Glass Art Society Trip To Portland

June 2008
I have just returned from the Glass Art Society Conference in Portland Oregon and it was a great time – www.glassart.org I saw lots of old friends and I had a look at where the art glass industry is – I saw a few incredible demos – Lucio Bubbaco did an incredible flameworking demo and Karen Willenbrink did an unbelievable hot glass ( bench flamework ) demo only to mention a few – The demos were at Elements Glass Studio – www.elementsglass.com and boy what a studio – I thought we had a ( supershop ) but oh boyee – that studio is one of the most incredible public rental shops that I have seen – I was truly inspired by the sheer size of the interior – This place is huge and they have these incredible sub studios within the warehouse – check it out sometime when you are in Portland – the owner Ian is a very nice guy and very approachable – I have seen him make some huge work before – He is a master glass blower – no faking here ! –

While in Portland I visited the Mark Wooley Gallery - www.markwoolley.com They had a precarious art glass show going on – it was a sort of illegal utilitarian glass show – I question how they are legally able to have pipes and bongs displayed for sale – you may know that I was arrested in February of 2003 for making glass bongs – The Federal Government locked me up for making what they deem as “ drug Paraphernalia “ – I was part of a large bust called “ Operation Pipe Dream “ aimed at the paraphernalia industry – Today there is a thriving bong and pipe trade show in Las Vegas www.champslv.com – Ill keep you posted with more thoughts and issues about bongs –

I also got to see Saeed Mohtadi from the Eugene Glass School www.eugeneglassschool.org – they seem to be holding strong and running a tight ship – these guys are some of the friendliest in the business – the facility is incredible and they are offering lots of really neat classes so I recommend that you check their site and schedule – I also spent time with Howard Sandberg and team at CBS Dichroic www.cbs-dichroic.com – I made them a new infomercial that you can watch here on their site ! – I have been using their product for ions and highly recommend it – They have some of the greatest coating out there –

1st Annual International Hot Glass Invitational

1st Annual International Hot Glass Invitational
April 3rd-4th, 2009
South Point Casino
Las Vegas, NV

This is going to be the big one folks – Will Menzies from the Flow Magazine http://www.theflowmagazine.com/ is putting together an event that will surely be the largest glassblowing extravaganza the studio glassblowing movement has ever known ! We are calling out the troops for this one – This will be an incredible gathering of artists and collectors that will prove to be THE EVENT TO BE AT! This will be a demonstration/ competition of huge proportions – Surely covering a broad spectrum of glass working techniques - glassblowing / showmanship / and skill ! – The Event will be next door to and in association with the Glass Craft Expo www.glasscraftexpo.com– an show that has been going on for Fifteen Years - Wow and check this out it is going to be at the arena – right next door to the casino – We hew! This arena is The Equestrian Facility of the South Point Casino. This 30,000 sq foot, 4400 seat arena is fully climate controlled and ventilated. The arena is well prearranged with 4 - 72" Flat Screen Monitors that face all side of the arena, as well as a full theatrical lighting set. The control room for the monitors and lighting sits atop a 2 story private "VIP" bar, which has seating for 250 and a full bar with kitchen access. This is going to be the ultimate voice for the art of glass. This is an event that brings the excitement of glass to a captive audience that, when engaged, will become inspired somehow in their own realities! Heavy Man! So anyway there are going to be a few categories. There will be a flame working exhibition that will highlight the extreme technical difficulty of the hand worked glass. Artists and their respective teams will have designated times to do whatever they can dream up. There will also be three full offhand benches on the center stage for hot glassblowing. The goal is to provide the audience with the largest, most dramatic glass sculptures and vessels that the session will allow. There will be glassblowing teams from Mexico Australia Japan Seattle and New York. This will be the ultimate learning experience as well as an incredible networking opportunity for anyone interested in the glass arts. Some of the best artists from around the world will be in attendance. The event will be held from 4 pm til 10 pm Friday and Saturday, the 3rd and 4th of April, 2009. Their will be 3-4 flame working and furnace platforms. The contestant will have 2 1/2 hours to produce their works, providing 2 rotations per night. Flame working contestants will be scheduled both Friday and Saturday night. Furnace working will be Friday night and Saturday night. These team demos will be wildly interactive, educational and incredibly fun for the entire family. I recommend that you fly in early and check out some of the Glass Craft Expo – don’t forget that you can get a booth there as well – lets not forget that times are tough and this is a great opportunity for artists to show off their most recent works – This highly successful event hosted over 200 instructors, 2000 students and 9000 attendees at their 2008 show in April. Rooted in the flat glass world of stained, fused and slumped glass, the show has grown to include hot glass artisans, manufacturers and distributors that account for 1/3 of exhibitors, teachers and students. The show currently appeals to everyone from the hobbyist to the full time artist. The International Hot Glass Invitational will help the show put more emphasis on "High Art & Craft".

E mail me for more info - mauiglassblowing@gmail.com