Wow been a long time

Well sorry to anyone that has been here ..... no one has commented in for ever so don't know if anyone even looks at this thing anyways.

Life here has been crazy many many changes and have not had time to make any glass for a long time. Hoping that will change soon but who knows.

If anyone does come here put up a comment so I know someone actually comes here.

Open House

Ok Everyone ...... well people that come across the page I don't think I have any regulars!

Tell them Skinny sent ya please due to we are having an internal contest between the students to see who can get the most people to show up. Thanks

Fire River Art Glass & Design with Fire
Holiday Open House
December 6 and 7
518 Glide Avenue, Suites K-M, West Sacramento

Watch glass blowing, lampworking, and fusing demonstrations. Shop for holiday gifts for friends and family. Come in and shop, snack, learn and play at Fire River Art Glass Studio and Design with Fire.

The fun starts at 10 am and goes to 6 pm.

Sign up for classes or get a gift certificate for that special someone.

Experience the wonderful world of glass!

For more information please contact
Linnea Wong (530) 400-8113, email her at linneaw@sbcglobal.net or
Patrick Mullen (916) 505-7145, email him at fireriver@comcast.net.

Has been a Really long time....

Sorry work got in the way and have done nothing really but work until the other week when brother decided to come out for some training here in Sacramento. We got a few hours in the shop which was great to see him and damn he is good. Not used tot he good glass here but still damn was he fast. I guess that is what happens when you have a shop in the back yard. I am going to pack-up a lot of the glass at the house and take picture while doing so. I will try and post them as I pack them. I plan on packing it and taping pictures to the boxes so that I know what is in the box. Well brother leaves and it makes me home sick more than ever! When you living there all you can think of is leaving and when you leave all you can think of is getting back. I don't know the first few years were not bad but I need to be somewhere different and Pensacola has changed so much since I lived there it is different. But who knows maybe have to live somewhere in Florida besides Pensacola for a year or two just to get back there. Either way new job is always good when you are looking for a change in your life. Well brother left some glass here for the IFTG.blogspot.com site. I went by there on Saturday and it was gone so someone found it---hope he put something on the web so if they go to the page it is there. I want to do one and try a new way of labeling the glass so that it is easier to read and everyone that ever sees it knows were to look at other stuff---maybe he will let me do one or I just might have to do one on my own. We will see........ till later

First Glass Sale....

Ok got invited to help out with a sale for the studio. It is clear the shelf time and make room for the next year. So this past Saturday it was a sale from 10 to 2 and all I can say is holy crapola. People were lined up outside the door at 7:30 to get in the door. As a result of helping I got to place some of my own stuff in the sell. I was not expecting to sell anything but what the hell..... After a trade of one of my pieces with the local artist for some other stuff -- it was time to open up. The doors opened and people were running to what they had specked out through the windows. The first hour all I did is wrap things up and the own of the studio took cash. I could not keep glass on the table as fast as people were buy them. Softball size pumpkins that he sold for 80 bucks were now half price ----clear it all out everything must go---- Next thing I look up and there is a lady in the corner holding a lot of glass. She say excuse me can I buy these? I said "Everything is for sell even myself I am just a lonely glass student that always needs a home!" She laughed and said no these will do. As she was handing me the piece to wrap up I noticed it was all my stuff she bought 7 out of the 10 pieces that I had brought to the sale. I was floored and so happy I was like a kid in a candy store. I was so shocked that now I have basically sold 8 things. After the first hour the whole place was empty most artist were sold out and packing up. We still had stuff to sell so I stuck around and keep selling---own of the shop was like you can sell ice cream to Eskimos. Anyone that came up to the table did not leave without buying something that was the goal. No mater how small. I sold one more piece of mine toward the end of the day and that was it. Then I get a call today saying they are going at it again this coming up weekend and asked if I had anything to bring. I again was amazed that anyone would ask. So a long story I got another sell this weekend to see what I can off load and make room for the new stuff. Till later remember it is always hotter than it looks....

Pictures

OK got the pictures off the camera and wow they really suck .....I don't think it is the camera it is the camera man....<> I have never been really good at taking pictures so will have to go at it again. Sorry for taking so long but will try to get something up on the blog.

On another not was back in Florida over the holidays and got to make glass the Gnat's studio "My brother" was a blast. Made so many glasses and ornaments I could not believe it. It was so fun that I really did not want to leave. I don't know if it was blowing glass at whatever pace we felt like ---- blowing glass in brothers studio in the back yard where anyone and everyone could stop by ---- or just plan blowing glass with my brother. I think it was just a combination of them all.

Well got back to California on New Years day and did nothing that night due to jet lag. This past Friday had a freak storm come through and all of California when crazy over some like wind and rain. Gust about 70 or so nothing major maybe that is due to being in Florida during the hurricanes. But lost a section of the back yard fence and most of the shingles off the back porch.

Was suppose to be at the studio here on Friday but due to the power kicking on and off Friday night was cancelled. But did get some good pieces made Saturday and Sunday. Will try to take pictures and get the posted when I learn how to work this damn camera. Till then it is always hotter than it appears.

Sloth

Sorry.....

Ok as of last post a lot has happened..... I was at the shop and made some more glass. On a good side I was asked to assist in teaching newbies at the shop. To me this is a great honor due to myself being somewhat of a newbie. This will allow me to offset my shop time with teaching and not have to pay as much out of pocket. Which as a result means more time over all. Now for pictures right after the last post I went looking for the camera and could not locate it. It has been found and pictures taken of the older stuff. As for the things made here lately I have not had time to take pictures of them yet. I will try and do that tonight and post again with pics. Till then......

Sloth

ok one quick post..

OK have not posted in a few weeks..... Well since the past post I received my new 3/4" blow pipe and made a few pieces with it. Also had some shop time to make some slightly bigger things. Also make a trip back to Florida for the thanksgiving holidays to see the in-laws. I will try and get some photos up tonight. I am just slammed. BUT will try my best to get it done.

Pipe!! WOOHOO

Ok got the order into Steinert for the .75" blow pipe that I have been wanting for a time now. It will work perfect for making ornaments. I needed this pipe due to the shop only having one of them and that the students are not allowed to use it. I think I could use it if I asked but truthfully why ask when I want one of my own anyways? This make the who idea of blowing glass even more really to me. I am like a kid in a candy store that has to go to the bathroom but can not leave the store so I am jumping around doing the pee pee dance. Then I ordered the pipe it said 2 to 3 weeks for the pipe to get to me. But after talking to Steinert, which by the way very nice people over the phone, they informed me that they had gotten some in and happen to have 4 extra .75" pipe in the order. LUCKY ME!!!! So the Pipe shipped November 1st and should be here by the end of the week. Which this works out great for me due to me going to be in the shop this weekend. Their for going to break in the new pipe on the maiden voyage this coming up weekend. It is all that I can think about and I need the week to just fly by and the pipe to get here and BAM it is party time. The only thing that could really make this better is if I were in the Shop in P-cola for this event in Scott's Shop. That would be really cool. Well that will hopefully be Christmas time. It will be strange to blow glass in the big brothers back yard. Every time I think about it I find myself thinking like an evil troll looking at a jewel that he finds in some hiding place while rubbing hand over hand with evil little grin of greed. Well till the next time "Keep it Centered" and "Heat is your friend"

Sloth

Ok the wounderful world of the pumpkin

OK group picture first here these were all made this last week end and I have two others that I have not picked up yet....

This is one of them pumpkins it is a green mix of colors.

Wow this picture does not show the light transparent green of the pumpkin nor the gold stem of the pumpkin.

This is the same pumpkin one with a flash to really show the teal blue and the silver flake. One without the flash to bring out the blue green stem of the pumpkin.

OK these are the pumpkin paperweights that I started to make which turned out pretty well for small gifts due to they are quick and easy to make and seems like everyone likes them.

This one was a test pumpkin due to starting it as a paperweight and then after applying the color the green was too dense so I made it into a stem stick which blew out the pumpkin and brought out the orange. Turned out pretty well.

ok plates and glasses...

OK plates and glasses lets see what we got here. This first plate is really funny a mistake that turned out to be really great. It is heliotrope with some alabaster. It really looks cosmic to me. Also one of the girls I blow glass with was using some splinter dicro and it left dicro splinters all over the marver. Therefore when marving the piece it picked up the splinters and really makes the piece nice. One picture from the top and one picture from the side.

OK this I am not even sure about this plate. All I can tell is that the bottom was tobacco brown but the other brown I am not sure of the color.





These are two glasses that I made this last Friday night which turned out pretty good. I really like the one on the right, the one on the left is a little big around but like the height of the glass.