Tuesday, February 26, 2013

ABC - G Is For Glass

The ABC Wednesday Meme is a fun way to see some great blogs. This week the letter is G.  G is for glass. I install Auto Glass for a living, so I see a lot of glass. This is a shot of a badly broken windshield

Cracked
SHATTERED WINDSHIELD

As I take photographs I am intrigued with windows. Each window provides it's own view of the world. This photo was take from the inside of an old church at the Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The stained glass was homemade by painting the glass. One pane had been replaced with clear glass providing a glimpse of the outdoors.

Window to Autumn
RURAL LIFE MUSEUM

This photo was taken from the inside of the cafeteria at Ozark Adventist Academy in Gentry, Arkansas.

Window With A View
CAFETERIA VIEW


I find that the reflections in glass can make a very interesting photo. This shot was taken of a store window display in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

Eureka Window
EUREKA SPRINGS WINDOW

This store front in the old downtown of Hot Springs, Arkansas seems out of place. The juxtaposition of old and modern, traditional and liberal make it interesting for me.

No Clothes
NO CLOTHES

Whenever I am in a church with stained glass windows I am impressed by the beauty. Here are two examples, one very traditional and one modern.

Stained Glass
ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH IN MENA, ARKANSAS

Stained
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN KEENE, TEXAS

In January 2011, My wife Gina and I took a trip to Lincoln City, Oregon for a reunion of her siblings. One of the things that we did while we were there was to visit The Jennifer Sears Glass Art Studio.

The glass blowing artists have some of their work on display in the studio.  We met Kelly Howard, and she explained some of the process of producing these beautiful fish that are some of her signature pieces.


One of the things that the studio offers is the chance to blow your own glass.  You can make a Float, Fluted Bowl, Paperweight, Starfish, Heart or Jumbo Float.  They supply everything you need and have expert artists help you.  You can get up close and personal with the process of creating Art Glass.  Friendly instructors guide you through a creative process that has been handed down from generation to generation through the centuries.  Gina wanted to experience blowing glass, and decided to make a sea float.

Glass Blowing 3

Her instructor was Andrew Kogle.  He was right with her for each step and made sure everything was done correctly while letting her do as much of the process as possible.

Glass Blowing 2

Glass In The Furnace

Glass Blowing

To view a slideshow of Andrew helping a customer make a float click here.

Gina really enjoyed the experience of working with the glass, and the float that she created was beautiful.  She was really proud of her float.

Gina's Float

Here is some video of the glass blowing process starring Gina and Andrew.



The beautiful float is now displayed prominently in our entryway for everyone to see when they enter our home.

Glass Float


11 comments:

  1. Fantastic shots for the 'G'. The red and green stained glass looks good.

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  2. Stunning Float.
    I love all the different windows...certainly different, from the sublime to the rediculous (no clothes).
    Great post this week.

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  3. I used to go to Corning Glassworks in upstate NY all the time - great stuff. Esp like top pic.
    ROG, ABC Wednesday team

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  4. Gorgeous shots of a variety of glass.

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  5. Creative glass shots! Wonderful for ABC ^_^

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  6. Lovely glass photos, they all have their own story to tell. I think I'd like to make some blown glass things one day. Gina's is gorgeous!

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  7. Great photo of the shattered windscreen. I love taking photos of glass too, particularly stained glass. You're very lucky to have been able to make you own!

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  8. Glass in all its forms is fascinating. I think making some object out of glass would be a fabulous experience.

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  9. Really nice, well thought out post. Your examples are interesting and diverse. (I couldn't help but chuckle over the placement of the 'No Clothes' window display next to the church stained glass.) The glass blowing looks like a great time. By the way, after reading your post for D, I ended up watching 'Duck Dynasty' for the first time last week -- what a hoot. Thanks for the reccommendation!

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  10. You definitely got a lot of beautiful glasses. I love the broken glass, it's beautifully photographed!

    Gums and Gummies
    Rose, ABC Wednesday Team.

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  11. Glorious works of art! I had a friend who did some stained glass work for her home and it was gorgeous!

    Leslie
    abcw team

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