The Wedding Gift - Finally Ready!

I finished The Wedding Gift recently -- yay!!  I am so happy I actually finished it because it seems I ran into one obstacle after another, almost as if this project was NOT meant to be, ha ha.  The last obstacle was, I had decided to frame it in zinc for added support, but couldn't find my zinc saw.  It must have grown wings and flew away....  I tell ya, where things disappear to around here, I have no idea.  Must find that black hole and seal it up, and soon! 

Long story short, my hubby went out and got a blade for his chop saw since I wanted to mitre the corners, so I was kind of on his time line for doing that since I'd never used his saw and he wanted to do it with me.  Well today was the day, and once we had the zinc all cut to fit, I hurried into my glass studio to get it soldered in place. 

Of course, I then had to touch-up a few other solder lines, solder on the hangars, then get it all scrubbed and clean so the patina would stick.  Applying the patina was a bit more tedious as I had to use two different kinds.  The patina I use for my solder and lead will not work for zinc.  Luckily, I was aware of that and had picked up a bottle of the kind I needed.  It was a bit difficult applying it.  I scubbed and scrubbed on the zinc, but it seemed quite resistant to accepting the patina.  I kept at it, and eventually, I had a finish on it that really enhanced the whole look.  It gave it a bit of an antique look in my opinion.

At any rate, the bride has no clue this gift is about to be delivered.  In addition to just being married, she just recently graduated from nursing school too, so I guess this will be a combination gift. 

I hope she likes it.  Just because I like to give these does not mean the receiver will like it.  I think some end up stored away, or given away...but...that's ok.  These come from the heart and beyond that, I have to just let them go.  My daughter assures me this gal will most likely love it.




On my light-box




A night-shot, to see the glass texture better




It measures close to 14 x 14"




In natural morning light



Two projects on the horizon, and mostly still in the "thinking-about-it" stages:

1)  I am donating a piece for a fund-raising event.   This one will have a theme involving surfing.  Don't know yet if it will be a beach scene or an actual surfer on a wave.  I am leaning towards doing a wall-mountable mosiac project, framed in teak wood or perhaps even bamboo.

2)  I learned recently that a very dear friend of mine eloped, and I want to make her something.  I am comtempating an Orchid panel with some beveled glass pieces perhaps.....hmm.....lots to think about!

Until next time ~ Thanks for stopping by.

♥ Jan

The Wedding Gift.... Part 2

Today was a wonderful "Monday."  I am usually at work on Mondays but traded a day off, and I found myself back in my stained glass studio today -- ignoring most of everything else I should be doing, but hey, I did lots of that kind of stuff this past Friday and Saturday.  Needed to squeeze in some shop time somewhere.... :)

For those of you who read my blogs, you may recall that I put The Wedding Gift piece on hold until I completed a recent commission that came through unexpectedly. I really hated to do that, but the commissioned piece was under a deadline and I really needed to deliver it on time.  Plus, The Wedding Gift was to be a complete surprise for the bride, a dear friend of my daughter.

When we attended the wedding, I saw that the bride used sunflowers in her backdrops and bouquets.  Of course, I told my daughther I was tempted to change the panel to include sunflowers rather than a rose.  But as I laid out all of the previously cut pieces and cut out the rest of the leaves and petals, I realized that it is really a very pretty piece, and yes, it does feel like a Beauty And The Beast piece!

Here it is so far.  I've used two shades of reds; one a German antique, the other a Spectrum wispy; two shades of green in the leaves; one again a German antique (you can see the lines in it) and the other is a waterglass with streaks of deeper green running throughout.  The background is glue chip glass.  I only need to cut-out the pieces surrounding the heart, which I think will be in clear textured iridescent glass.  Since I don't plan on framing it, I will use a zinc border for strength, with a nice dark patina finish.  

I hope to finish and upload pics of the completed piece in the next couple of weeks.

Update: The below pic includes the surrounding glass....textured iridescent.  I think it works well.  Seeing it all laid out like this, I believe it needs a combination of copper foil AND lead.  The heart and rose will be wrapped in copper foil, and surrounded by lead.  Then lead will be used in the outer pieces, and bordered in zinc for added strength.  Should have it done in another week.  Stay tuned....

Thanks for stopping by!  Let me know you've visited by leaving your comments.

Fleur-de-lis

Thought this was a cute little pattern I found in Glass Patterns Quarterly, so I looked through my glass and found a shade of blue/green I thought would look good, then found the perfect colored glass nugget to go in the center. 

I then got curious as to the origin of this widely used symbol.  In a nut-shell, it's French, fleur-de-lis literally means "lily flower." It is widely thought to be a stylized version of the species Iris Pseudacorus, but many groups and organizations have taken a form of it and used it as their symbol, from the Boy Scounts, to the New Orleans Saints, and many others as well.

 

Regardless, I liked the design and will probably make a couple of others in different colors. 

Seal Ornament

Although I'm not quite finished with it, I am happy with my little seal ornament.  It's kind of been in the works, at least in my head, for a while.  Had my idea, I just wasn't making the time to get to it.  I had cut out the paper pattern months ago, then last week, I cut out four of them in glass.  I think I will have to make more in different colors.  These first ones are all the same, cut out of white iridescent glass, blue nugget eyes, a black heart-shaped nose, and pink tongue.  I still need to finish the edges with the lead came, add the loop for hanging, and it will be done, except for the final polishing.

They remind me of the baby harp seals in Alaska.  Since we have a different species locally, I will make some in browns and grays.  Don't the whiskers add character? 

You can SOON order them in my ETSY shop at:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanGonzalez
Thanks for checking in with the blog!

Update:  Complete with edging, and ready for a new home! 

Fly Away Home

Wow, I am really on a roll, ha ha. After almost a whole year, I've sold another stained glass piece on ETSY--this one a hummingbird.  I was just looking at it yesterday after spending the afternoon in my glass shop, working away on some new projects.  It had not been too long since I had put this piece on sale -- a whopping $10 off -- but then, I raised the shipping after the last piece cost me more than I realized it would.  It's all good, although I think I'm going to miss this piece, the little hummer, with her ruby throat and blue wings, drinking nectar from a yellow flower.

It has been purchased by a woman in Washington DC, as a Christmas gift for her boyfriend's mom.  I love hearing who my pieces are going to--somehow makes it easier to part with things I've put my heart into.

I'll just have to make another -- I've already been thinking about how I'd like to do the next one. 

Fare well little hummer....time to spread your wings and fly away home!

My Addiction

My love for stained glass began many years ago when my sister-in-law, Chris, began learning the craft. She offered to teach me many times throughout the years, but I was working and juggling so much with my three children's activities, I knew I didn't have the time to devote to it.


When we were building our new home, my grandmother insisted I take a monetary gift from her to put toward something we needed. I just couldn't see spending it on drywall, flooring, or paint, but I knew immediately what I wanted to do with it. I asked grandma what her favorite flower was, and I commissioned Chris to make a window for our home, featuring her favorite, the Iris. That was back in 1991, and though grandma is sadly no longer with us, I think of her every day as I look at that window, still beautifully displayed in our dining room.


In August of 2002, I finally took Chris up on her offer for a lesson in stained-glass. I can not tell you the satisfaction I felt when I held that first finished piece in my hands and saw the light glimmering through it. It was like this fire just lit right under me, and Chris just knowingly smiled...... From there, I immediately enrolled in an adult-education class and attended for roughly four years! It was an open workshop, with a teacher around who could lend a hand and/or give advice along the way if needed. It was there that I ventured into leaded-glass and mosaics as well.

Yes, I freely and proudly admit, I became a glass-addict. Luckily my husband was as excited as me with my new-found addiction and became my biggest supporter and fan. What an amazing man he is, my Rey. He so willingly helped me collect the tools, and set up a space in the garage to work at. Need help framing something? "No problem," he’d say. “Let me get my tools.”



After a few years, we moved my studio into one of our spare bedrooms. I would've been happy just having my work-space indoors, but he insisted he paint it first and redo the floor...then we hung all the art work I had been saving for just such a space. I have to admit, it came out nice!


Having my studio has made my glass-working so much more enjoyable and productive, and I love being in my peaceful little space where I can dream, plan, and yes, feed my addiction.