Busy Weekend - Glass Flowers

I've worked seven days a week for the last few so for the next couple of posts, I'm taking you to work with me. First, on Saturday, we're off to Mandarin Stained Glass where I teach some evening and weekend classes.  Today though, I'm just keeping the retail shop open while the owner, Florence, is in Italy.  Yes, it's true, Florence is in Italy in more ways than one!

I love glass.  The material itself is beautiful.  For instance these full antique (hand blown) pieces by Fremont Glass in Seattle.

Or these from Kokomo

So much beautiful glass, so little time.  

The trick is to cut beautiful pieces like this utilizing the movement and character of the glass to create something equally beautiful.

Florence's "Nature's Promise" is an excellent example of using the grain, texture, and movement of glass. There is no paint used in this piece. (Sorry for the bad photographs, left my camera at home.) All of the details like the stamens of the crocus were streaks in the glass which was cut in such a way as to create them.  

This magnolia panel with it's dark background is stunning.  the trees in the top are from outside of the store.  The flowers are acotully pinker in life than they appear here.

 Holy hibiscus, that's cool.

Nice example of an older English panel incorporating some painting.  Pigments, silver nitrate, etc. are applied to individual glass pieces and fired to about 1400 degrees F. and become a permanent part of the pieces of glass which are then leaded into the panel.

Fragment created as a sample of  proposed materials for larger sidelights. 

American Victorian panel.  Jewels, bevels, the kitchen sink - the Americans at the time were willing to put just about anything into a glass panel.

Older piece.

Masterfully done grape panel by Dale Howard. 

Hope you enjoyed coming to work with me and seeing a handful of the wonders there.  On Sunday, after my morning job I worked at Jungle Fever Exotics Nursery which always has cool plants!