What: SAGAG Annual Meeting

When: May 24, 2012 6:30 PM -08:30 PM

Where: Absolutley Everything Catering (AEC)

6:30pm Dinner
7:00pm General Meeting to included:
• Election of officers - This will be my last official meeting as President of SAGAG. I have enjoyed serving in this role for the last three years and look forward to seeing the direction new leadership will move our organization. Tonight's meeting will be the members’ opportunity to elect a new board of officers. This is always an important part of our duties as members. I encourage all SAGAG members to participate.
• Volunteer Award Nominations and Voting - In 2011 SAGAG created a Volunteer aware to acknowledge, encourage and retain those members who contribute their time and energies to the guild. Nominations are accepted from our general members and must be turned in prior to tonight’s meeting at 7:00pm. All nominees will be acknowledged and the guild will vote for one to be awarded a paid membership for the upcoming year.
• Membership Renewal - To encourage timely renewal members are encouraged to pay membership dues by check or cash during this evening meeting. Those who renew tonight will be entered into a drawing for a free membership. One lucky winner will be returned their membership fee.
• Program Announcements - This will be your chance to be the first to hear what the SAGAG meets will be for the first have of the 2012-13 fiscal year. Exciting stuff coming...
• Show and Tell - To add to all the festivities we are creating the opportunities for members to bring a piece of work and show us what you've been up to this past year. This is a great way to share with friends, get ideas and ask for feedback from your peers.

Hope to see you there.

Weekend of Workshops

This weekend was all at Wired Designs Studio. When I'm at Wired Designs these days, I am generally teaching a workshop. This weekend I was over joyed to have the opportunity to both teach and take a class.

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Saturday was a delightful day in Fusing I. I love to witness the excitement people have when working with glass for the first time. The ohhhs and ahhhs when they see their first piece come out of the kiln. That happened Saturday afternoon  when this group of ladies saw their dichroic glass pendents came out of the kiln. A little cutting and grinding to get them into just the right shape (like Sue's heart on the bottom left of the kiln below) and back in the kiln they went for a fire polish with the tack fused art glass projects from that afternoon.
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Student work from Fusing I on Saturday, May 19

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Now that they understand a little about the impact of time and temperature on glass, the next step for  Saturday's group  might me taking something like Platemaking on June 23 and 24. In Platemaking they would learn about volume control,  begin to take their cold working skills to the next level and learn what goes into slumping kilnformed glass into a mold to take the shape of a plate platter or bowl.

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The result of one of my demos in the last Platemaking workshop

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On Sunday I got to sit back, relax and learn all about etching metal in one of Gail Stouffer's fabulous metal jewelry workshops. I had a great time hanging out with friends and learning new techniques. Check out the bracelet I made in class (below) using metal we etched earlier that day. The pattern came from sections of a stamp I picked up earlier that day on a "field trip" down the block to Stamp Antonio. I'm grateful for the opportunity to try something different. This is one technique I'll be using again for sure.

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Bracelet made of etched brass.

Gone to Seed

Gone to Seed - 21' kilnformed and flameworked soda lime glass bowl

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Driving the 68miles through the Texas Hill Country each month on my way to Artisans of Rocky Hill has given me a much deeper appreciation of the changes that come with each season deep in the heart of Texas. How quickly we went from bright colorful carpets of spring wildflowers to more rich golden hues. As the temperatures rise the blues and purples of  Bluebonnets and Verbena give way to reds, yellow and oranges bringing Mexican Hat, Black-eyed Susan and Firewheel. As the flowers go to seed the grasses rise crisp and golden in the sun. My drives to Fredricksburg are little escapes. I return home with the pictures of the every changing Hill Country landscape in my mind. I can't help it if every now and again a little seeps back out into my work.

Yellow Orange Red... Color Splash

Thank you Lisa for including me in this fabulous treasury.

Calligraphy Guild Spring Show Closes

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Friday night was the closing night of the San Antonio Calligraphy Guild Spring Exhibit. Would you believe the kiln-formed glass piece above hung in that show? What you are missing in this photograph are the two sheets of clear glass upon which I carved the 37th chapter of Genesis. The focal piece above was mounted and framed floating above those two sheet of glass. It was the story of Joseph that was the backdrop for this contemporary swatch of fabric from his coat of many colors. Ripped clear through with the lines of the formal cannon this work was strongly influenced by my exposure to calligraphy and bookbinding. 

This years Spring Exhibit was a diverse display of calligraphic marks on not only paper and vellum, but glass, clay, stone, and fabric. I found it exciting to see the work being done by calligraphy guild members in so many mediums. What a fabulous show!

Thank you Gabriele for all your support. It always means something special to me when I know piece has found a good and loving home.

Luminaria 2012 - Glass Alley Recap

It's been well over a week since Luminaria and I still feel like I'm basking in the glow of lights. San Antonio has a long rich tradition of being a parade and festival friendly city. Match that up with the local art scene and it just doesn't get much better. Once again Glass Alley was complete with flame workers,  Larry West demonstrating in his mobile glass blowing furnace, the Brother of the Flame, the San Antonio Society of Artisan Lampworkers (SALSA), and  members of the San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG). We occupied space between the Institute of Texas Cultures and the Tower of the Americas. With a view of the Tower and the fire dancers, members of the local glass guilds demonstrated flame working techniques and educated the public on the local art glass movement.

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Members of SALSA demonstrating on the torch.

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Thank you Louise and Denise, devoted SAGAG members, for all of your time and effort without which Glass Alley 2012 would not have been possible.

Luminaria

Luminaria

San Antonio's Annual Celebration of Art and Artist
Downtown San Antonio, Texas

May 5, 2012

The San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG) has participated in Luminaria every years since the events inception.  Look for Glass Alley this year in the yellow zone, #11 on the Luminaria map. For more information about Luminaria visit http://luminariasa.org/.

Etsy Treasures

Three fun Etsy Treasuries from the month of April all featuring pieces from the same blue and white set. I have never created a Treasury myself but I do enjoy perusing those invented by others. They're such fun and creative collections.
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