Dichro Sparkle: Wings of Peace

 These tallit clips are my gift to a fabulous young teen. Their parsha is Noah. Their tallit contains all the colors of a rainbow and a silvery dove that wraps its wings around the shoulders . This fabulous young teen designed it with the help of another remarkable and fabulous soul, silk artist Diane Fredgant. I don't hav permission to share the tallit design yet.

The dove is of course a rather universal sign of peace. In the story of Noah, a dove is sent from the ark to retrieve a leaf to indicate that the land was emerging from the flood waters. Wings of peace....shalom!

The simple design of these clips is accentuated by the use of silver dichroic glass. Due to the nature of dichroic glass, the colors will flash to a pinkish or sometimes soft blue hues. Nothing fancy- simply carrying the message of peace complimenting the message of rainbow colors...the universal acceptance of all humans. This young teen understands the importance of carrying this message forward! Mazal tov!!!!!

New Chamsah Tallit Clips

 Celebration of Art '22

October 29, 7-9pm

October 30, 10a-4pm

MJCC 5561 SW Capitol Hwy~ Portland, Oregon

Come see us!

FUSED GLASS JUDAICA: A Great Chanukkah or Bar/Bat Mitzvah Gift!

 These tallit clips look a bit like granite but are made of glass!

The actual clips are fabric friendly and will safely attach to your tallit.

If this pair appeals to you, I'm afraid you will have to wait until our Virtual Market Place opens November 25th. It's open 24/7 through December 17th. To shop the virtual marketplace just go to northwestjewishartists.org then click on shop.

If you can't wait, I have other clips ( a variety of colors and designs ) that are available now and you can also propose a design. I am happy to work with you on a commissioned piece. I will begin accepting commissions as soon as November 16th. Just write to me at sparksofspirit@gmail.com

Stay tuned! I will be posting new items every few days...

Buy My Glass! Here's How.....

Blue Bird Tallit Clips
These clips are fabric friendly and make an affordable gift for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah...
or even as a gift for yourself. Would you prefer a different style or color?
No problem! Turn around time on commissioned clips is about 5 days.

 I am pleased to announce that ORA Northwest Jewish Artists is going to host a Virtual Marketplace. I'll be in that show! BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WAIT! While I can't sell you anything on Marketplace site , I do have additional art work that is available now. I can also make art pieces to order.

You can support an artist and save money at the same time! My fused glass is affordable and well made. 

The shop goes live November 27th and will run through December 17th. 

Local customers will be able to arrange to pick up their purchases or pay for shipping. Out of town customers will be able to pay to have their art purchases shipped.

https://northwestjewishartists.org ...click on the SHOP button!

If you want to gift your art, I urge you to shop nearly so you can be certain that the gift arrives in time for whatever holiday you celebrate!

I'll be posting photos of my work here over the next few weeks as a preview...  but please know that commissions are certainly possible.... I will be able to accept glass orders as soon as November 16th, Just send your inquiry to me by email:  sparksofspirit@gmail.com

Mazal tov to a very special Bar Mitzvah boychick! 

My student was fabulous...bringing his complete heart to  his service today. 

His tallit is a hand-painted silk shawl created by Diane Fredgant. It reflects his passion for nature. His parsha, Tetzaveh, talks about the garments the high priests wore. The "choshen" were breastplates with 12 jewels representing each of the tribes of Israel. 

Each of us is thought to be a priest and I wanted to make him clips that would match in terms of color, but would also serve as a reminder that he too should see himself as a priest. 

Boychick will be a leader in his community; perhaps as an environmental activist and/or maybe a religious leader. He will be a leader regardless of his profession. Blessings to you boychick!!!! And a hearty mazal tov!!!!!

The clips are made of an aventurine green base topped with dichroic beads with a gold chain. 

Hummingbird Tallit Clips

 Iridized cobalt blue glass with dichroic glass

A silver chain will grace this sparkling set and will pair nicely with a beautiful hand-painted silk tallit. Mazal Tov to the Bat Mitzvah girl who has a passion for art and nature!

New Clips from the Kiln

The magen david and the doves have already been claimed! I need to add chain and box them...and then they are off to their new owners.

I have more but they need to be photographed. Jewish Arts Month is around the corner, so if you need to buy some affordable hand-made clips come see me at the Jewish Community Center here in Portland Oregon the week of March 18-23 or contact me directly to order custom clips.

Talit Clips Fresh From The Kiln!

Torahs remain one of the most popular designs in my Tallit Clip Collection.  The bottom right set has already been claimed. 
They will of course be finished with gold, copper, or silver chains.

When I make larger pieces, I usually still have room on the kiln shelf for small items. A couple of new large pieces will soon be ready for firing...and some other designs will emerge.

Commissions are always welcome.

MORE TALLIT CLIPS

A sudden burst of commission requests for Tallit clips!

More clips yet to come....stay tuned!

Going on Sale!

Tallit clips are among the items I will offer at the Bagel On Craft Fest at Kol Ami Synagogue in Vancouver...Sunday the 17th of August (tomorrow)!

I'm making room in my inventory so I can begin creating a few new lines of Judaica items.

Come see me tomorrow....or drop me a line. I am willing to retain my sale prices for the next few weeks.

Clips in the kiln

Just getting ready for the Celebration of Art '13.

Looking for a great and unique Bar or Bat Mitzvah gift?
These are some of the new Tallit clips just going into the kiln. After firing, they will will polished to achieve clean edges....they'll then have a 24 hour date with some glue and clips...and then I'll add some nice chains. The Torah shaped clips are quite sparkly featuring dichroic glass. 

The next batch will include magen davids, chamsahs, and pomegranates. My stock has been depleted...I'm looking forward to offering new and unique clips at the COA!

NOVEMBER 3rd 2013 @ THE MJCC 
6651 SW Capitol Hwy- Portland. FREE ADMISSION! Over 25 artists!
Check us out on Youtube! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X4dExdAjYk&feature=youtu.be

NEW FUSED GLASS TALLIT CLIPS!

                   MAGIC happens inside a kiln.....sometimes!

The aleph bet clips came out of the kiln just as expected.....silver on black! (even though the ink was white gold)

The silver pink dichroic glass started out smooth but developed a textured surface in the kiln.The silver pink shifted to light greens and lilac and soft pink! The white gold ink flashed a very subtle gold tone. I'm happy with both. 

Time to glue on the clips and attach some chains!

I am happy to custom design clips for you...just ask!
sparksofspirit@gmail.com

Waiting for the Glue to Dry!

• These are my newest contemporary-styled tallit clips. When the glue dries I will attach chains and then the bar mitzvah family will select the clips they want!

Tallit Clip TIme

It has been busy around the studio these past few weeks!


Suddenly there are numerous commissions for plates, bowls, and tallit clips. 
Sprinkle in 2 lobby shows at the MJCC, meeting the Community Warehouse Chair Affair Deadline (see last post), rounding out a display at the Neveh Shalom lobby, and add in a new show at the Geezer Gallery that opens March1st! (more about Geezer in my next post!)


Pictured above are some sample tallit clips made for a lovely woman in Dayton Ohio! She needed two sets of clips, liked what I had to offer and has ordered a third custom set of clips!


She has selected #2 and #3 as the gifts. Some beautiful chain and a gift box should round out the order nicely. I'll be interested in what she would like me to create for her husband's tallit!


I hope to post new pix of my work over the next few weeks. I am in production mode and it feels so good to be back in the studio!

Custom Clips

Leaf clips for the tallit belonging to a landscape architect and
blue pomegranates for a Bat Mitzvah tallit .

The leaves are made from aventurine glass. The green sparkles with subtle gold flecks whenever the light hits it!

The pomegranates have dichroic glass "seed pods"

It's always fun to hear what people select and even more fun trying to use the glass to achieve their desires.

The Celebration of Art Show is this Sunday at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Hours are 10am-4 pm- October 24th 2010.

I will have some pre-made clips, bowls, trays, Torah adornments on display...and commissions are welcome.

I am pleased that despite setbacks by my arm, I have sufficient stock to put out a nice display.
I hope you'll come, stop by, say hello and tell me that you saw my blog.

Son + Saw = some new glass....finally!

 I still can't do any weight - bearing activities....but now that my son is home for a visit.....he can lift, and schlep, and tote water for my Taurus Ring saw!

I was able to use my left hand to push the glass and only used my right arm to "steer."

Ok, I had to take several breaks to relax the shoulder, but it worked and I was able to craft several tallit clips.

A wonderful discovery in my studio...... apparently I cut some round and square blanks before I broke my arm. YAY! If i can find some clear blanks to go with them or get some help cutting the clear....I will actually be able to begin creating work for the Celebration of Art 2010 show in October (October 24th...in case you were wondering!) This will be ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists 5th annual show (our 3rd at the.
I'll be posting more info shortly!