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


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.


RURAL LIFE MUSEUM

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


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 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

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.


ST. AGNES CATHOLIC CHURCH IN MENA, ARKANSAS


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.



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.







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.



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.