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.

OK Vases

OK the first are older vases and the two last ones are more recent...

OK this is a olive green vase with a jade green lip wrap.

This on is a lapis blue vase with a alabaster wrap.











This is some kind of yellow don't remember what kind of yellow but tried a new thing with a double lip wrap which turned out pretty nice. I call this the bumble bee vase.







This is one of the new vases one of the biggest pieces as far as a vase goes that i have ever made. It is just a heliotrope bar stock and decided to see how big i could actually stretch this vase out.









This is some green I got from C&R loo and don't think I like it very well as a solid piece but may be OK if it was some sort of wrap. The heliotrope vase next to it and a drinking glass.

and even more pictures..

Lets see the first on is somewhat older than the next one ...it is 2 different blues as you can see now what the are is a good question. I think it is Caribbean Blue and Sky blue.

Next is the Tobacco brown and Ivory bowl. is is about 10 inches across and 10 inches high. This is one that I got a good rake in the glass. This is one of my favorite bowls. The next picture is a look from the inside of the bowl.

These two are what I like to call Fire bowl and Fire Glass. They are fun to make just take forever due to all the colors and all the optic mold stamping you have to do to get this look. But when done it is all worth it.

More pictures....

This one here is my attempt at a pitcher ....it was not that bad for my first try at it. May or may not try this again.

Here is a mixture of things on one of the shelves in the house.











Another cane attempt this one is a bowl.









This is another bowl about as big around as a volleyball or maybe a little bit bigger around and about 10 inches tall. (White and Tobacco) Below is the inside of the bowl showing the ribbons going the opposite direction of the ribbons on the outside.

Here we go.......Picture time!!

OK this is the piece that was made in the pictures from last time when I was in the shop.
This on is a piece that was between me and Stewart.. He is a paperweight king so I had him make a paper weight and then I blew it into a piece. I kind of like this piece due to it being wispy with the colors.
Here is one of my new colors it is heliotrope(spelling is most likely wrong)
Here is one of my first pieces using cane it turned out pretty well and everyone seems to love the glass.
Since everyone loved the first one I made a second one this weekend.

Ok pictures....

OK I was going to put a ton of pictures up of older stuff and new stuff but forgot that the cord for the camera is at my office. Therefore I am off to the office and diner with the wife..... If I can pull myself from the TV tonight I will load the pictures on to the computer so that I can post. But was a good weekend at the shop made a 2 pumpkins and a glass on Friday night, Saturday was not bad either made a vase drinking glass with some cane which I will have to say is not as easy as it looks to do, another pumpkin and a pretty good plate/serving dish. Today was not bad till one of the girls in the shop brought up that no one had dropped a single thing all weekend and what happens bam there goes the bowl right off the punty. All I could do is give her an evil look then just laugh about it. But on the other hand got two really nice vases and pretty good size pumpkin and a FUBAR pumpkin... I was trying to use powders and clear wrap but just could not get the heat right and basically blow the pumpkin all lop sided and when I put the stem on it was not hot enough and did not want to stay on the piece so what happened....... It got put away with a messed up shape and an even more messed up stem. But 3 out of 5 for a day is not bad. Will take pictures of the stuff from Friday and Saturday due to not having the stuff from today---tonight. I promise will post as soon as I can with a ton of pictures.

At the shop..

Well I finally got some picture taken at the shop. Now I made a few things and they were not all that it was an off weekend. But on the other hand I got some pictures to post...

Not really sure what colors these were but I will take another picture of the finish product here soon.

This same piece with one of the other guys I blow glass with his name is Steward. Huge rock hound and makes more paperweights then I have ever seen but they have a style all to their own. I will take some glass picture and some of the kitchen tonight and try to get them up soon. Till then keep it centered.

OK sorry for being gone.....

A lot of things have happened since the last post.. Went to Florida to help Gnat(brother) with the shop. Went to town on that place. Looks from his pictures that he is getting closer to being done. Been to the glass shop here once. Which sucked royally. I maybe made 3 pieces that were worth a darn. Finished kitchen finally. Wife got in a car accident and totaled the car. woohoo now I get to buy a new car when I really don't have the money. But bought the car that she wanted a 2003 VW bug.... I really could not pass it up with 40k miles and a price tag of 10,700 ---2.0L turbo 5 speed it does move pretty good for a little car. I promise when I get my head out of my butt I will get pictures up of some thing that are recent. Got pumpkins and few other things. Pictures of the finished kitchen that I redid and also the pool that was redone. Till then have fun and keep it turning.

C&R LOO oh crap.....

Oh forgot to mention the trip to C&R on Saturday..... OH crap is just an understatement due to buying sheet glass for the kitchen back splash and overhead light, I bought a lot of color and the bill was around a grand...... OH crap is not the words that came out when he told me the total but it is what it is.... Bought somethings for Gnat to give him when I go back that he asked for and somethings that he did not ask for so we will see what happens. I bought like colors he wanted ....things for wraps that react things like that. But damn a grand is a lot of glass for me.

update..

Sorry been really busy trying to get things done here at work and going out of town on Thursday to get back to Florida. Well lets see what was last here ........ I will have to take some pictures of things from the last couple of times in the shop. Last week I was there and it was just all crap. I could not make a glass for my life so I decided to go big and that did not work. I think I might have gotten a couple of glasses and maybe a bowl if that was even possible. But I will get some pics up in the next few days if the new computer comes in before leaving for Florida. If not they will have to wait unless i get some time before leaving. But between the kitchen remodel, the pool remodel, parties to show everyone, and work I have just not had much time but everything is going to slow down as soon as I get back from Florida so things I have put off will so get caught up on. The blog is one of them and remodel of the bathroom is next but got to finish the kitchen. Just minor things to finish like paint and light in the kitchen things like that. Will post all kinds of pictures when it is all over and done with. Pool, kitchen and glass on new shelves. And new glass that was made! Also may have some new glass from Florida if I got time to blow with Big Brother. Never have made a damn thing when I am there due to never getting used to the glory hole there but excuses excuses I know. But here soon I promise.

Till then keep it turning, gravity is your friend, and if it looks cold it is still hot I promise!!

Sloth

unhappy days...

OK making this short not like anyone reads this damn thing anyways..... It has been hell here in Cali for the past month or so. The only good thing is my parents came out to visit. I work to much to get anything else done when in the shop I am so tired I really done make anything worth a crap. (well worth anything to me) Need to go big to get the stress out but just don't have the energy. Most of the time wishing I could move back home to Florida to help parents and brother get stuff done, start my own biss. Things like that!! I has started to really dawn on my how moronic people around me are and just makes me mad. Working 90 to 100 hours a week just puts you in this kind of mood. Well hopefully I can get over to the shop this weekend to pick up the crap from last weekend that I made and yes I mean crap. I can not even remember what I made I was such in a daze when I made it. But getting into the shop is hard so when I get in and can barely function I still go just don't do what I always want to do. Sometime working hard just does not pay. I don't own a car .....I somewhat own a house......and that is about all i have to show for the past 7 years???? Tell me that does not suck. But hopefully this is just a funk and it will past and I can jam out some work and in August maybe get some time off. We will see I guess. Till then Gravity is your Friend and if it does not look on the end of a pipe I beat it still is....