Portland Water Jet Rocks It!

Spent the afternoon at Portland Water Jet yesterday.  They were so easy to work with and although I developed dishpan hands scrubbing the cut glass, I didn't develop carpal tunnel from cutting all those leaves by hand!!! 

Not only were they efficient and helpful....but they had rocking tunes going full tilt the whole time I was there. The blues, a little reggae, some rock, and more.... Oh yeah...this is the way to work!

Here's a small sample of the glass leaves (clear cap) from yesterday's run!

A Bejeweled Tray

This is a very sparkly  plate. In addition to the colorful glass blobs, the base plate is made of a dark blue glass that looks like glitter is imbedded!

The recipient says they are fond of jewel tones. I figure , why not provide the "jewels." It is food safe and at 17.5 x 7 inches, it will add some extra "pop" when you you serve hors d'oeuvres at a party.

Hebrew Name Plate

ASHER

This is a commission for a lucky Bar Mitzvah boy in the midwest.

Mazal Tov Asher! I hope you enjoy your new name plate.

It's 10x10 inches and slumped into a sushi style form. The Hebrew letters are cut from Dichroic glass....most of the other colored glasses add sparkle because of the iridescent finish.

Meet Amanda~Lily

Meet Amanda~Lily!
Unlike my other masks based on characters from Amy Herzog's play 4000 Miles, this one is all glass.

Lily is Leo's sister. Amanda is a young woman he picked up for a one-night stand. I won't spoil the play by sharing all their similarities, but it became clear to me that they couldn't be ignored.

The logical approach was to create a mask depicting both characters. Both characters are drawn in intimate ways , yet occupy very little space in the play.

I am a committed Amy Herzog fan. She is masterful in using dialogue to create her characters and bring out plot rather swiftly. There are no wasted words.

I saw Belleville (another of her plays)  a month ago....and was equally mesmerized.  I'll see any play she has written...You should too!

Meet Bec: a fused glass mask

Meet Bec....a third character in Amy Herzog's play 4000 Miles.
 Bec is Leo's girlfriend...or ex-girlfriend.....
There's no question that she loves Leo...but has had enough!
Bec has aspirations. She is an earnest college student. She has worked in peace corps-like  programs and now is thinking about going to Mumbai with her World Health professor.  I like her. She is honest, forthright, and is headed somewhere.

The Bec mask is predominantly fused glass but her eyebrows are made of computer keys. They say "shift", "reset", "pause (break), and "home".  She sports real earbuds....I wonder whose music she is listening to?

Vera: Fused Glass Mask

In the play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog, one of the main characters is Vera, the grandma. She is a card carrying communist and progressive thinker (91 years old). She has challenges hearing...so I made hearing aid earrings for her. IN fact there is a story about those hearing aids that I will share later in this blog post. Vera may be developing dementia...she is always losing her words so I made glass blobs with her lost words as her curly hair....right there on the top of her head. The sickle and hammer eyebrows are glass and of course reflect her once staunch devotion to the Party. Scrap metal rings and a key make her glasses. Keys are a significant piece of the play (both actual and metaphorical!)

And now for the story about the hearing aids! A number of years ago I had the pleasure of knowing an elderly woman named Sylvia. She was from New York originally and had a thick Bronx accent. She was in a convalescent home where I volunteered. She had a magnificent sense of humor. She had a pair of old hearing aids converted into earrings. Whenever a new care giver or visitor saw her they would usually say in a very loud voice..."SYLVIA, YOU FORGOT TO PUT YOUR EARS IN TODAY!"  and she would loudly reply...."DARLING, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOUT! I GOT MY EARS IN....THESE ARE MY NEW EARRINGS!"

The use of  hearing aids as earrings on Vera is in fond memory of dear Sylvia.I love the character of Vera...her dignity, her humor, her absolute "real-ness." And I believe Vera and Sylvia would have been good friends!

The show continues at A.R.T through the end of May! See earlier posts for more details!

Meet Leo- the glass mask

Leo is one of two main characters in the play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog. He has completed a 4000 mile bike ride from Seattle to NY and lands on his grandmother's door stoop at 3 am. I used bike parts for hair & eyes.Leo's beard is made of copper mesh sandwiched between the glass layers. He is also into rock climbing so I used a climbing carabiner for an earring and attached a key (keys have a role in the play) and a Seattle Mariner's  key chain.

French cleats are attached at the back to accommodate safe hanging on the wall.  He is on display and available for purchase at Artist Repertory Theater through the end of May.

Geezer Gallery manages the exhibit....and info is available on site about purchasing.

Leo is an interesting and mostly like-able character. He's a bit immature....still in the process of trying to find himself (not unlike most 21 year olds.) He is a loving grandson who seems caught off guard by the harsher realities of life, but he also has a keen sense of  environmental politics. He is confused about love...and sex.

You'll need to see the play to see what I mean....no spoilers here!

Another Plate in my Journeys Series

This one is called "Each of Us Has A Journey". It was designed after I read the play "4000 Miles" in anticipation of the art show supporting the performance of it at Artist Rep. Theater here in pdx.

There are 4 characters we actually see on stage...and a 5th that appears on Skype.

The base glass is more "vanilla" in color than it appears in this photo...

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Geezer for curating the show. It's pretty exciting to  see my work displayed on pedestals and on a wall!

The exhibit is open daily at 1515 SW Morrison in Portland. It is open Tues-Sat noon-6....and when it's play night!

My Masks

The Play 4000 Miles by Amy Herzog was the inspiration for these playful and colorful masks. These are a departure from my more traditional work and represent not only an exploration of each of the characters but also a journey into mixed media . Only one mask is pure glass. The rest involve bike parts, computer keys, keys, hearing aids, metal, and more.

They are on display and available for purchase at Artist Repertory Theater  through the end of May.  

It's a colorful display curated by Patty Goodlund with Geezer Gallery. Separate from the main lobby exhibit, these masks and other character portraits are located on a wall between the theater and the bar.

Closeups will follow in a few days.

Happy Marriage!

A newly wed couple commissioned this plate after seeing a wall piece with a similar design.

Traveling the banks of the river is a statement drawn from their vows. Blessings to you both.... I hope you enjoy this tray!

another sneak peak!

Nope....I won't post pics of my masks or glassware at A.R.T. until this weekend.
First Thursday is tomorrow night. Free champagne, noshes, and the opportunity to meet the artists. Learn more about our hosts: Geezer Gallery & A.R.T.

Tonight I will go see the play 4000 Miles that inspired our art! You  should too. I read the play. It is awesome!

Come see us tomorrow night!!!!! You are invited!

Artist Rep. Theater
1515 SW Morrison
Portland, Oregon

4,000 Miles: Glass Mask

                         This is a sneak peek!

Meet Amanda~Lily! She is one of my new glass masks that will be on display at Artist Rep. Theater in Portland through the end of May.

I made 4 character masks based on the play 4,000 Miles written by Amy Herzog. These masks are a new adventure for me and I had a delicious time imagining them! This is the 4th and final mask I made for this production. She is actually 2 characters...or is she?.... but you'll have to see the play to understand my thinking.

Artist Rep. Theater has a gorgeous lobby dedicated to art. Geezer Gallery's Patty Goodlund has curated the show that will celebrate First Thursday on May 7th  between 6:30-7:30pm. A major shout out to Amy Henderson, Geezer's director for everything she has done to make this show a reality. There will be a free reception !

1515 SW Morrison is the place! Come see a variety of art (including mine!)...schmooze with the artists....and discover the themes of this amazing play. I hope you'll decide to get tickets to the play... and I hope you'll find a piece of art that is meant to be yours!

More info can be found at:  http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/trifecta2015.html