Spring Exhibit Comes to Close

The San Antonio Calligrapher's Guild Spring Exhibit at the Central Library will come to a close on March 28th. If you are in downtown San Antonio this week, pop into the enchilada red main library building. The building it self is quite a site. The Spring Exhibit is on the ground floor in the gallery. Directly above the gallery the Fiesta Tower by Dale Chihuly is installed to commemorate the library systems 100th anniversary. From the gallery space you can look directly up to see it in it's full state.

San Antonio Calligraphers' Guild 2014 Spring Exhibit

San Antonio Calligrapher's Guild (SACG) is having their Spring Exhibit at the San Antonio Main Library. The opening reception is Sunday, March 2 from 12- 4PM. The Exhibit will be on display through March 28. There are 39 works from different artists on display, two of which are mine. Both of my pieces are ink on paper so I'm really stepping outside my comfort zone. Come to think of it, I have been a member of SACG for a decade or so, entered a number of exhibits and these are my first pieces not on/in glass.

SACG Fall Exhibit

San Antonio Calligraphy Guild Fall Exhibit

November 4, 2012 

4:30-6:30 pm

Crumpets Restaurant

3920 Harry Wurzbach

Window Flower

6x8" Kilnformed and Etched Glass, Silver and Mirror

WIND AND WINDOW FLOWER

Lovers, forget your love,
And listen to the love of these,
She a window flower,
And he a winter breeze. 

When the frosty window veil
Was melted down at noon,
And the caged yellow bird
Hung over her in tune,

He marked her through the pane,
He could not help but mark,
And only passed her by
To come again at dark.

He was a winter wind,
Concerned with ice and snow,
Dead weeds and unmated birds,
And little of love could know. 

But he sighed upon the sill,
He gave the sash a shake,
As witness all within
Who lay that night awake.

Per chance he half prevailed
To win her for the flight
From the firelit looking-glass
And warm stove-window light. 

But the flower leaned aside
And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
A hundred miles away. 

 Author: Robert Frost

BIG Weekend Ahead

This weekend is packed full of activities starting with Up Town Art Stroll in the quaint historic neighborhood of Olmos Terrace. The event is Saturday, November 3rd from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, November 4th from 12pm to 5pm. I'll be at location #17. Check online for a studio map with detailed information.

Sunday, November 4th is the opening of the San Antonio Calligraphy Guild's Fall Exhibit. Join us from 4:30-6:30pm at Crumpets Restaurant at 3920 Harry Wurzbach for an opening reception. The show will continue to hang through January 6, 2013.

Calligraphy Guild Spring Show Closes

-

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.

Spring Exhibit

The San Antonio Calligraphy Guild (SACG) is having their annual Spring Exhbit. This years event will be part of Tobin Hill's Second Friday Art Walk. As always I can't wait to see this years show. The SACG has so many talented members. As part of the Tobin Hill Art Walk visitors will have the oppurtunity to jump on a trolly and visit any of the seven participating galleries. The SACG exhibit will be held at The Villa. I submitted a glass peice for this juried show. A brightly colored peice of kilnformed glass mounted on several layers of clear glass with Genisis chapter 37 inscribed with the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors. I'll be interested to see if my submission made this years show. Ohh the suspense...

The Villa Gallery

2403 N. St. Mary’s Street 

Opening night - Friday, April 13, 2012, 6-10 pm

Closing night - Friday, May 11, 2012, 6-10 pm

Brushes 101

Thursday night's San Antonio Calligraphy Guild meeting was all about brushes, a matter I was completely ignorant on. But not anymore...

Calligraph Exchange

 -

This evening was the San Antonio Calligraphy Guild's Annual Exchange. Members and local art suppliers come to sell or exchange items of interest to calligraphers, art journalist and bookbinders. I only meant to pop in a few minutes. By the time I left my arms were full with little goodies like nibs, stamps, ink samples and an assortment of straight edge handles all for less then today's lunch. The real treasures were some of the great books I picked up. A used copy of Lettering Arts by Joanne Fink and Judy Kastin is going more for online then I paid for the enter lot. I am particularly excited about the copy of The Mystic Art of Written Forms by Fredrick Neugebauer sitting on the top of the stack above.

Thank you to Asel Art Supply and Herweck's who came with supply's at discounted prices for SACG members. I left with paper, ink and nifty tools. Thank you.

Up Coming Workshops

-

As much as I love working with glass I enjoy sharing knowledge with others crafters. If you find yourself interested in my work and wondering how you too could work with glass or if you are an experienced fuser looking for new techniques to add to your tool box, here are some of the workshops I am scheduled  to teach in the next few months. You can sign up for classes in San Antonio by contacting Wired Designs Studio directly or online for Glass Craft & Bead Expo.

-

At Wired Designs Studio
in San Antonio, Texas

-

Introduction to Fusing - Sunday, February 27 9am-5:30pm
Introduction to Fusing - Saturday, April 30 9am-5:30pm 

Casting I basic forms - Saturday, February 26 9am-5:30pm
Casting I basic forms - Saturday, June 11 9am-5:30pm
Casting II 3D Sculpture - 2-days Saturday & Sunday, June 25-26 9am-5:30pm
-
Inclusions: Micas & Metals - 3-days March 4 6-9pm & the afternoon of March 5 & 6
Coldworking & Carving I - Sunday, May 1 9am-5:30pm
Lettering in Glass - Sunday, June 12 from 9am-5:30pm

-

Glass Craft and Bead Expo
in Las Vegas, Nevada 

- 

Impressions in Glass - Friday evening April 1 5-9pm

Feels Fabulous - 2-days Friday and Saturday April 1-2 8am-4pm

-

 Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty.  

~Henry Ford

-

Lettering in Glass Workshop at Wired

-

We had our first ever Lettering in Glass workshop yesterday at Wired Designs Studio. Students spent the day exploring ways a variety of techniques to letter on or in glass. It was quite the experience to see a group of some of my favorite fusers exploring new ideas and materials.

-

I left them with a list of resources including my favorite calligraphic references such as Calligraphic Lettering with a Wide Pen & Brush by Ralph Douglass and Lettering on Glass by Charmian Mocatta. Peruse these books yourself and see if next time you might be inspired to try it yourself. My next Lettering in Glass workshop will be Sunday, June 26, 2001 from 9:00am-5:00pm. For more information and to sign up contact Wired Designs Studio at 210-495-4495.  

-

Still a Child at Heart

-

I'm not sure I will ever out grow a good children's book. Having a young niece is just an excuse to prose the stacks of children's literature in my favorite books stores. When I find something as good as Liu and the Bird, A Journey in Chinese Calligraphy I snap up not just one but two copies. One for my niece and that's right, one for me. Although I have enjoyed flipping through the pages of this book on my own, I can not wait for the opportunity to sit down with my niece to read this delightful tale and discuss the Chinese Calligraphy that accompanies each page.

-

This is a book I'm sure many of my friends in the San Antonio Calligraphy Guild (SACG) would enjoy as well. I picked up my copy at Half Price Books and Records for about the same price as used copy available online.

-

Lettering in Glass

-

Understanding Ana

12 x 9.5 cm framed, soda lime glass and enamel

-

Like so many, I crafted and created all sorts of things long before I ever came to work with glass. Along the way, I was exposed to all kinds of techniques and materials, some of which I still enjoy and share with you here from time to time (e.g. crochet, calligraphy, photography and bookbinding). These are not experiences one just checks at the studio door. In fact, they often contribute to the design or direction a particular work in glass may take.

-

Of particular interested to me has been bringing my love of calligraphy to my work in glass. So I am very excited to be offering a one day workshop highlighting multiple ways to letter in glass. During this workshop we will work both on the surface of glass and in/with glass itself learning to etch, sandblast and carve lettering onto the surface as well as using various techniques to apply enamels and glass powders which will be kiln fired.

-

This class will offer techniques fusers can include in their “toolbox” for design. But it is not just for fusers. Open to anyone interested in lettering, this is a great opportunity for calligraphers, scrapbookers, or writers to experiment with ways to capture words in glass.

-

Joy

12x12" sandblasted and kinformed float glass

-

Lettering in Glass workshops are scheduled for Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 9:00am-5:00pm and Sunday, June 26, 2001 from 9:00am-5:00pm. For more information and to sign up contact Wired Designs Studio at 210-495-4495.

-