One of our skilled artisans makes a Dichroic Glass piece for a ring. You can see the layering technique involved in the production of Dichroic Glass.

Go to http://www.mexico925.com/ to purchase this ring or other Dichroic Glass Jewelry pieces.

Duration : 0:1:48

Technorati Tags: DichromicGlass, jewelry, Mexico925

I’ll have a new post in a day or two about a glass category but today I wanted to tell all of you of my new web site (or blog) about getting and staying healthy (the site is GettingHealthy-Naturally.com). My goal in starting this blog site is to showcase true stories of adults (especially those over age 50) who boosted and kept their health without pharmaceutical drugs. Maintaining optimum health by “natural means” has  always been an interest of mine. Isn’t it better to have good health now and keep it rather than trying to get it back after loosing it? Please visit my other site soon. I encourage you to leave comments. Please tell us (the readers) how you maintain good health, and if it applies, tell us how you recovered from an illness without any powerful drugs.

here is the link: http://www.GettingHealthy-Naturally.com

Technorati Tags: getting healthy, maintaining health, natural health

First featured several years ago on CraftingGlass.com, this video is so good, IMHO, that I want our new visitors to see it (and I hope those who have seen it watch again)!

 In the video/slide show (In the House of Stone and Light) just below this post you will see some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in the world, IMHO. These lovely pictures were taken by Klaus Volpert, Ph.D.(a member of the Bryn Mawr Church in the pictures). The background music is “religious” but very beautiful. I believe you’ll find it very unique and “easy on the ear”.

Now please look at the video in the post below.

An example of a beautiful, modern Stained Glass Window. Guy Kemper, artist

Jerry (webmaster, Crafting Glass)

Technorati Tags: art glass, crafting glass, decorative glass, stained glass window, windows

These are images I took of the stained glass windows at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, plus some interior pictures. The song is `In the House of Stone and Light’ by Martin Page. Here it is arranged and performed as an A Cappella (voices only) piece by the Davidson Generals, an incredibly gifted a cappella group at Davidson College. Arrangers were Hunter Mobley, Alex Libson and Marshall Findley. Soloist is Marshall Findlay. Alex Libson is a former member of BMPC and its senior choir. For more …

Duration : 0:3:30

Technorati Tags: and, bmpc, Bryn, church, Davidson, Glass, House, klaus, light, Martin, Mawr, of, Page, Presbyterian, Stained, stone, volpert

(My Note: Watch how the dichroic glass earrings are fused. Also, Did you know you could make your own fusing kiln? Interesting…) Jerry Webmaster, CraftingGlass.com

 This is a sample clip of an instructional video for the building of a small glass fusing kiln. It can be used for the pre-heating of glass rods for beadmaking, and for annealing beads. Parts in 2005 cost $200 to build. Runs on 5 amps, 110 volts, so it just plugs in to a regular household socket. The video is intended for people with no kiln building experience, so is slow paced, thorough instruction with emphases on modifying the design to meet you own specific requirements. The full 2-dvd set also has demonstrations for the making of a complex bead, glass jewelry production, and the making of small mosaic dishes. Please see www.mayneislandglass.com for more info. Please look at my other sample clips from other videos, and my various tutorials on glassmaking.

Duration : 0:4:57

Technorati Tags: annealing, bead, build, dichroic, diy, earrings, fusing, Glass, kiln, making, own, your

Working with Devardi Dichroic Glass, Hothead torch, Encasing. www.devardiglass.com

Duration : 0:8:19

Technorati Tags: bead making, COE 104., Devardi, Devardi glass, dichroic glass, Hothead torch, lampworking

For four generations, the Boyd family has been practicing the ancient art of glassmaking. Beginning with Zack Boyd in 1901, glassmaking secrets and formulas have been handed down from father to son. Boyd Glass still manufactures collectibles the old-fashioned way, with a man and a mold and not with an automated machine. Visit OurOhio.org to learn more! From Our Ohio show 412.

Duration : 0:7:32

Technorati Tags: ancient, art, artisan, artist, formulas, Glass, glassmaking, secrets

Hi Everyone!

I hope all you glass lovers had a nice Christmas/Holiday season. I pray that we all have a safe, happy, and prosperous new year. Thanks for supporting this website! In the next few days I will be adding a new category: collectible (art) glass. And, if you haven’t seen it already please look at the article on the latest featured artist, Adamm Gritlefeld.  

Jerry (webmaster, CraftingGlass.com)

Technorati Tags: art glass, artist of the month, collectible glass, featured artist

Guy Kemper, The Glass Artist of the Month says, “Glass is the best material in the world, there’s nothing better. I would take glass over any material, and there’s nothing more powerful.”  Most regular viewers of CraftingGlass.com would agree as they love glass in all forms, as I do. Guy is a world recognized glass artist. He has works at the greater Orlando International Airport, St. Joseph’s chapel at Ground Zero in New York, the Baltimore Washington international Airport, and in our Lady In the Woods Chapel at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of the other acclaimed works of Guy Kemper are found in as diverse places as the Mount Baker train station in Seattle, the Dulles station office park in Herndon, Virginia, in Chicago O’Hare airport, and in the Public Cemetery Chapel, Engenhahn, Germany. Pictured just below are several of Guy’s lovely works mentioned previously.    

  Bellarmine Chapel

  Ground Zero Window New York

Guy’s works are unique in several ways. He doesn’t use lead anymore in most of his creations so he doesn’t have to stay “inside the lines” as a typical stained glass artist would have to do. And Guy doesn’t normally use vitreous enamels which are special paints containing “frit” (powdered glass) in his works. Instead he uses multiple layers of flashed glass which is then often etched in designated areas to produce the desired effect. Since the color is actually glass instead of paint Guys work has all the richness and reflection of glass. As you know paint is duller than most colored glass. The individual glass creations are laminated or fused to a clear tempered glass base. This process eliminates the need to have a line of lead between the individual pieces as in most other stained glass works. Kemper’s works are awesome to view as many of them seem to move and change as the viewer moves about. This stunning effect is probably due to the interplay of light as it hits or passes through the different colored layers of the glass from different viewing angles.

Guy Kemper lives in central Kentucky and being from Kentucky has had a huge influence on his work.  Guy says that many German artists settled in the river towns like Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, and St. Louis, after they immigrated to America 150 years ago. These glass artists make some of the finest American glass, probably the best stained glass, as that is the craft that most of them were trained in. Mr. Kemper says that Louisville especially has some of the best glass in the country. Guy lives in the Kentucky countryside near Lexington. He grew up in the city but he really loves the country. Guy says “I love Kentucky. I have traveled all over the world but I never would seriously consider living anywhere else”. In his art you can see the blues, greens, reds, and (picket fence) whites of the Blue Grass rural areas near Lexington where so many fine race horses are raised. (Article continued after two more pictures of Guy’s work).

             Baker Train Station window, Seattle

Detail, Seattle window (“Seattle Sunrise”)

Much of Guy’s architectural work is too large to fabricate in his own shop so he has Derix Glasstudios in Germany make the glass from his drawings and paintings. Many consider Derix to be the best glass fabrication company in the world. After being commissioned to do the Orlando International Airport in 2000 he sought help as this was his largest work up to that time. He met Wilhelm Derix who offered some ideas and was very helpful. Apparently recognizing Guy’s artistic talent Wilhelm said “you really should just paint. Don’t even use your pencil; just start painting. And let me worry about how to make it”. Guy says that he took the advice, although not always 100% (as he still does some drawing and some glass work himself). It appears that they have worked together well over the years since then!

The window by Guy at Orlando International was unique in another way. It was a memorial to his late brother, Mark, who passed away shortly before he designed the window. Guy says that like flight, life has a transitory beauty uniquely its own. I believe that Guy wanted to celebrate the beauty of flight, and of life, in this lovely airport window. It is entitled So Long Bro. Many thousands of arriving and departing travelers are inspired by this work of glass art.

To see more of Guy’s work go to his web site at http://kemperstudio.com  Be sure to watch the PBS documentary video featuring Guy Kemper’s work. It is about 8 minutes long but very impressive (well worth the short time spent watching it).

Important note: I receive no money or material benefit of any kind from featuring glass artists on my web site (CraftingGlass.com). My work here is purely “a labor of love” so to speak. I hope viewers (and artists) like this new feature of this site. If you are a glass artist of any kind, even if you are a relatively new artist, I would be glad to consider featuring you here. Just send pictures of some of your work and tell me a little about yourself. Jerry (Webmaster, Crafting Glass).

Another note: Here is a link to Derix Studios: http://www.derix.com/en/

 Here is Guy’s Orlando International Airport Window:

Technorati Tags: art glass windows, artist of the month, decorative windows, stained glass

Try your hand at the exciting craft of glass jewelry! Easy to learn, fused glass jewelry offers a wide range of creative opportunities. A Bead, Baubles & Jewels project. For more projects and jewelry-making know-how, visit us at http://forum.riogrande.com/ or visit http://www.riogrande.com/ for all your jewelry-making tools and supplies.

Duration : 0:5:22

Technorati Tags: fused glass, Glass, glass jewelry, pendant