Sue and I are always looking for new ideas and designs for glass. Recently, we've noticed a return to bold fun prints like Batiks. We turned to our friend Lena, who actually invented a process for designing Batik glass and got to work. The process is quite involved and takes much patience and practice. The majority of the work is done using glass powders and carving tools. Some pieces are fired three or four times before being complete. (That's about four days in the kiln!) W

Exciting news! Blazing Star Arts is now the proud owner of a vitrograph kiln, a kiln where glass flows out of the bottom of the furnace where it can be manipulated. So, what does that mean and how does it work? A pot of glass pieces is place inside the Vitrograph and fired to around 1700 degrees. This is done slowly so the glass melts evenly. Once molten, we use pliers or our hands, covered in heat proof gloves, to pull the glass down into different thicknesses and lengths of

We just returned from a week at the Annual Glass Expo and Gallery of Excellence in Las Vegas. It was an exhausting and productive week where we created glass along side some of the most amazing artists, shared techniques, and bought new tools, glass, and materials for the studio. Keep an eye out for new pieces using Watercolor Effects, Layering and Blending, Iridescent Screens, Frit Painting, and Drop Vases, among others. One of the highlights was the Gallery of Excellence, w

Everyone has a favorite color - quick, what's yours? Now, why is it your favorite color? How does it make you feel? Is it the same one you had as a child? The simple fact that everyone has a favorite color speaks volumes about the importance of color in our daily lives, and for us, in our Fused Glass work. Lately, my favorite color has been green which means balance growth, and restoration. It also reflects the colors of nature, where I go to find balance. One of my favorite

Recently we had the pleasure of working on a custom order where the client picked colors from our sample box. She stopped by to see the work in progress and was surprised to see us using "clear" glass where she had specified transparent canary yellow. This led to a discussion on striking, which I thought would be fun to share. Since we use only Bullseye glass, I turned to their experts for an explanation. Here goes: "Some Bullseye glasses appear pale or colorless in the cold

We often get requests for donations of our glass artwork to a wide range of community organizations. And we are glad to help, where we can. This year we are proud to support the Run For the Wall, an organization dedicated to promoting healing among all veterans and their families and friends, calling for an accounting of all POW/MIA, honoring the memory of those KIA from all wars, and supporting our military personnel all over the world. To learn more, visit their website. In

Sue and I have been having a blast collaborating on the design and creation of seven custom orders/commissions including birthday gifts, wedding presents, garden art installations, art panels for the home, and an indoor light. These pieces include joyous women, wild animals, serene nature scenes, and snowy fun, and all are custom designed. How We Work When a customer comes to use with an idea, we invite them to the studio, meet with them, and ask questions about the vision, c

Many people think that all we need to create our beautiful glassworks is glass and a kiln . But, those represent only half (if that much) of our arsenal of tools. Once glass is fired - or even before - it often needs "cold working." This is the process of refining the piece so it has a polished look. It's called cold working because no heat is involved. Our cold working tool bench includes the following amazing tools: Tile Saw - We use this to cut glass into shapes or to cu

Fused Glass Garden Art Is Sprouting in Southern California

We're delighted to announce that Blazing Star Arts has been juried in to the 31st Annual Newbury Park Spring Art & Crafts Festival this March! We will be unveiling our new fused glass collections, just in time for the Spring and Easter seasons, with art and artware that is ideal for gifts, everyday use, or display. March 3 and 4, 2018 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Borchard Community Center 190 Reino Road, Newbury Park Our contemporary fused glass art is as delightful to admire as i