Fascination with Glass

We've been working with polymer art clay for some time now. It never ceases to amaze us with its versatility and with the beautiful endless color patterns that we are able to create with it. It's difficult to imagine us not working in clay now that we've discovered it. The limits with this medium are truly bounded only by own imaginations.

That being said, we have always admired art glass. Ever since we started our antiques business, companies like Fenton Art Glass, Indiana Art Glass, and Imperial Glass have captured our hearts and our souls. In fact, our love of art glass may have been the primary reason that we started our antiques business. We especially have a deep fondness for carnival glass--absolutely beautiful!

With that in mind, maybe it was just a matter of time before we were able to expand our creativity to include glass production--a medium which we at first thought would be out of our reach for a number of reasons. But thanks to some studio-friendly equipment, a lot of determination, some great friends and mentors, a lot of trail and error, and our appreciation for it, we have finally started to see some progress in our glass work.

With clay, you have a pretty good idea of what you're going to end up with once you drop it in the kiln. But with glass, at least for us right now, its difficult to know what the end result will be.--even if it will be. We've had some really nice pieces shatter in the last few moments before coming out of the kiln. Opening the kiln door is like Christmas--a mixed jumble of anxious nerves and exhilarating thoughts all crashing together in the same moment.

Sometimes though, you get it right. And when that happens--it's pretty wonderful.

We'll continue to work in art clay but glass offers us another new and creative outlet. We're obsessed now.

Here are a few of our newest pieces-a far cry from our earlier attempts.































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And now for something completely different....

Along with our love for antique and vintage jewelry, we also have a fondness--OK, maybe it's more like an all out love for art glass. We've collected and sold pieces from some of America's leading glass companies--Fenton Art Glass, Imperial Art Glass, and Indiana Glass--all of them historic in their own way. We particularly love to collect carnival glass.

Now that we've started our own jewelry line, we have extended our passion for art glass to Murano Glass and dichroic glass. Truly, all of these these have had a major influence in our art clay work.

However, even with that love, getting into glass making always seemed just a bit out of reach for us--the equipment, the glass supplies and inventory needs, the torch. It all seemed a bit---intimidating. Until now that is.

On a visit to a local craft store, we were introduced to a small studio sized version of a glass fusing kit. It came with everything that we needed-- a little glass to get us going, a microwave kiln, kiln papers, and most importantly, instructions. We already have another main piece of equipment--a kiln (although the kit that we purchased was meant to be used with a microwave).

The studio kit has made it a little easier for us to try our hand with glass fusing and to explore a love of ours that we didn't think would be possible.

There is going to be a huge learning curve--we've already blown up several pieces. But, who knows? Maybe this is the start of a new medium for us...Definitely, more to come!

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