Quackin' Good TIme!

Despite my frustrations with not getting to make glass for a while, I have had a bit of time to reflect on the month I spent in Eugene teaching an education course at the Uof O.

I had an amazing group of grad students on the verge of becoming teachers. My fears about not having useful information were thankfully unfounded. My prior experiences at PSU teaching Literacy in the Content area was good preparation for this course which was sub-titled: Everything They Should have taught You That You Need To Know. I appreciate the trust the Ed. dept. gave me- allowing me to invent this elective course. I especially appreciate the welcome I received from my students.

The world of public education is a tough place to be in these days- lots of meaningless testing and accountability crap (sorry about the soap box!) We need the idealism of these fresh new faces to beat this ridiculous set of BS procedures so we can get down to really teaching our kids!

My first year of retirement was a busy one....teaching writing at the Rose Schnitzer Manor, tutoring bar/bat mitzvah students, orchestrating JAM (Jewish Arts Month), continuing my glass work and having a leadership role in our  art group, ORA. The broken elbow/major surgery does not make the list of highlights, but teaching at the U of O does! 

The old arm is sore but I can feel myself growing stronger each week. I resume physical therapy tomorrow and hope  they can find some ways to help me get the arm a little straighter!..

New glass ideas are emerging so hopefully this fall will be a time of productive glass work! 

Disappointments

The 99W Craft Show enjoyed great weather but a very poor turnout. I was hoping to move some of my older stock but you can't have a good show with a small customer base. Oh well! It was a pretty day and I was in good company.

The other disappointment is i am still a couple months away from working on glass. The surgeon says no weight bearing activity until at least the end of August...and even then I may not be able to work on glass. Darned elbow!




I will try to redirect this sadness into design work so when I do get the thumbs up from the medical world, I will be ready to create new pieces for the 2010 October 24th Celebration of Art at the MJCC. New Judaica ideas are already brewing

But now....I am off to the beach for some inspiration and a little R&R.

Come see my booth at.....

SUMMER CRAFT SHOW- come see me!

My friend and amazing bead artist, Esther Liberman will be sharing a canopy with me at:

"Craft-In" Arts & Crafts Show
Saturday, July 17th
10 am - 4:30 pm
at the historic 99W Drive-In Theatre Parking Lot
in Newberg, Oregon 97132
Admission: Free


come see us!


Esther will have her usual creative and exotic jewelry, I will have a few pendants and a number of plates, bowls and dishes. Little to no Judaica will be featured but we can always discuss a commission.


It's a great opportunity to support local artists while on your way to or from wine country and/or the coast. 


Hope to see you there!

taking a break!

broke my elbow and so.....it's time to take a break. I'll resume blogging when i can figure how to effectively make glass with just my left hand!

More Fused Glass Judaica

This is a more contemporary piece. I call it Aseret HaDibrot...literally ten speakings or sayings...more commonly known as the Ten Commandments.

Text and subtext...it's all there.

A CALL FOR ARTISTS

ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists has put out a call for guest artists to be juried for the fall Celebration of Art Show and Sale.

Information can be found at: http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/callartists2010.html

Latest Commissioned Work

I was commissioned to create a wedding gift- a 15" bowl . Colors: Black, red, blue.
That was the extent of the directions I had.

The groom is the son of my customer's dearest friend. It had to be special.
I thought about what kind of metaphor could influence the design.

I titled this piece On A Path... Together. The path is filled with dichroic gem nuggets tacked to the surface. It's a fairly firm tack so it is smoother than bumpy. i don't want to wish the couple a bumpy journey....! I hope they like it.
The colors are much brighter in real life.

They'll make you cry!

Rose Schnitzer Manor writers are vibrant and young at heart. 
Won't you join us as they present some of their favorite poems and stories.


They will provoke tears of laughter and they will touch your hearts with the more somber tales they will tell.


Music by jazz pianist George Fendel begins at 6:45 and the reading will begin "Jewish Standard Time" @ 7pm-ish!


The Older But Wiser Cafe is jointly sponsored by Cedar Sinai Park and Jewish Arts Month.

ROSE SCHNITZER MANOR Writes!

With amazing assistance from my friends Laurie Fendel and Diane Solomon, I have been privileged to teach a  writing class once a week at Rose Schnitzer Manor (RSM- an independent and assisted living facility here in PDX!)

Book artist Shu-Ju Wang helped us assemble these books!

My love of stories has only grown because of the rich lives members of this group have lived.

We have compiled a book of their stories and poems. Thursday, April 22nd RSM will host the OLDER BUT WISER CAFE at 7pm. Just come through the front door and ask for directions!

There will be a variety of snacks, beer and wine.....and most importantly: great stories!
Come hear the voices of these writers, learn their stories....laugh and cry..... I can hardly wait!

MUST SEE THEATER

Wendy Westerwelle is stellar in her role as ROSE in play ROSE @ Coho Theater.
I just saw it this evening and it is "must see theater." It will only be in town for one more week and tickets are going fast.

I am picky about books, film and theater with HOLOCAUST themes. This play is about a survivor. Some may say that her life isn't plausible....those people don't know true survivors.




Yes, there is sadness...but there is also humor and wit.

Don Horn is the Director of Triangle Productions and this play. He has wisely allowed Wendy to "channel" this character in her kishkes.....and she does it well.

Go see the play. You'll be glad you did. If you go on a Saturday or Sunday you can enjoy a "talk back" session with local survivors.


Location:CoHo Theatre
2257 NW Raleigh St.
Portland, Oregon 97210



http://www.tripro.org/20th-season/rose.html  or call 503-239-5919

Glass Has A Language of its Own

  04/08/09

       by  Eddy Shuldman

Glass has a language

with subtleties sandwiched  between

pounds of silica

heated,  melted,  then rolled

off the tongue

into poetry

hidden

within my lexicon of glass

What began as play

became a journey of metaphorical archeology.

Stuck to a shelf, exposed to the elements

The journey goes deeper

where Inclusions are cast,

bubbles form

pockets of air that failed to escape

are suspended, frozen in space

Hard, soft,

liquid, solid,

transparent, opaque…..

draping , fusing,

slumping, melting,

hot, warm,

cold.

There are meanings 

layered on top of meanings,

a language of love ,

frustration, and hate.

heat spikes that puncture skin

and fractures,

that grow

like spider veins and 

bleed to the surface

frit, powder,

a score,

breaking , shattering, exploding

and then

a search for some compatibility

a weaving together

coefficiency

New Tallit Clips

Taking photos of dichroic glass is always a challenge.
This is one set of dichroic tallit clips- doves of peace.  A gold chain is strung between them.
This set is sold but can be replicated in other glass by commission.
Lots of  designs are available...prices vary according to the complexity    
of the design and style of glass.   sparksofspirit@gmail.com

Commissions

Much gratitude to my customers who have kindly commissioned me to make fused glass judaica including seder plates, wedding bowls, and smaller items! It keeps me focused and creative.


Tomorrow I will post some new tallit clips. One set will head to colorado and another set will go to a Bat Mitzvah here in pdx.


Stay tuned.....tomorrow!

Three New Torah Adornments

These are the three new Torah Breast Plates I made to complete the set.

I'll spend some time in later posts discussing each individual piece in the set.

I was happy to finish this project- the result of trying to study each book of the Torah and then narrowing down the theme of each to a simple phrase.

From top to bottom, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuternomy.

Our Night in the Elements!

We had a great night at Elements gallery. Estimates run between 225 and 250 guests!


It was a great learning experience and the show continues through the 14th of March.....
19th and Vaughn. A great gallery and glass hot shop.


open daily 1-4.....


Come see my Torah Adornments!


I'll be there on the 11th and 12th. See you there?

See My Work Tomorrow!

click on image to enlarge!

The Avian Spa

Signed, glued and delivered....
My donation to chair affair is a piece of outdoor art. It's a bird bath... Just add water!

What more could a bird ask for than a shallow pond from which to drink and bathe?

Come to the Chair Affair...look at the amazing chairs, and unchairs and bid! One of the finest chairities you'll ever meet!

You'll be glad you did.

More info to come!

CHAIR AFFAIR 2010

Last but not least, I get to put my plan into motion for the chair affair. The Chair Affair is a benefit for the Community Warehouse, one of the finest non profit organizations I have ever seen.

Jewish Arts Month has demanded a lot of my attention and I have sadly been unable to work on my project.

As of 10pm, my glass is in the kiln and hopefully about noon tomorrow I will know whether I will meet the deadline or not.

I posted a picture of the stool I planned to alter in some way.....
so stay tuned. I will post a picture of the transformed piece on Thursday.
Wish me luck!

Getting Ready

Throughout JAM , our art group ORA will be displaying art. We have an exhibit at Elements Gallery and Studio opening First Thursday March  4th. Join us between 5:30 and 9pm  for refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artists. The show will continue through Sunday March 14th. An ORA artist will be available at the gallery  daily between 1-4pm.


We'll also be displaying our work in the MJCC lobby March 7th - 12th. I'm working on some new fused glass pieces for that show.....


But first I also need to get my project for Chair Affair completed.  Busy times ahead!