Arrival

Fire Horse Studio has finally landed in its new home. It was a long and stressful journey but the turmoil has started to die down.  So where are we, you ask? We have moved to the foothills of the Sierra Mountains about an hour west of Lake Tahoe, California.  There of course a few "minor" problems...1) there is no studio on the property and 2) the artist and studio temporarily live in different states. So unfortunately our glass work has come to a complete stop for an undisclosed time frame. 

What does the future hold? Follow along with us as we build a studio, get back to creating beautiful kiln formed glass and make a name for ourselves in our new community.

On the Move

Fire Horse Studio is moving...the final destination is still unknown but the studio is in boxes and ready to start the next chapter.

What does it take to move a glass studio, you ask...lots of boxes and rolls and rolls of bubble wrap.  We are looking forward to sharing the details of the move, the new studio, and new pieces in the future. 

Garden's Gate

My first solo painting with glass piece is FINALLY finished.  You can read about my inspiration, here. 

Who doesn’t like to take a stroll through a garden in bloom? Garden’s Gate was created using a technique known as “Painting with Glass”. Where I used glass frit, torch-worked stringers and cut pieces of sheet glass to create an impressionistic garden scene.

I really like how it turned out; the flower beds in the front are my absolute favorite.

The piece measures 10" x 9”, is made from Bullseye glass, and fired three times to achieve the final look, texture and depth.

Garden's Gate is available for sale in our Etsy Store.

Balancing Act

Balancing a full time job, daily responsibilities, social obligations and a small business can be a delicate balance.  For the last couple of months that balance has been severely lopsided and my art and business have felt the brunt of it.  A dear friend and fellow glass artist; Diane from Aspen Light Glass Studio recently reminded my how important it is to focus on my business and craft. 

I have big plans for Fire Horse Studio in 2012, starting with finding my balance.

First Solo Attempt

Now that my frit has arrived, it’s time try a solo frit painting. I’ve chosen “Come On In”, by Brenda Harris from her instructional painting book Painting with Brenda Harris, Volume 2, Precious Times as my inspiration. I thought it would translate well in glass and instructional painting books are a great way from me to create educational pieces. My art background is minimal so it’s helpful for me to see how a painting comes together.   

Stage one (background color) is complete and in the kiln. In approximately 25 hours it will be cool and ready for middle ground color and details.

Special Delivery

My frit arrived…finally. After returning from Texas, I’ve been in a shopping whirlwind to get my studio properly outfitted to work on my frit painting. 

My shopping spree included:

1.       Instructional books on painting techniques,

2.       MAP gas for the torch,

3.       Alcohol lamps (thank you Donna for this ingenious idea),

4.       Bullseye frit sifters,

5.       FRIT (only enough to finish my first planned piece, because that stuff gets expensive).

The frit order was the last to arrive; I picked it up from the supplier yesterday. Can you guess what I’ll be doing this weekend?

Branching Out

 

It's here, it's here. I recently traveled to Texas to try my hand at painting with glass under the instruction of Donna Sarafis of Dancing Light Fused Glass (www.dancinglightfusedglass.com). The finished piece arrived today unscathed, I’m very proud of finished piece, not bad for a first try.  This marks the start of my transition from functional pieces to fine art pieces. I’m not saying I’ll never make another plate, I will, but I’m excited about this new glass avenue.

The piece measures 21" x 13", was made from bullseye frit and sheet glass, and fired twice.  The first fire was to full fuse the second was a tack fuse leaving lots of great texture.