Flat Lapping the Edge of a Disc

My wet room is in our sunroom...I have commandeered the space and am having a blast looking out at the forest when I can manage to take my eyes off my work for a moment.

I should be wearing a rubber apron...but a little water never hurt anyone!

This project is a donation for the Oregon Jewish Museum annual fundraiser....it's another part of my by Journeys series... this one is called Mayim Chayim....Waters of Life. 

It's in the kiln fire polishing and slumping.....the finished piece will appear in tomorrow's post!

HAPPY CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

I love it when my clients are happy!

This just in from a customer who ordered 4 Yahrzeit Bridges!

"I received your work and it is simply awesome.  It is both beautiful and poignant.  My husband saw it on the counter and commented that it is a very awesome way to remember.

Thank you for working with me on this.  As I prepare for this first (of many) anniversary, I appreciate the ability to hold my father's name, and see it all reflect, as I reflect." SW in Missouri

Wedding Bowl Commission- almost complete!

In the kiln waiting to be slumped

I took longer than I had planned with this but am quite pleased with the result. 

Why the delay?

The design was borrowed from the wedding invitation and then adapted for glass. I wanted the right glass and the right effect....which meant playing a bit with the glass. Then I stumbled across what I thought was the perfect glass...but didn't have enough of it with which to experiment!

 The glass I chose for the water and sky was a mottled blue. Apparently I had failed to label it. It was a striker glass so in the heat it flashed purple....I liked it even more! I wasn't happy with how plain the sky looked, so I used more of the same glass to create streaky clouds.  Lucky me, some of the glass failed to strike and remained blue! The mountains are cut from gold iridized glass, speckled with clear glass dots. The trees are cut from dichroic glass and offer just a little "pop" to the whole piece.

An inscription written in gold ink on the back includes a phrase from a Pablo Neruda sonnet that was recited at the wedding. 

I am grateful to my customers for bringing this project to me....it was a fun adventure! As always, I'll include a printout containing information about how the dish was made as well as care instructions.

the Yahrzeit candle bridges-order complete!

Memory Stones

Each set of stones is bagged for safe keeping

Four sets of memorial stones were ordered to accompany the four Yahrzeit candle bridges.

They are wrapped , packed, and ready to be shipped. 

As I worked with each of these memorial stones, I felt the incredible power of NAMING.

Our tradition of formally remembering those who have passed on the anniversary of their death is quite powerful. Uttering their names, calling up who they were makes it all the more meaningful.

We are remembered by our good names. All that we do contributes to who we are/were.

Even though I didn't know these individuals, names like Papa, Bubbie, and Zeydeh, stirred something deep inside. 

I sat outside with the finished stones and called up my own ancestors. I expressed gratitude for the legacies they passed on to me. My forested backyard held singing birds, playful squirrels, and for just a moment, my parents and grandparents and all others who came before me. 

It seems fitting that I follow this with a talk today at a local high school about the Holocaust and the story of my family- a story of memory and survival.

Memorial stones

 It is our tradition to leave a stone at the gravesite.

I make glass stones that can be personalized (names, dates, etc) for use at the cemetery or for use when lighting a yahrzeit candle.

 After cutting base glass and clear glass squares, each piece is washed in warm soapy water and carefully dried.  I use a wire colander to help with the process. Dirt, oil, and generic schmutz (yiddish for dirt of all kinds) are the enemies of glass fusion. Even a fingerprint will show up in perfect detail if the glass isn't cleaned well!  
           

Using a Kemper Pen and gold ink I write the names of loved ones on clear glass. Writing on colored glass is nearly impossible because the ink is hard to see. Even writing on clear is a bit of a challenge since the glass acts as a lens and tends to give the illusion of double vision!  Look at the picture below and I think you'll see what I mean!                          

When the gold is dry, I cap the black base glass and place the squares in the the kiln. The squares are fired to a top heat of 1450°f.
The square points will contract and the squares will take on a rounded stone shape.  As I post this, the squares are rounding up in the kiln.

I'll post the finished products along with the yahrzeit candle holders
when everything has cooled!

Yahrzeit Candle Bridges

The Hebrew abbreviation L"Z stands for Zichrono Livracha- of blessed memory!

Here's a quick kiln shot of three out of four of the yahrzeit candle holders 
I was commissioned to make. The fourth bridge is finishing its slumping program and then 
I'll take a final photo and will post it before wrapping and shipping them !

It's a powerful experience, crafting a yahrzeit bridge. It's important to me to honor those who came before me....even those I never knew. It's a powerful reminder of my own losses: my mother and father....and all the other wonderful family members who have been gone for so many years.

I just finished writing the info. sheet I include with each order. 

In this latest version I wrote: This bridge features the letters zayin and lamed, an abbreviation for “ zichrono livracha” 

May the flame of your candle shine brightly,  allowing the memories of those you remember to be filled with light, warmth  and blessing.

Hebrew Letters in Glass

Hebrew abbreviation- honorific for someone who has passed away

The letters zion and lamed are abbreviations for zihrono livracha and basically means:   "of blessed memory".

These letters are cut from pieces of dichroic glass and haven't yet been fused onto base glass.

I'll be making three yahrzeit candle bridges for a commission.

Yahrzeit is a Yiddish/German word meaning year's time. Once a year we light a 24 hour candle to memorialize the passing of a loved one on the anniversary of their death (lunar calendar.)

GREEN!

The lament of a glass artist who insists on taking her own photographs....

"AAAARGH!.... taking pictures of glass is challenging!"

I was successful in eliminating glare, but the shadows....OY!

The darker green is a shadow and not part of the glass design!!!

Here is the finished bowl. It measures 15" in diameter and is the first bowl in my Tapestry series. 

It is available for purchase and will be on display at the MJCC (6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland) May 19-24.

The Bigger Picture

multi-colored glass stringers (the size of angel hair pasta) adorn the disc 

You saw a closeup of one of the design elements on my April 11th post.....well, I'm a little behind!
This is a photo of the design in process. I fused it and slumped it into a platter....then decided it would look better as a bowl.
I'll post the finished product tomorrow!

New Challah Tray

This was a fun design. The glass is a beautiful piece from Bullseye that casts a silver-gray glow as it streaks through the semi-transparent white. I cut out clear letters and coated the backs of them with blue glass powder and I also sandwiched a square of silver foil between the white and clear cap.

Eight and a half hours of heating to a top temp of 1435° and annealing at lower temperatures, then another 8 hours of cooling fused all the necessary parts into a whole. Cleaning, grinding edges, poilishing and then back to the kiln and onto a mold for another "sauna" session. 7.5 hours of heating to  1250°, annealing, and then 7 hours of cooling brought it to completion. 

This tray will be available for purchase at the lobby show of the Jewish Community Center-
6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland - the week on May 19-24.... Come see it in person!

Silver turns to Gold

It looks a little like a science experiment!

When you heat up silver foil it will often take on yellow/gold hues. It depends on the glass it's being fused on heat, and other factors in the kiln. 

This is a close up of a piece of silver foil between some white streaky glass and a clear cap.

Can you see various patterns on the foil? That's air trying to escape.....tiny bubbles are an indicator that escape was no easy matter! Silver foil is 4.8 times thicker than silver leaf. Supposedly it is easier to handle...but I must say, it is fragile and hard to work with !

Silver foil is ever so delicate, but should not be confused with silver leaf ! Silver foil is 4.8 times thicker than silver leaf. Supposedly it is easier to handle...but I must say, it is fragile and hard to work with ! This precious metal isn't cheap....but oooooh weeeeee....it is wonderful stuff and always adds a bit of eye candy to a piece.  

BLUE SHABBAT

clear hebrew letters coated with aventurine blue frit

My latest project is a new challah tray. I cut out the hebrew letters that spell shabbat (shin, bet, tav,) cleaned and dried them, then flipped them over. I coated the back of the glass with Glastac; a clear "glue" that lightly tacks things in place. I sifted the powdered glass over the letters and am literally waiting for the glue to dry!

When the letters are dry I will set them up on the glass tray I've prepared and will fuse them together. The clear glass will act as a cap and allow the aventurine blue to take on a "floating" quality.

The tray will be in the kiln for approximately 15 hours as it slowly heats up to 1425° and then cools down to room temperature. A quick cleaning and then the glass will return to the kiln to be slumped into a mold.

Aventurine makes an appearance as blue or green in the glass world. It has a sparkling quality to it. Aventurine Blue is the color of indigo. I'll post the final product at the end of the week. I'll also try sifting the powder into my next set of Torah Yads. It will be interesting to see how it reacts with the other bits of glass I've been collecting!

Happy Customer!

Hi Eddy,

I love the yads.  They’re beautiful, and all different, which is nice.  I hope to be able to take them to Temple this week.   I have no doubt that they will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your prompt communication throughout.     CR- New York

              

MORE TORAH POINTERS!

Both yads allow "magical" light to pass through them....

SOLD!!!!!!
The green yad I posted last week has found a home in New York! 

SInce I have an upcoming show/sale in May, I have made a new green Pointer and a flashy friend to add to my display.

These are still in process. They need to go through a little more polishing and then back into the kiln for a fire polish. These yads are actually wet so you can see what they will look like when they are finished. Dry, they have a matte finish that is dull and lifeless.  It's amazing what a little scrubbing action and heat can do for glass!

Interested? Send me an email (sparksofspirit@gmail.com) or visit me at Portland's Mittleman Jewish Community Center the week of May 19th. I'll post my hours when we get closer to the date.

SNEAK PREVIEW

Here's a close up of a corner of a future round server. Copper mesh is sandwiched between two perfect circles. You'll just have to wait to see the rest of the dish when it's finished!

It will be one of several pieces of glass on display in the lobby show at the MJCC (6651 SW Capitol Hwy) - May 19th - 24.

Free Admission.....All artwork is available for purchase!

You'll also see beautiful painted silks by Diane Fredgant, beadwork by Esther Liberman, and paintings by Jonathon Lietz!

I'll be on site to represent my work periodically. Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll post my schedule!

Yad Yarok- fresh out of the kiln!

This is the newest prototype Yad to emerge from my kiln. The other Yads I've been making come from variations on a pattern bar. I create a square of relatively thick glass, then slice the fused square into strips....then lots of polishing using a flat lap machine and then a fire polish in the kiln.

This is a "one-off" I created trying to use glass stringers, large frit (vanilla), clear and green glass.  This still needs more hand polishing and another trip to the kiln, but I'm pretty happy with the looks of it!

So what does Yad mean? It literally means hand. In this case it means Torah Pointer. And what about yarok?  Green...of course!

SOLD!

A new customer saw this challah plate and fell in love with it. They asked me to round up the edges for them, which I did  (great idea!) and before I had a chance to take a photo of it, it was out the door on its way home.

Don't hesitate to ask me to modify a design or custom design a functional piece of glass. I want to be sure you are happy and have something of heirloom quality to hand on to the next generation.

In the meantime, Shabbat will be a little nicer for the new owners of this plate!

Journeys Seder Plate

Slumped and ready for a seder!

Yes, there are 6 spots on this plate for  traditional seder items....

....you just can't see them!

The color of this glass camouflages the dips. That means that this seder plate is also perfect for display on a stand. 

Some of the glass beads are translucent dichroic glass which give off interesting color shifts.

This plate is available for purchase and will be on display May 19th-24th at the MJCC (6651 SW Capitol Hwy- Portland) during the Jewish Arts Month Exhibit and Sale in the lobby.

A NEW GLASS SEDER PLATE IN THE MAKING!

Step 2 (see 5 steps below)

Fused glass blobs made from expensive scraps of glass help create this new seder plate. As I mentioned in earlier blog posts, glass is expensive. Glass is purchased by weight or by square feet. Every bit of it has value and it can be used! The glass blobs are made from salvaged dichroic, clear, and the white/silver scrap from cutting this circle.  This plate is currently in the kiln at Step 5 (see below)  It should be cool enough to handle before Shabbat tonight!

Step 1: Cut two circles from clear and from the patterned white/silver glass. Clean and stack in the kiln.

Step 2: Create various sized glass blobs by cutting salvaged glass into small rectangles and squares. Cut matching sized pieces of clear salvage to cap. Stack in the kiln.

Step 3: Full fuse to 1450° (about 6 hours to fuse and 6 hours to cool.)

Step 4: Clean all the glass, then arrange the blobs on the plate. 

Tack fuse (going MUCH slower!) to 1425° (about 18 hours in the kiln.)

Step 5: Clean the glass then place on the seder plate mold. Slump slowly to top temperature of  1250° and slowly cool for proper annealing (about 16 hours in the kiln.)