I'm touched that you are liking my stuff. Some of you had some questions so I'll try to answer.

Donnefan- Screw On Head took me and an assistant about 1 1/2 hours in the hot shop. Johann took about 45 minutes. The RHOD took me and three assistants about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

JT- There are several ways to polish glass. It's a very hard material and polishing always requires lots of water and machinery. We use a wet belt machine with various belts for rough and fine grinding and polish with a cork belt. We also have a flat grinder and a lens grinder and they both use cerium oxide on felt. As to making skulls, one of the guys who works for us is all over the skull thing so I don't really go there. Thanks again for the wonderful front side and back views of the Screw on Head sculpt you posted in your art thread a while back!


Here's a couple of Johann pics. He's a blown glass sculpt (Screwy is a solid sculpt) and was surprisingly challenging because we would intentionally make him off center (chins and stuff) and then when we would heat him in the glory hole he'd go symetrical again. He has a sink drain cover epoxied on for a mouth piece.

I'll post more RHOD pics later. Right now I've got house guests I'm neglecting and gotta get ready for work.

[Conundrum]

Man! That is freakin' awesome! I love seeing them in relationship to other ojects so we can really get a feel how big they are. Thanks!

[Tad]

He has a sink drain cover epoxied on for a mouth piece.


!!!!! I had no idea he was that big! I thought he was smaller than a fist. That is fantastic!

[Maija]

These pieces are just phenomenal. I have no words but "Wow!!"

[gary bolt]

I always forget to mention dimensions, so the process shots are probably a good idea. Screwy is about 17 cm (6 1/2 inches) long, Johann is 24 cm (9 1/2 inches) tall and the RHOD is 28 cm (11 inches) tall. The three pieces sort of represent three different ways of sculpting glass. Screwy is solid worked glass, which means you take a mass of soft glass and manipulate it into a finished shape. Johann is blown glass manipulated into a finished shape. I found it the trickiest of the three. I usually make symetrical vessels when I blow glass and when we tried to make Johann's head assymetrical by adding a suggestion of a chin, say, it would dissapear when we re-heatedthe glass and round out. I guess it has something to do with surface tension. The RHOD is bit-worked glass, which means that it is made by adding additional bits of glass to construct a piece additively.

Thanks again for the compliments, you're kind of making me have a hugely swollen head but fortunately no one has noticed (or said anything). Not even Morna.

I'm pretty much out of pictures of my work that have anything to do with Hellboy but here are the process shots for the RHOD I made last week.



Gary

[Hellsaint]

Oh WOW! The RHOD is really cool especially with the burning rod behind it, it gives some sort of a fiery feeling... *shudders*
About Johann, he is great too. I dun see too many figures or glasses of johann around...

[Otto66]

Gary? The glass work is most impressive. Thanks for the pics and
the insight into your process. Great Stuff.
Any plans for a Roger WCC piece?
(said in a enquiring, yet jesting, manner)

[Maija]

How did you make the nifty pattern of bubbles in the forearm of the RHOD?

[gary bolt]

Otto, thanks for the complimentary feedback! You've tipped my hand, a glass WCC is my next project when I can squeeze it in.
(Said in a gratefull, yet eye-rolly, manner)

Ruta, the regular pattern of bubbles is accomplished by rolling the soft glass on a textured metal plate that has a grid of points sticking up. When more molten glass is gathered over the textured layer bubbles are trapped in the regularly space dents.

[Otto66]

Otto, thanks for the complimentary feedback! You've tipped my hand, a glass WCC is my next project when I can squeeze it in.

WCC - squeeze... Ar,ar,ar...(said in a pun induced state of laughter)
Looking forward to the WCC pics and process.

[gary bolt]

Here's the RHOD all finished up and standing.

[hellboyone]

Beautiful!

R.

[petriacce]

Here's the RHOD all finished up and standing. :eek: - still speechless.

[Tad]

What a great piece. Who'd a thunk a year ago that we'd be seeing stuff like this here?

[DonneFan]

Wow. Thats all I can say. Wow. :eek:

lovely work

[+ uniform.grey +]

That Right Hand of Doom turned out beautifully!

Fantastic job!

[JohnThompson]

Gary, have you ever seen a cartoon where the character's pupils turn into heart shapes after seeing something beautiful? My eyes are stuck like that now.

Thank you for the pretties!

[Kusanivy]

Wow - just wow...

I was going to say that Johann was my favorite piece so far but that RHOD is gorgeous!

And like Ose said it is neat to see some progress shots for glass work when the finished piece is something other than a vase or cup.

[Maija]

Gary, have you ever seen a cartoon where the character's pupils turn into heart shapes after seeing something beautiful? My eyes are stuck like that now.

Or you could also imagine any male character's facial expression on seeing Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

AWWOOOOGA!! That RHOD is amazing, Gary!

[gary bolt]

Wow, thanks to all of you for the support and compliments. I was compelled to try some Hellboy inspired glass pieces once I decided to participate in the holiday art exchange and I'm glad I did. Usually when I blow glass I make production work and even though it's a fun process it sometimes feels a little stale because I'm making things I've made before. These pieces were a ton of fun. :)

[cantide]

That's the best thing I've seen in a very long while. All of them. I tip my hat to you. :)

[gary bolt]

Thanks again for the great response to my Hellboy inspired glass sculpts. You've given me the courage to show you some of my non-Hellboy sculptural pieces. These pieces are made using the sandcasting process and were part of a solo exhibition I had last May called "Suspension". Armillary Sphere is about 18" tall and Celestial Sphere is about 8" wide and 5" deep. Most of my one of a kind work is inspired by my interest in space sciences, planetary science and cosmology. It's also about exploring the process of casting glass and floating inclusions in the mass of the material.

Any feedback or critique would be welcome. Thanks.

Gary

[Jan Bentzen]

Gary - the only feedback I can give you is ......

HOLY CRAP - THIS STUFF IS JUST BEAUTIFUL - I WANT GLASS :) :)

- Jan

[Petersen]

Gary,
Armillary Sphere is my 2nd fave of your work that I have seen! (1st being reserved for that ASoH!!!)

I really like the intersecting spirals and your intrest in space shines through. The 2nd photograph of it looks like the cover to a snazzy physics or algebra textbook.

[Tad]

Wow, I really like the Armillary sphere but the photo plays tricks on my perception. Is it a full sphere and we're looking inside it like a diorama? Or is it a semisphere?

Anyway, they're both beautiful but that one's my favorite.

[Jakob Westman]

Wow, great stuff!!
The Amazing Screw-On Head is my favourite though. He looks SO funny.

:) Jakob

[gary bolt]

Thanks for the compliments you guys.

Tad, the Armillary Sphere is actually more like a half sphere. These two images are of the textured side of the piece. The other side is flat and highly polished to allow full visual access the coloured cones and spheres floating in the clear glass. The metal stand I fabricated pivots so that you can interact with it easily because the glass piece is 5 or 6 inches thick and weighs over 20 pounds. I'll scan the slide of the other side soon.

edit:

In the mean time I found these low res images of the piece from before I resolved the presentation and base. It shows the inclusions more clearly.

[petriacce]

Uh, here's my WOW. Those are beautiful Gary. How would a piece like Armillary Sphere be created? I'm one of those people that can't suspend fruit in gelatin for some reason.

[gary bolt]

The process is a bit involved. First using glassblowing techniques I make a big thick walled bowl, in this case it has a lining of pale blue glass on the inner surface and a white spiral. I also make the cone and spheres ahead of time. The thick bowl is packed in sand in a box and loaded into a big top loading kiln. The inclusions are also heated up so that they won't crack when they go into the hot glass. Once all the parts are heated above 500 C I scoop molten glass out of a furnace and half fill it. A couple of the pre heated shapes are dropped into the surface of the molten glass and more is poured over top. Another sphere is dropped onto the top after the mold is filled. The whole thing is then annealed (slowly cooled to remove stress). This takes about a week. When it comes out of the kiln it has a bumpy gnarly top surface so I put it in a big diamond saw and cut the top flat. It is then ground and polished to reveal the inclusions inside. This takes another week or two. A lens is also ground and polished onto the other side to provide a little window of visual access from the other side.

The shapes floating in the glass are made in layers and some are mostly clear glass which disappears when the pieces are suspended in the mass of glass leaving only the coloured spirals and layers visible.

How's my explanation, clear as mud?

[petriacce]

The process is a bit involved. First using glassblowing techniques I make a big thick walled bowl, in this case it has a lining of pale blue glass on the inner surface and a white spiral. I also make the cone and spheres ahead of time. The thick bowl is packed in sand in a box and loaded into a big top loading kiln. The inclusions are also heated up so that they won't crack when they go into the hot glass. Once all the parts are heated above 500 C I scoop molten glass out of a furnace and half fill it. A couple of the pre heated shapes are dropped into the surface of the molten glass and more is poured over top. Another sphere is dropped onto the top after the mold is filled. The whole thing is then annealed (slowly cooled to remove stress). This takes about a week. When it comes out of the kiln it has a bumpy gnarly top surface so I put it in a big diamond saw and cut the top flat. It is then ground and polished to reveal the inclusions inside. This takes another week or two. A lens is also ground and polished onto the other side to provide a little window of visual access from the other side.

The shapes floating in the glass are made in layers and some are mostly clear glass which disappears when the pieces are suspended in the mass of glass leaving only the coloured spirals and layers visible.

How's my explanation, clear as mud?So when you first make the bowl, how do you get the layered effect? How do you get the blue layer and the spiral? Are they all different layers, pre-made? How would you do the spiral?

How do you prevent air bubbles in the glass that you scoop into the bowl? I've seen some glass with a lot of air bubbles and some with absolutely none. Is it a difference between glass quality or the work that goes into it?

That is a cool way to get the "special effects" with having the inclusions being partially made with clear glass and having that part "disappear". Awesome.

Thanks for answering my questions. I would love to try sometime.

[Tad]

Once all the parts are heated above 500 C I scoop molten glass out of a furnace and half fill it.

How awesome is that! I can't wait to get up there and see your place!

Party at Gary and Morna's!! Woo! Woo!

[Maija]

Beautiful work, Gary. I wish I could give better critical feedback, but it's not fair to do so of 3-D work in photographs, especially glass. I was going to say that the hard-edged triangle seemed a bit out of place with the smooth curves of the sphere and spiral, but then I saw the images revealing that it's a cone and then it works.

I really like the second piece. I like that the purple and orange are hinted at in the colour of the sand still caught in the outer surface of the hemisphere.

Both you and morna do amazing work both aesthetically and technically. I hope I can visit your studio someday soon!

[morna]

C'mon down everybody! So far we have had no hellboarder visits (that we know of). We'd love to show you guys the place!

[gary bolt]

So when you first make the bowl, how do you get the layered effect? How do you get the blue layer and the spiral? Are they all different layers, pre-made? How would you do the spiral?

How do you prevent air bubbles in the glass that you scoop into the bowl? I've seen some glass with a lot of air bubbles and some with absolutely none. Is it a difference between glass quality or the work that goes into it?


Layered effects are pretty easy with glass blowing because we have to build the glass up in stages anyway. When you dip a blowpipe into a tank of glass you only get a little bit (its similar to fresh honey when you gather it from the furnace and begins to stiffen up right away) but you can let that cool and harden and then gather another layer over it. To make a large piece you need several layers, so it gives you the opportunity to add colour or pattern if you want. To get colour on the inside you simply start with coloured glass on the first layer which ends up on the inside surface when you blow air into the glass.

Here's a photo of me and Andy putting a white spiral on a gather. Andy puts the pipe with a mass of glass on its end onto a couple of rollers that are on a slight angle and I heat a small chunk of white glass until it’s a soft blob. When Andy turns the pipe it corkscrews on the angled rollers and when I touch the hot blob of white glass onto the larger turning mass and pull back it streams off in a continuous thread of glass. That thread covers the whole glass piece from top to bottom in a continuous line. Once the spiral is applied we gather more clear glass over it so that it is below the surface. Sorry the photo isn't better quality.

As for bubbles in glass, sometimes they're bad news and sometimes not. In most glass blowing situations you have a lot of control of conditions so "industry standard" is to have few or no bubbles. With glass casting bubbles are more acceptable because the higher temps create bubbles and the pouring process does, too.

Sorry if my explanations are long winded. :o

[JohnThompson]

The process you go through to make your pieces is just as fascinating as your finished art. I for one appreciate the long answers, and the pictures of you working in the shop. More, more!

[petriacce]

Thank you Sir E. I appreciate the detailed answers. The processes for your pieces are great. I like to hear how things come together. The only part I don't understand is the spiral part. If the white glass covers the whole glass piece from top to bottom, how does the spiral come about? Does it happen when the glass is blown out for another layer? Hope I'm not being annoying. ;)

Thanks for the pic too. Is that shelf of containers the ingredients with which to color glass?

[gary bolt]

The white glass covers the whole glass piece in the form of spiral. The photo I posted is motion blurred and the white doesn't read as distinct lines. I'll shoot a clearer pic on Thurday.

Does anyone know how to capture an image from dvd? My computer has a DVD player and I can't figure out how to show you guys a vase of mine that showed up in X2.

[fitzroy]

If you have Power DVD you can, don't know which other players do. Tell me the time code and I'll do it tonight if you like

[gary bolt]

Thank you, Fitz. :)

It shows up twice (in focus). 50:26 and 55:44 It's on a side table in the entrance to Bobby Drake's parents house.

[petriacce]

Thanks for the clarification Sir E. That's great you had a piece in X2.

[fitzroy]

hope these are ok

[gary bolt]

Thanks Fitz. We also spotted one of my vases in I Robot and Morna was commissioned to make a giant perfume bottle which was used for props in Look Who's Talking Too. Quite a few tv shows are filmed in Vancouver and they rent pieces from a gallery we deal with there. Every once in a while we will spot a piece made by one of us our our friends in the background.

[fitzroy]

That's ok, sorry the screen grabs aren't great.

Tell me where in I Robot, and I'll post it up

[gary bolt]

You mean you don't have a copy of Look Who's Talking Too?! :p

Morna used to have a giant six foot poster of her perfume bottle. It was a prop for the movie for a product launch of a perfume called "Confusion". We're actually not sure if it made it past editing because even though Morna had her glass in the movie we couldn't stand the thought of sitting through a flick with Kirsty Alley and a bunch of talking babies or animals or whatever.

I don't have a copy of I Robot, I just know that my vase shows up behind Will Smith's head when he's sitting in the obligatory female characters condo.

[Petersen]

AS posted in Morna's thread, I just got a digital camera and took photos of some of the cool stuff I have gotten over the last year. This one is one of Gary's pieces. The precision of the spiral is amazing!! Thanks again Gary!

[gary bolt]

Here are a couple more shots illustrating the spiral process, they show the beginning and end of the process as a blob of white glass is pulled onto a rotating core. These pics (and almost all of my process pics) were shot by Morna.

[gary bolt]

I'm planning to make a plate and or bowl with an image similar to the little skull that appears on the back of the Hellboy comics.

Here's how it starts. I make a thick blank with white glass on the outside and cover it with white electric tape. I then draw on it and cut it so that it acts as a resist. I will sandblast the colour off.

[Petersen]

That is very very cool Gary!!

The order of the pictures is off though, correct? and how is the red/orange border achived???

[Ken O]

Thats bad ass. Very cool stuff.

[gary bolt]

The order of the pictures is off though, correct? and how is the red/orange border achived???

Yup, the first pic is just to indicate how it will look, more or less. I'm going to document the process today and post images tonight.

[gary bolt]

Here are a few more pics showing the evolution of the skull plate. The first one shows the blank sandblasted with the resist still on. The second one shows the sandblasted blank cleaned up and the third one show it loaded into the kiln. The red glass piece beside it will be the coloured outer band on the finished plate.

[gary bolt]

Here are the rest of the process images. There are a bunch of them.

These first few show the blank beeing picked up and fire polished. We couldn't take shots of all critical steps so... after we pick up the blank and fire polish it we gather more glass over it and coat it with black glass. The skull is now only visible on the inside of the hollow form. It is then blown out thinner and shaped. My assistant Andy picks up the red cone shaped piece on a seperate pipe and we attach it to the opening of the main black component.

[gary bolt]

Once we have attached the parts we get the whole thing really hot and gradually open the form up. The final step involves getting it hot enough to spin open and flat. We have to act fast because we can't fit it back into the furnace if we don't like the shape. We quickly adjust the profile before it stiffens up, nock it off the pipe and put it into a kiln to cool gradually.

The technical term for the skull decoration technique is sandblasted graal. The term for attaching two bubbles with different decoration is incalmo.

Enjoy, let me know what you think.

Gary

ps I'll post a pick showing profile and colour after it comes out of the annealer (kiln).

[Maija]

I know this should be obvious but... the first plate you posted is one you already made? So are you making a set? ;)

Is the red glass entirely red glass or clear with some red colour gathered over top?

I definitely have to stop by the studio some day with piles of annoying questions because I'm curious to see how you pick up the blank on the pipe without blocking the hole in the blank. Then you blow it out and transfer it to a punty and open it up just wide enough to attach the red cone, which you knock off and then open out. I'm always boggled by how you keep the centers and edges of things lined up and keep everything spinning in the round without it flopping all to crap, which is what would happen to me. :p But you've had piles of practice at this right? :)

[Tad]

It's an amazing process. How fast do you spin the rod (I'll leave the tech terms to you and ruta :) ) because I'm used to the speeds of a potter's wheel. It's strange for me to see you make a uniform, round, flat piece while holding it sideways.

[E. Spears]

The process just looks so cool. It's completely beyond me as to how you do that.

The plate looks really sweet! Great design.

-ers

[gary bolt]

Thanks for the feedback. :)

Ruta - I'm not making a set, just working out the logistics of getting graphic imagery into my glass work, seeing how much distortion I get and how to alter the drawing on the original blank to compensate for stretching and bulging. And what better subject than a Mignola image? The red part is mostly clear with a thin layer of colour on the inside. As for keeping things centered and lined up it is just a matter of practice.

Tad - I have to spin it fast at the very last moment to get a good flat plate shape. The rest of the time the rate that I turn is determined by how hot I get the glass. As the glass heats up it softens and I compensate. Big open bowls are the toughest because the spinning action pulls the walls out even when spinning very slowly.

The Cure - Thanks!

[gary bolt]

Here are the last couple of pics of the piece. It was too hot to take out of the kiln so I propped it up in there and took a couple of photos.

[+ uniform.grey +]

Never before have I ever yerned for a plate....and I don't think I ever will again after seeing that beautiful piece of artwork.

You have skills to be proud of Sir Edward.

[E. Spears]

That is one badass plate. It's just gorgeous.

-ers

[Tad]

Whoah! Scary and elegant. Did the skull come out as you expected or will you have to modify the shape on the next one?

[Maija]

Wow! That turned out well, I think. Are you pleased with it?

[gary bolt]

Thanks you guys! I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't really tried to put imagery into my glass before, I generally just geek out on glass techniques and generally adhere to the "less is more" approach to design. It's been interesting seeing how far things distort. The further I get from the tip of the blank (which ends up as the center of the plate), the more extreme the distortion. This is all very familiar to Morna because she has made many pieces with painted blanks.

Here's a pic of what I'm basing my image on. It ends up mirror imaged by the time I go through the glassblowing steps. You can see mine is quite round in comparison.

[fitzroy]

It is very cool, I imagine eating my fish and chips off it, or black pudding, maybe bangers and mash.

Good stuff

[Hellsaint]

Very neat plate!
I would rather put it up for showing than eating with it though... Eating with a skull face up gives me the jitters :p

[Otto66]

The "Skull Plate" is too cool.
(note to self:stop wasting money on food and shelter and start saving for a Sir Edward commission.

[gary bolt]

Food is highly over-rated and shelter is a frill you could do without.

:D

[Otto66]

Food is highly over-rated and shelter is a frill you could do without.
:D
Hmmm... to run wild and neked thru the woods and live on
shrubs and grubs... hmmm... and since there is no Hockey Season
I don't need cable, so no cable no TV, no TV no need for electricity,
no electricity no light which means I would wake and dawn and sleep
at sunset... yes, yes... it just could work.:D :D

[gary bolt]

Ah, a man of logic and sound reasoning!

:D :D :D

[Otto66]

Ah, a man of logic and sound reasoning!
:D :D :D
...or too much BEER and CAKE... no... wait... there is no such
things as TOO much BEER and CAKE... so logic and reason it is. ;)

[gary bolt]

I thought I'd show you guys a fun project I'm working towards. Sorry it's not Hellboy related, that will have to wait 'til I work on my next holliday gift exchange pieces.

Morna and I are having a group show with our business partner Lisa this summer. The gallery let us choose our own theme and we decided to play with a saying we have in the glassblowing community... "If you can't blow good, blow big. And if you can't blow big, blow something blue". It's a statement about what sells and makes money. We decided to all make some new work that is very large and very blue. We are also going to make some small red pieces that are more about refinement and quality.

Here are some process shots of a big blue piece I designed. In the final image the three elements are just balanced and will ultimately be attached with adhesives, along with some smaller gold horn like parts on either side of the red orb.

[hellboyone]

Yours and Morna's work is endlessly impressive to me. Part of it is that it looks so dangerous. Looks like you might lose a hand at any moment. :) Thank you for sharing!

R.

[E. Spears]

that is a tall peice of glass. very cool lookin', dude. you best be sharin' any more progress on it as you do it!!

-ers

[gary bolt]

Thanks for the kind words you guys.

Rick, I guess it is dangerous but we're careful. I haven't lost a hand yet.

Robert, it looks pretty tall but I'm only 5'5"! :)

[Conundrum]

Sir E- Amazing! And you r expression in that last pic is great too.

Do you do sketches of your pieces before you begin? Or is it a design as you go thing? I'd be curious to see how much a final version looks like the original idea.

[petriacce]

I thought I'd show you guys a fun project I'm working towards. Sorry it's not Hellboy related, that will have to wait 'til I work on my next holliday gift exchange pieces.

Morna and I are having a group show with our business partner Lisa this summer. The gallery let us choose our own theme and we decided to play with a saying we have in the glassblowing community... "If you can't blow good, blow big. And if you can't blow big, blow something blue". It's a statement about what sells and makes money. We decided to all make some new work that is very large and very blue. We are also going to make some small red pieces that are more about refinement and quality.

Here are some process shots of a big blue piece I designed. In the final image the three elements are just balanced and will ultimately be attached with adhesives, along with some smaller gold horn like parts on either side of the red orb.Wow, that's huge and beautiful. Nice work. Do you have a gallery photoshoot of your pieces with more light than the workshop? I'd like to see this piece illuminated.

So is it a compliment in the glassblowing community to say, "You blew good, big, and blue."?

[gary bolt]

Thanks Beau, I think I look a bit like a deer in the headlights in that pick. :o As for sketching, yes I do drawings to help develop new ideas. It's an excellent tool to help me work out proportions and bring resolution to my ideas before spending the energy in the studio. It's also a good tool for discussing new designs with my team so that we can devise a strategy together. The blue conical elements of this piece are pretty much the biggest we could make with the furnaces we have in our studio.

Patrick, in this case I think it's a compliment. The expression came about because some financially successful glass artists make huge but not technically well executed work. I guess the saying has more to do with the buying public, who it seems is often simply looking for something to fill a large space or wall in their new giant house or condo and base their choices on what's is gonna match the couch more than purely aesthetic reasons. Many artists strive to impart subtlety, refinement and meaning to their glass art and it can hurt a little when people don't see that stuff and look at it as decor. For our upcomming show we are trying to create very large pieces as a way of pushing ourselves and to show that really big stuff can be well made.

Sorry for the wordy response. :o :)

[petriacce]

Thanks Beau, I think I look a bit like a deer in the headlights in that pick. :o As for sketching, yes I do drawings to help develop new ideas. It's an excellent tool to help me work out proportions and bring resolution to my ideas before spending the energy in the studio. It's also a good tool for discussing new designs with my team so that we can devise a strategy together. The blue conical elements of this piece are pretty much the biggest we could make with the furnaces we have in our studio.

Patrick, in this case I think it's a compliment. The expression came about because some financially successful glass artists make huge but not technically well executed work. I guess the saying has more to do with the buying public, who it seems is often simply looking for something to fill a large space or wall in their new giant house or condo and base their choices on what's is gonna match the couch more than purely aesthetic reasons. Many artists strive to impart subtlety, refinement and meaning to their glass art and it can hurt a little when people don't see that stuff and look at it as decor. For our upcomming show we are trying to create very large pieces as a way of pushing ourselves and to show that really big stuff can be well made.

Sorry for the wordy response. :o :)No worries, that makes a lot of sense. I could see the disappointment in hearing that a piece of your art goes well with booboo's water bowl and not hear anything about the detail you spent hours on.

[Ken O]

"You blew good, "

Hahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahhahahaha

Let me catch my breath...

Hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahaha

No wait, really...

Hahahahahahahahahahahhahaha.

Seriously, your glass kicks ass. :D

[JohnThompson]

Gorgeous work, Gary! You continue to amaze with your glass!
I think I look a bit like a deer in the headlights in that pick. :o
Sorry, I couldn't resist...:rolleyes:

[gary bolt]

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

I'll get you John Thompson!!

[Maija]

Whoa! That's some big ass glass!

The silly "big" thing is not limited to glass. I don't know why "big" is such a... er... big deal. :p Since the adjective commonly used for especially large art work is "heroic", I would say ego has a lot to do with it. (Seriously, if you say you do "heroic" work, it doesn't mean your work rescues kittens from trees, it means it won't fit in the trunk of a car). A common critique at art college was "I like it, but I'd like to see it 12 feet tall!"

I've made some big work in my time. It's a pain-in-the-ass because you have to store it and hire a truck to transport it. That's why I'm so excited about discovering Sculpy and being able to make artwork at a small desk in my living room and store it in a small pile at the back of a closet.

Does the orange sphere in the middle have a spiral on it and a cut-away? I assume you'll be posting more photos including detail shots of the completed piece. I can't believe you trusted all that work to stay balanced with no adhesives holding it together! It makes me nervous just looking at the photo. Or maybe it's your shifty eyes that are unnerving me.

The Gary trophy is priceless, JT.

[fitzroy]

Big Blue is impressive and beautiful. Good stuff Sir Ed
Plus, we get to see your knees once again.

[Hellsaint]

Wow. The blue glass is big! looks like an hourglass. Great stuff Sir E. :)

[gary bolt]

T-wyrm, JT, ruta, Fitz and Hellsaint...

Thanks for the kind words about big blue. I am hoping it will be finished in the next week or two. I'll try to illustrate the process along the way.

Here are a couple of images of the middle piece illustrated in the last post. It will be the structure that I glue the other parts to. The top and bottom discs will have the large blue cones glued to them and the side discs will have curving horn like shapes glued to them. The top disc looks opaque because it has been ground flat with abrasives. It still needs to be polished before it can be used as a glue joint. The opaque circle on the front will be a polished concave window that will allow viewers to look inside the orange/red sphere to the blue and white disc contained within.

By the time this piece is finished you will again be blessed with images of my knees and my shifty eyes as well as references to blowing and maybe even jacking.

[gary bolt]

I finally finished the piece last week. It is for a show I'm having with Morna and our partner Lisa in Vancouver in a couple of weeks. I used high-tech epoxy that must be measured by weight. It's optically clear and very strong. I never used it before so it was a learning experience. The proportions of the piece are a bit awkward but it is a major jump in scale compared to my other blown glass work so I'm pretty happy with it.

[gary bolt]

I finished the piece last week. Last night I knocked it over and it exploded fairly spectacularly. It's amazing that piece fits into a bucket.

[Rob H]

ARGH! :( How sad.

[petriacce]

I finished the piece last week. Last night I knocked it over and it exploded fairly spectacularly. It's amazing that piece fits into a bucket.Oh, sorry to hear and see that Sir E. It did look rather nice. Is the sphere and bottom blue piece salvagable?

[Ken O]

Awwww. I'm sorry. It looked so cool. Will you still be able to do your show?

[Petersen]

Wow, that's gotta be hard.

perhaps a bucket 'o glass could be an experimental piece?

[Tad]

My condolences, Gary. And I loved the red center piece. That in itself was a tragedy to lose.

Well, it's cleared they way to do even greater artwork.

[gary bolt]

Thanks to you all for the sympathetic thoughts. I was pretty upset when I wiped the piece out (I bent over to get something out of my backpack and knocked it over with my ass!), but when glass is your medium of choice you have to be prepared for losing the odd one. I lost two major cast pieces a few days earlier due to technical problems, so glass is teaching me a lesson. The plan is to try to make the parts for a new giant blue piece on Friday and still be ready for the show. I have other pieces for the show that are finished, but I just want to display something this huge.

[mithveaen]

I've been watching the pieces from Sir Edward and they are just just awesome, I really like them all!! My Mom used to buy these kind of "cristal soplado" pieces in markets and I always relate them with my childhood and the way she used to decorate my house. Sadly those pieces are gone because of accidents :(

Something truly neat would be those stirrers (those sticks to stir drinks) with RHD in the top or Hellboy's face :)

Impressive, truly impressive work..

PS "Cristal soplado" is how this art is known in Mexico.

[citymadeofash]

terrible what happened to your latest piece SirEdward! That thing was massive :eek:

[gary bolt]

I've been watching the pieces from Sir Edward and they are just just awesome, I really like them all!! My Mom used to buy these kind of "cristal soplado" pieces in markets and I always relate them with my childhood and the way she used to decorate my house. Sadly those pieces are gone because of accidents :(

Something truly neat would be those stirrers (those sticks to stir drinks) with RHD in the top or Hellboy's face :)

Impressive, truly impressive work..

PS "Cristal soplado" is how this art is known in Mexico.

Thanks for the kind words mithveaen, glad you like my "Cristal soplado". I was fortunate enough to work with and assist a glass master who was from Mexico. He had started working with glass when he was thirteen and could make anything you could ask, from delicate goblets to huge vases and bowls. He was particularly gifted at sclupting animals and objects from solid glass. I learned a lot from him.

I like your stirrer idea but those are made using different tools and processes than what I use.

Thanks for the sentiments, city. The new version gets made (started) tomorow.

[Maija]

Aaag! My stomach got wobbly looking at those photos.

And now the comments in Morna's thread about your ass make sense. :p

[gary bolt]

Well, Morna and I got just got back from our trip to Vancouver for the opening of our exhibition with our partner Lisa. I managed to create another huge blue piece in the nick of time. I didn't think the piece would make it because the night before we had to travel the final glue joint was still sloppy. A friend suggested that I heat the glue joint over night so I tried it. We had to be on the 7:00 ferry the next morning so my lovely wife Morna agreed to get up with me at 4:00 am and helped me pack the piece for travel. Here are some pics of the new version in the studio, packed up and on display in Vancouver.

[Tad]

Congratulations for getting it done in time, glued, packed up, displayed and for picking such a sweet wife who would get up at 4 in the morning to help!

Betcha the cat slept in.

[JohnThompson]

What Tad said! Best of luck with the show!

[gary bolt]

Thanks guys. It was a relief to see the piece standing in the gallery. And you're right, I'm lucky to have such a sweet wife as the birthday girl Morna.

[gary bolt]

Finally started my exchange piece. What?! The deadline is days away.

The guy in my pics is Jay, he works for Morna and I and is a very talented glassblower.

[Gene Poonyo]

Go, Sir Edward, go.

I've heard that artists work best under very tight deadlines, no?

[petriacce]

Finally started my exchange piece. What?! The deadline is days away.

The guy in my pics is Jay, he works for Morna and I and is a very tallented glassblower.Well, I'm sure Jay is nice but I don't think it's okay to give a person for the exchange. Unless, of course, he comes with that cool torch.

[JohnThompson]

A glass crotch clamp? With mere minutes left before the deadline? You, sir, are ambitious! Can't wait to see it finished!

[E. Spears]

oh snap. glass wooden crotch clamp is sweet. also a creepy as hell idea. but sweet lookin' so far, Sir Ed.

This is gonna be a sweet exchange.

-ers

[gary bolt]

Thanks for the comments people. Nothin' like a Hellboy themed glass piece to get feedback on my art thread. This time we cast the various parts into metal molds and assembled them hot on the pipe.

Gene, I actually made a first attempt a whole week ago.
Pettriace, my exchange piece is the object of Jay's torchy attention.
JT, not ambitious just silly.
Cure, it's sweet that you like it so far.

Today I will do some cutting and polishing of parts and assemble with UV glue. I'll try to take process shots.

[gary bolt]

I finished the glass wcc (gcc?) today and I like it. It was a fun and quick process. We cast the curved rectangle and the round base using molds I already have and fused the parts together on the end of a blowpipe. The proportions are off but it looks pretty good. I cut the small ring in half with a diamond saw and polished the cut surfaces. I then glued the half ring over the larger ring so that it dangles. I used UV glue (ultra violet adhesive). It looks pretty funny presented on a pedestal base.

[JohnThompson]

Thanks for the pictures Gary, and the info about your work process. Two thoughts occur to me:

1) This is a really cool piece!

2) You're a nut!

:D

[Rob H]

A crotch clamp looks funny even if it isn't on a pedestal base but this looks great. Well done.

[gary bolt]

JT - 1) thanks 2) perhaps I am
Dr. Flem - Ya, crotch clamps are inherintly funny. Thanks.

[petriacce]

Sir E, that is just too funny and great. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed during the exchange matching process.

[JohnThompson]

Sir E, that is just too funny and great. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed during the exchange matching process.
So says the guy who gets to match everyone up. ;)

[F.K. Soft]

Hello. Partly in celebration of the upcoming exchange, but mostly in succumbing to my own lack of dicipline in finding a job, I bring you this picture (http://geocities.com/brownbhat/images/Picture.jpg).

Thanks a million for Johann, Sir E. He's still on display near the front of our house.

I ended up visiting the Galerie Elena Lee (http://www.galerieelenalee.com/index.html) that you told me about. I had seen it many times since my school was on the same block, but had never gone inside. I had always assumed that I would feel awkward and foolish in an art gallery. The stuff they have in there is frikking amazing. When I went, there was an exhibition of Brad Copping's work. It was all fabulous. Thanks a lot Gary, hope you end up having an exhibition of your own in Montreal soon.

[morna]

Hey KOol Brad's a good friend of ours... I'm glad you went in. nice gallery huh?

[F.K. Soft]

Most definitely. The stuff that I thought was the coolest was the small stuff. Like small, intricate, abstract trinkets. Supercool.

[Jan Bentzen]

Gary - My wife (and I) thinks your glass piece looks great. I haven´t told her what it is though ;)

- Jan

[petriacce]

So says the guy who gets to match everyone up. ;)Ha, I guess that does sound suspect, huh. I always use a third party though for selecting the names to be matched. I've gotten help from my wife, my cat, and this year I think I'll let my son help. Or that flock of crows that seems to like our neighborhood all of a sudden.

[gary bolt]

F.K. Soft - I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your Johann piece and that you liked the glass gallery in Montreal. What did you decide to do about travelling after you finish school?

Pettriace - It looks like your explanation is a good one (but if you do end up with the wcc people will always wonder :rolleyes: ) By the way, a flock of crows is called a murder and that's what JT is gonna do to you if you draw the wcc.

Jan - Go ahead and tell her, she'll understand.

[gary bolt]

Here comes some Hellboy related stuff for you guys and gals to see. I'm working on my holiday gift exchange piece and it is a cast glass tile with the Lobster Johnson logo in it (LoJo logo).

[Petersen]

WOW! That is really cool Gary!

[Ken O]

The finished piece looks cool, but the molten hot version looks completely bad ass. Like you could brand someone's forehead with it.

[gary bolt]

The finished piece looks cool, but the molten hot version looks completely bad ass. Like you could brand someone's forehead with it.

Now why didn't I think of trying that?

[Tad]

Like Vulcan coaxing art from his forge. Once again, you're providing the best gifts of the exchange.

[howyadoin]

Here comes some Hellboy related stuff for you guys and gals to see. I'm working on my holiday gift exchange piece and it is a cast glass tile with the Lobster Johnson logo in it (LoJo logo).Damn, what a fantastic idea.

[gary bolt]

Tad - Thanks for the big compliment, you're making me feel all bashful.

Howy - Glad you like it.

I'm suffering from a big, nasty cold right now but still thought I'd try to post a couple more images. The first one shows how the tile looks when it comes out of the kiln and gets the sand scraped off. The second one show how it looks after the highlights get smoothed and polished. This is an idea that's been kicking around in my head for a long time and I finally got around to trying it.

[Jan Bentzen]

Gary - I think you have my adress :)
(Damn - that looks great)

- Jan

[Maija]

So when you're sick do you put mentholatum in the wet newspaper and lean over it when it steams on the hot glass? Cuz that's what I'd do. And that's why I'm not a glass artist. :p

That tile is a fine thing and I would like several dozen to line the backsplash in my bathroom. The Backsplash of Justice.

[gary bolt]

Here are a couple of pieces I finished this week. The turquoise one with layers of mica inside is part of a series of space-themed castings I've been doing for a few years and is about 8x8x5". The one with the bizarre blastoshere title is more of a reference to the microscopic word and is bigger and heavier (13x13x6.5" and 31 lbs of glass). Both pieces were cast into moist sand and were cut open and polished to reveal what's inside.

[Tad]

Those pieces are marvelous, Gary. The feeling of the infinite trapped in glass and the microscopic enlarged to fit in the hand. Gorgeous colors, interesting shapes.

And nice photography too.

[DannyBoy7783]

Dude! So awesome!

[Petersen]

very nice pieces Gary! I like both of them but bizarre blastoshere is my fave. I like the outer texture looking a little mechanical, while the inside is so organic

[gary bolt]

Thanks Tad, DannyBoy and Petersen.

It was nice to get the compliment on my photography, Tad. I've been trading glass with a professional photographer for the past seven years but he wants cash now ($100.00/hr) so necessity dictates that I learn a few things myself.

[gary bolt]

Several months ago I was asked to do a presentation about my glass art and career at a conference for the Glass Art Association of Canada. The conference will take place next May at Red Deer College in Alberta. This week they sent out promotional brochures and much to my surprise they used an image of one of my sculptural glass pieces (Armillary Sphere) on the cover! What a nice surprise. Here's a scan of the brochure...

[Petersen]

Congrats Gary! Very exciting!!!

[Maija]

Congratulations, Gary! That's a beautiful piece.

But, more importantly, you'll be in my neighborhood in May!! :eek:

[gary bolt]

Thanks Petersen and ruta!

Party at ruta's in May!

[Ken O]

Congrats! Thats awesome news. Party in may? Woooo.

[gary bolt]

That's right, just make your way to Calgary.

[gary bolt]

As usual I don't have anything Hellboy related to post but I do have something different to show you (it's not glass!). I've been through the ringer with tooth problems for the past month and each time I think it's over it comes back to plague me. I have had a broken tooth, dental surgery tooth pain far beyond any pain I've experienced before and a root canal. It should be over but today the pain and inflammation are back and I can't see anyone for almost a week because of Christmas/New Years break.

Ahem. Over the few days I had off for Christmas I started to do some drawings of what I saw during my bathroom break during the final 3 hours of my root canal procedure. Enjoy.

[Tad]

I really like the last one; the pain comes through clearly!

I see a whole new line of glass masterpieces coming.

[Maija]

GNAH!:eek:

I didn't need to see that!

brrrrrrrrr Dental surgery and allusions to it give me the willies.

[Petersen]

Whatcha making Gare? ;)

http://www.materialsunlimited.com/petersen/gary1.jpg

http://www.materialsunlimited.com/petersen/gary2.jpg

[Tad]

Cool! Gary's makin' a glass tambourine!

[Ken O]

Those are cool looking pics. Makes me want to go play with fire.

[gary bolt]

I thought I'd dust this old thread off and post a couple of pics. Sorry they are not Hellboy related. This is a piece I "solid worked" on the end of a blowpipe. The top was cut off and the flat surface polished to reveal the Caramilk center. It's about 12" across. I took snapshots on my coffee table at home. If I do "proper" studio shots I'll update later.


http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/stuff042.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/stuff040.jpg

[E. Spears]

way sweet, Gary. I love the spiral design in the center.

and I suck so bad that I've only just seen these:
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21415&d=1130125267
http://forums.comicbookresources.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21417&d=1130125314

those are gorgeous, Gary. The blue one's my favorite of the pair.

[gary bolt]

Hi gang. Morna and I are enjoying our break from running a studio and strangely not missing glass blowing too much. We've both been working on self promotion stuff. My latest project is to design a business card. I made five first stabs today. I would appreciate any feedback you may have and welcome criticism (of these designs). Let me know which is your favourite.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/businesscard1copy.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/businesscard2copy.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/businesscard3copy.jpg

[gary bolt]

Here are the other two.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/businesscard4copy.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/businesscard5copy.jpg

[E. Spears]

I think those last two work really well, and of those two the second one is the best. The others seem kind of busy for business cards.

Even though you're not blowing glass at this point in time, are you working on any other artistic endeavors in different mediums? If you are, you should probably post them. For great justice.

[Mikolaj]

The first one seems realy nice. :) But overall they seem a bit "busy" for a buisness card, I mean there's just too much of stuff in them. Did you try something more minimalistic, graphical with bigger text and smaller photos [maybe in squares in a row just under a big Glass Works which has just a smaller Gary Bolt under it]?

[Ivar_L]

Usually I like macros of cool details. This time not - this object on the first card is just too beautiful!...
:)
So, I like the first version. Second one is a nice photo too, but on business card it will be too small...

I tried to Photoshop the first picture. What I did - I'd try to keep colors minimal, so I turned background blue. This way this violet area is more visible. Also, I made the text white and tried to make it to run over the whole top area.
Maybe blues are still too saturated?...

Just some ideas!
:)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4431/garyboltcardivarvg5.jpg

[parrish]

I like the first one in the second post. The first two in the first post are good, too, but your name is a little hard to read on my screen.

[Asa]

Usually I like macros of cool details. This time not - this object on the first card is just too beautiful!...
:)
So, I like the first version. Second one is a nice photo too, but on business card it will be too small...

I tried to Photoshop the first picture. What I did - I'd try to keep colors minimal, so I turned background blue. This way this violet area is more visible. Also, I made the text white and tried to make it to run over the whole top area.
Maybe blues are still too saturated?...

Just some ideas!
:)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4431/garyboltcardivarvg5.jpg

I love that one . Send me a card so we can do business.

[Tad]

I like the first one in each post. I'd say use either with no printing and put all the contact info on the back. Since you're no longer in retail, I think a complex image is fine but contact info is all the more important, so fill the backside with it.

[Mike Cross]

Yup, Sir E, the first one of the 5 is definitely the most eye catching one, and Tad is 100% correct about the details on the back.

[Ivar_L]

That's what I wanted to add - photo #1 or #2 without any text on one side and name and all the info on other.

[gary bolt]

Wow thanks for all the great feedback! Does anyone else have input to offer?

[parrish]

Sometimes business cards set up vertically are neat. We set up those where I work. Just a little different.

[Sparky]

You could do a lot with this -- you have such a cool name, and your glass imagery is beautiful! A few ideas I threw together:

http://www.phobe.com/glass/bolt_bitout3.jpg http://www.phobe.com/glass/bolt_back.jpg

I don't know what your url is. The abstract pattern ghosted in the background is supposed to be silicon atoms. Haha my husband just said that font is too crazy. He's probably right

http://www.phobe.com/glass/bolt_orange.jpg

vertical hey those look like microbes!

http://www.phobe.com/glass/bolt_purple_ball.jpg
The black line with the ball on the end is s'posed to, uh, evoke a glassblowin' fork with a blob of glass on it. I didn't put an orange-to-black gradient in it because that would be too on the nose.

Of course, the ideal image would be a glass bolt, then you wouldn't have to say anything at all on the front. You have one, don't you?

[gary bolt]

Wow, Sparky! I guess graphics and Photoshop are like breathing for you. Those kinds of explorations would take me days or weeks. I could see those silicon atoms printed matte black on a glossy field.

Of course, the ideal image would be a glass bolt, then you wouldn't have to say anything at all on the front. You have one, don't you?

I have never made a glass bolt. The closest thing was when I made a glass Screw on Head for the gift exchange a few years ago.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i14/mornagary/6ASOH030.jpg

Morna and I are both working on personal web sites and we will wait 'til we have our own urls before we print business cards.

[Petersen]

Woo-Hoo!
I have Morna & Gary staying with Julia and I for a few days.

At the airport Gary said that his carry-on luggage was very heavy and had me give it a heft to prove it. Once we got back to the house, he pulled out the reason.

For those of you who weren't here when we talked about it (or just plain forgot). Gary and I colaborated on a glass piece together. He developed a technique using a carved flexible block to make a sand mold and then cast glass into it. Knowing I did my share of woodcuts as a printmaking major, he asked if I would carve a bloack for him and he would cast it in glass.

He and I both now own a cast of the design:

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/glasscast.jpg

[Petersen]

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/glassking.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/glassfool.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/glassknight.jpg

http://www.davidpetersen.net/misc/glassvillian.jpg

[Mike Cross]

Guys, whether this is the proper term or not, that is really quite pretty. Awesome job on that, how much would you say it weighs?

[Tad]

Great piece, guys. I especially appreciate the concept of showing the villain as hanging. It never would have occured to me. Really impressive.

[gdeo]

That is a beautiful piece:D

[Sparky]

Holy cats, that's awesome. How do you plan to display it?

[Tad]

He's going to wear it around his neck with a gold chain.

Glass bling. All the rage in Motown.

[E. Spears]

That's a pretty gorgeous piece. My favorite frame is the Fool.

[Hellbaby]

I'm diggin' the glass work! You rock, bub!

[Petersen]

After I took Morna & Gary to the airport this morning and returned home, Julia found another gift wrapped and laying on the bed they stayed in.

Julia opened it and was thrilled. It's a piece of Gary's that is palm sized solid hemisphere with glass forms inside and then slided through.
Gary had been telling us earlier about the process of making these (and I won't spoil his secrets) so it is awesome to have an example of it in our home.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/225/511361060_b4b56857cc_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/511361058_dcdd8aeb2b_b.jpg

Gary also sent along a paperweight in the first set of glass he and Morna ever sent me a few years ago. It's a sphere with a half dolar sized flat spot that I always assumed was the bottom of the piece and how it sat. Gary corrected it's display by using a little rubber O ring foot so that the flat side faces out and you can see inside the spiral design.
Thanks again Gary!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/511361068_e9ae035651_b.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/213/511361062_df1d6f6086_b.jpg

[gary bolt]

Thanks again Gary!!

You are most welcome. You and Julia were wonderful hosts to Morna and I on our holiday.