Gail Stouffer... Artist - Designer - Educator

Another Baptismal Font! City Year Event Pictures!

2012-03-01T18:19:00.002-06:00

The City Year Gala event was Tuesday February 28th. Here are a few pictures featuring the vases we made. One of the vases was a gift/award for this years chairman, Gordon Hartman.

Gordon Hartman accepting his vase as an award at the City Year Gala 2012

Another Shot!

Here's a shot of one of the tables!

Thanks to all who made this happen! Especially Stacey C, Stacy L, Judy H, Rene J, and Heidi A! These ladies helped smash glass, prime molds, grind discs, vacuum kilns, wrap vases, and keep my spirits high during all the drama. I love the WD girls!!!

I started the newest commission today. It's another Baptismal Font. This one is for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. I really love doing these bowls! Anyway, the client loved what we did for Zion Lutheran Church and asked that we do a similar design, but with their colors. We were happy to oblige! Their sanctuary has much more amber light, so we added an amber tint to the mix to make the light coming from the bowl more "golden." I think it will be beautiful!

Here's the glass we choose, later we decided to add 1414 also!

This is in the kiln right now!

I'll post tomorrow from Mark Ditzler's class at Wired Designs Studios!

A little soldering; Soldering Class 1 & 2

2012-02-27T21:04:00.000-06:00

My beginning and next step soldering students are so awesome! Here are a few of the fantastic things they made! They've been setting stones, soldering multiple layers, working in brass, copper, nickel, silver, semi-precious stones, dichroic glass, setting prongs, making custom bezels, using bezel cups, making bails, designing, and having a lot of laughs! I'm so lucky I get to work with them! Somedays, I love my job!!!

Pretty great for a beginner!

Love the fun prongs!

The Great Vase Project of 2012 is Complete!

2012-02-25T04:09:00.004-06:00

Happy to report that 45 gem toned vases are completed! It's been a challenge to pull it off on time, but the City Year Gala event is on Tuesday night and the client is picking them up on Monday! The vases turned out to be beautiful!

A close up shot of the vases!

I know these will look beautiful with candles in them!

We had a visit from our Bullseye Rep, Devon! She did a great presentation on color reactions. Afterward we had a mini-teach where we made sample tiles of color reactions. We had about 30 attendees! It was really educational and we had a lot of fun making the samples. Now I need to fire a million 3" square tiles....eeek!

I should have them done by Tuesday morning! I'm sure we'll have some great samples.

Just a peek at some of the samples!

I'm starting a new Baptismal Font commission tomorrow for Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in College Station. I really love doing these things. They are very fun and relaxing. It always feels good knowing that something you are creating will be used regularly in celebrations that bring people closer to their hearts and each other. I'll keep you in the loop with pictures of the progress.

Beautiful vases!

2012-02-19T20:12:00.001-06:00

I'm so glad that we are at a good place in this project. We have completed 35 of the vases. They look beautiful. Only 10 more to go! It is 2/19, and the event is on 2/28. We will make the deadline with time to spare! Looks like I'm just a worrier.

Beth, if you are reading this take heart. They look great! I'll be adding additional colors so we get even more vibrancy. Can't wait to see them all lit up at the City Year event.

We've done 35 of these so far and they are beautiful!

Finally! There should be confetti!

2012-02-16T16:47:00.003-06:00

Those of you who have been watching for this... here it is!

It's been rough sailing to get to this point, but I'm much closer now. After a LOT of virtual blood, sweat, and tears over these vases, the first 8 came out of the kiln this morning. Perfect they're not, but they're pretty good, I'd say! I know they will glow beautifully with candles in them. They'll be on the tables at City Year's Gala event on February 28th!

8 DOWN, 37 TO GO!...there are 8 more in the kiln now.

If I can keep this up with no casualties, we'll make the deadline and be ok. Keep us in your prayers! Tonight Rene is coming in to help me recycle some of the glass in the ones that turned out poorly, so they'll go into new discs, which we'll then re-drape. Unfortunately, we lost about 25 pounds of glass in the great meltdown disater of Feb 10th, so we'll be breaking up more and casting a new batch of red ones. The folks at Bullseye should be pleased, all toll, this project has used 175 pounds of glass!

8", 9" and 10" vases in multiple colors

Thanks so much for your kind words of encouragement, and offers to help! Still might need some of that help yet. Fingers crossed!

My future as a kiln repairman

2012-02-12T20:11:00.001-06:00

I have successfully changed the relay and the kiln is humming along with little fanfare. What I can say is that although it was a major pain in the rump, I did it and it wasn't that hard. It actually helps when you have the tools and the parts you need BEFORE you have breakdown.

Let that be a lesson to everyone. Order extra relays and a 1/4" nut driver NOW!

Just can not catch a break!

2012-02-12T08:56:00.001-06:00

The next morning after I foolishly thought I had things back on track, I came in to find the kiln with a stuck relay. The kiln went to 1650 and hung out there for 9 hrs. So another batch completely ruined and not recoverable. This morning I have to go in and change the relay, clean the kiln and see if I can salvage this.

On a happy note, I decided that I needed to be calm and not cry over ruined glass. So I decided to work on my printing samples. Here's what came out of the kiln and what I put back in.

Troubles in Glass Paradise!

2012-02-11T12:08:00.000-06:00

If you've been following the saga of the 45 draped vases for City Year's gala event on February 28th, no doubt that you're wondering, "So ...what happened?" So... Here's where we are on the project.

I'm rather frustrated over the events that have occurred over the last 10 days. It seems that my in my exuberance to plow through the project, I failed to acknowledge that the draping portion of the project would be more nuanced than expected. I've done this numerous times before without any real pain or heartache so I foolishly assumed that this project would be no different. DUH!! Not so much!

The first batch of 9 that I attempted to drape were a horrible disaster. As I was placing them in the kiln, on top of the molds, Stacey (my business partner) said, "I think you should do just one. You know, to make sure that your schedule is right." In my excitement and (foolish) confidence I replied, "Relax...I know what I'm doing. Anyway, I'm being conservative with the schedule, so I'm sure it will be fine." FAMOUS LAST WORDS!

I opened the kiln the next day and there were beautiful gem colored rings sitting at the foot of each mold. My conservative schedule was wrong! All the discs had melted right through the molds and ended up in a heap. I was convinced that I new what was wrong with the schedule, so I again FooLiSHLY put 9 more discs (what was I thinking?) onto the molds, and fired up the kiln again.

This time, the schedule was good! Yeah! But my happiness so gave way to the sad realization that the lips on the vases were WRONG!

Ruffled... and not so much!

The size was right, but the lip was NOT ruffled as it should be. Now I had screwed up 18 of the 54 discs that I cast, and I needed 45 vases. EEEEK!

Here's where we are now; I realized that what was wrong with the lips of the vases is that the discs were too thick to ruffle. The way to thin them out was to put the discs back into the kilns and fire them to a very deep fuse (un-dammed) to allow the discs to thin and expand in size. So I did that and then draped them again using the new schedule. The result; GREAT! Everything was perfect.... except....(cue the music from the movie Jaws...) That the bodies of the vases were too thin. This means that either the temp was too high or time was too long, or both.

Meanwhile, that meant 3 more discs bit the dust! So I had to regroup and reclaim the discs that I ruined. Stacey helped me smash up all the discs, and everything had to stop while I recast 18 of the discs back to usable condition.

Finally, yesterday I cold worked 49 discs and put 12 in the kiln to spread into thinner and larger discs. I will have to do that on all of the discs. So at 12 discs per day, that will take me to 2/14.

On 2/15 I will have 13 days left until the event! OMG! ...and not one perfectly ruffled vase to show for a month on the job. DAMMMMMMM.

I'm sure that I can pull this off in time, but it might mean that I am driving these vases to the event on 2/28! If all goes right with the kiln universe, I can drape 9 vases a day beginning on 2/15. That will take me to 2/21. It doesn't seem likely that it will happen just that way...but a girl can still dream! I will be in the studio every day making this happen.

Not toasty at all!

On a happier note, I am excited to be playing with my new Jen Ken Pro-Fusion 16 Square kiln. This thing rocks! It reaches full fuse (1470) in 39 minutes! That is killer fast for a 16" firing space. LOVE IT! I love that at 1492 degrees I can put my hand right on the top and hold it there without being burned, or even uncomfortable. Can't do that with a kiln wrapped in metal! Here she is in all of here glory!

I love that she's a clam shell too!

During the firings of the discs, I've been working on getting ready for my classes in Las Vegas. One of my classes is "Making Your Mark; Printing on Glass," and another is "Modern Jewelry; Beyond Dichroics." For both classes I'm exploring with images on glass that will come from woodcuts, stencils, stamps, free hand application/drawing, photographic images on overlays, etc. which will then be colorized with enamels, frits and powders, paints then and over or underlayed with foils, lusters, etc.

These are some of the samples I put into the kiln last night. I put them on 0113, 0137, 0139, 0132, and 1100 to determine which colors give the best contrast and results. I'll take a picture tomorrow and show you how they came out.

All of these images I created from free clip art and vintage photos from the web. I manipulated and changed them for my purposes by eliminating backgrounds and increasing contrasts.

Plate making class!

2012-02-04T21:47:00.001-06:00

Today I had a plate making class. Here's a peek at what went in the kiln.

Tomorrow we'll cold work and slump them. I think they look great.

Another Beautiful Vessel Sink!

2012-02-03T21:18:00.000-06:00

Just finished today! You're seeing it before the client. This beautiful vessel sink will reside in the guest bath in a custom home here in San Antonio. The house is being built by Davis Homes. The design was inspired by the clients marble vanity slab, which is silver/gray with lines of cobalt blue and flecks of white and deep green. The interior designer, Debbie Stoli, is working with the clients to make their home a gorgeous place. I love working with designers because they really see lots of design possibilities when I start pulling out the glass. I think this glass vessel sink turned out beautifully!

This glass vessel sink is transparent steel blue-1406
and clear fracture irid 4101.31

Here's a close up of the texture and the drain.

....and another picture just because I love it!

Last night I taught a mini-class on torch fired enamels. We made some fun copper earrings and other little goodies! Here's a few photos.

Charlotte and Rene torching away! Having a great time!

Charlotte's first enamel project! Pretty great for a beginner!

Draping/Slumping in the kiln!

2012-01-31T22:10:00.002-06:00

Finally the first batch of discs is in the kiln slumping! Here's a little walk though my last few days on the project. I'll have a lot to show you tomorrow!

Here are the slumping molds. They've been sprayed with Boron Nitride and elevated on 12" kiln posts. I did that so we didn't have any folding or touching of the kiln shelf.

These are the final discs that I did. Several shades of ambers.

Here the discs have been cold worked, washed well, and placed on their molds.

Here is the Hendrick's sink in the mold. It will be finished tomorrow! Yeah!
Then I'll drill the hole and do the countersink on Thursday.
The glass needs to rest and stabilize before I drill the hole.

This is the demo tack fuse piece that I did with my beginner fusers class.
It's mounted in a frame and surrounded by frit. The piece is 6" square and the frame is 8".
It really pops!

At the half way point!

2012-01-29T09:44:00.001-06:00

I took a well deserved break from my 150 pound glass project. I've cast 54 of the 10" discs, prepped the molds, and am finally ready to cold work the first batch of 9 that will go first.

I've decided to slump a mix of colors together in case a batch somehow gets ruined, then I won't loose an entire color family and have to do an additional 25 pounds of glass.

The Hendricks' sink is cold worked and looks fantastic. The mold is prepped and ready!

Monday morning will be quite busy, but I'm looking forward to it.

I'm off to play in a charity mahjong tournament. This ought to be comical since I haven't played in a few months. Wish me luck!

Another 25 pounds In the kiln.

2012-01-26T18:40:00.001-06:00

And here's the purple set that I just put in the kiln. I decided to do one more set in amber, just in case some of the slumps don't fall perfectly.

I'm concerned that the plums won't look as good and might be too dark. We'll see.... I used 1105-plum, 1234-violet striker, 1834-erbium pink, 1101-clear irid, and 1101 clear. Hopefully the plums and violet will blend nicely.

The amber has the following colors; 1837-light amber tint, 1137 amber, 1437-amber, 1101 clear irid, and clear.

Red glass discs!

2012-01-25T16:58:00.001-06:00

I've hit the 100 pound mark on the project! Here are the red discs. I'm now having a dilemma over the plum ones. The purple glass all seems to dark. I will likely have to make a test piece before I proceed. Plus, the plum tones could be pricey if I have to used strikers, which I think will be necessary. Any one have an ideas?

More vases for City Year!

2012-01-25T08:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I was in the studio smashing up the next batch of 25 pounds of glass for the City Year Vase project. We pulled out the cobalt blue discs and in comparison to the turquoise ones they really do stand out. I was concerned that they would just be too inky blue and not stand out from the others. No worries here! They turned out great!

Judy and Rene helped me vacuum out the kiln and smash the glass. While we did that we had a "mothers of wayward children" chat, commiserating over how tough it is to be a mom, do the right stuff for your kids, and watch as they make mistakes you want to protect them from. I am so lucky to be surrounded by wonderful, strong, like minded women, with whom I can feel completely myself.

Comparing the turquoise discs to the cobalt ones!

25 pounds of cobalts!

Beautiful greens!

In keeping with the other posts about this project, here's a list of the colors included in the green discs; 1417-emerald green, 1101.31 clear irid, 1847-spruce green, 1126-spring green, 1426-chartreuse irid, 1107-light green, 1207-pine green. (I hope I didn't forget a number.)

I started to smash up the 25 pounds of red glass yesterday. We used; 1122.31-red irid, 1322-garnet, 1101.31-clear irid, #? fuschia, and 1025-red-orange. Red is always a challenge in casting because it wants to opacify at higher temps. So the key on the red discs will be to stay as low on the temp as possible, but still not hold it too long. HMMMM? Looks like I'll be adjusting the firing schedule.

Also....I'm finishing up a vessel sink job! Pretty great, huh? Today I'll be cold working this puppy!

Hendricks Residence Vessel Sink

Weaving glass and all that jazz!

2012-01-21T20:08:00.002-06:00

Friday I was privileged to have a private class with my old pal Gigi! We spent the day weaving, chatting, and having a generally busy, but good day. Here's some of what Gigi did!

Gigi weaving an awesome design!

another view of Gigi's Weave!

Here's Cathy's weave! She was motivated to do one when she saw Gigi's!

Here is what I did while Gigi was weaving... Another 25 pounds of glass was smashed all in the name of the City Year glass Vase project! Then each piece was hand clipped with the nippers to get them smaller. Don't you love what a hammer can do to 6 half sheets of glass?

This is 25 pounds of Cobalt Blue tones

Here's how the turquoise ones came out... In case you wanted to know, these were made with turquoise irid, light turquoise, aqua tint irid, clear, and a smudge of light aqua, and a pinch of light sky blue.

These are the cast discs out if the kiln, and the final shape prototype.

Today is Saturday and I taught our Essentials of Glass Fusing Class. Here's my awesome class and my demo pieces. We had a great time! I love it when new students catch glass fever!

This is a dichroic pendant fully fused and a 6" square tack fuse piece
both going in at 1325 F for a little soak!

While my class was working in the cold room I weighed out the next batch of vase discs and put them into the kiln. Here they are... each disc is 2.5 pounds-give or take a 1/10... if you really want to know.

Hopefully these look like a very different blue then the turquoise ones above.

I'm a tad concerned that they could be too dark. I added lots of clear and lighter tones into the mix, so hopefully they'll be deep blue, but still very translucent and bright. I used true blue irid, steel blue, light sky blue, clear, flecks of turquoise irid and opaque deep cobalt blue, and left over blue gray. Cross your fingers for me!

The next batch is green, then reds, then plum tones. So I'm 50 pounds in on the project so far. I'm going to cast all the disks first, then cold work them all, and then drape them all last. If anyone has any thoughts, let me know. I've never had to do 45 of something before, so any knowledgable input is welcome!

Tomorrow I have a private fine silver/argentium fusing class with a student from Corpus Christi. I'm sure we'll have a blast.

25 pounds of glass!

2012-01-19T11:02:00.001-06:00

That's a lot of glass to break. I'm doing this commission of 45 centerpieces for City Year San Antonio's Gala. I'm excited to do the work, but there sure is a lot of glass to break!

Each vase weighs 2.7 pounds so 9 in one kiln load takes about 25 pounds of shard. So I went through the process of choosing the shades, weighing it all out, making rings/dams, then weighing each of the 9 discs, and then pouring the shard into the rings and then finally firing them.

This is the turquoise batch. Then I have a red, cobalt, green, and plum batch to do. I'll show pictures as we proceed. All in all 125 pounds of bullseye glass.

It should take 5 full fuses and 5 drape kiln runs. In a perfect world. Hahaha
Like that's gonna ever happen. I'll keep you filled in!

I love to weld! Or... Hot Joints!

2012-01-15T11:01:00.001-06:00

We have had the best 2 days! Maryjo Emrick, a welding and art metals instructor, taught an Intro to Welding class at Wired Designs Studios. We learned to oxy-acetylene weld, MIG weld, TIG weld, and Stick weld. Totally cool!

We're totally gonna do this again! Cant wait to be alone and make some awesome stuff!

Volume and Movement Class - Part 2

2012-01-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

After the initial firing, here's what we ended up with...

This was the stack platter! The final piece is 8.5" x 16"

Meredith decided to make this stack platter into a wall piece. She sandblasted and then matte polished all of the blue squares. It looks really cool!

This is a very large pocket vase, also known as a jardinière .

Here's a view at the back with the hanger set up and some of the batting.

Here's another view.

I'll show you the final end product when they are finished!

STRINGER!

2012-01-07T23:29:00.001-06:00

Omg! We got in A LOT of it!

The new class on volume control and movement

2012-01-07T23:19:00.001-06:00

Today I had a volume control and movement class. We did several lay ups of movement and volume control exercises to allow gravity and flow to effect the glass. Here are a couple of shots.

The first shot is on the shelf that is elevated on one side. I'll show you the finished slab tomorrow. The second is a high fire movement piece. We also did a great stack piece. More pix to come.

The Bowl is in the Sanctuary!

2012-01-05T22:16:00.000-06:00

Font. n. 1. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms). a. a large bowl for baptismal water, usually mounted on a pedestal. b. a receptacle for holy water.

As promised, here are the pictures of the Baptismal Bowl/Font sitting on the stand.

It was wonderful to deliver it and see the happy faces of the Pastor and the church staff. They will be unveiling it on Sunday morning. I'm so glad they are pleased! I'm really liking doing these jobs 'cause they make me feel like I am going to be a part of every happy celebration at the church. I know that's silly, but I'm a sap!

I'm teaching beginning Soldering tomorrow to 7 students. I'll share what we make!

Tah Dah! Here's the Finished Bowl!

2012-01-03T21:26:00.000-06:00

The beautiful Baptismal Bowl for Zion Lutheran Church Font is finally done. The deadline is January 11th, so I'm totally excited that I'll be able to deliver the job early. That doesn't happen often! This bowl is 16" in diameter and about 4.5" deep.

This is the front view. I wish there wasn't so much glare!

This view is just a little further up.

This view is on top, looking into the bowl.

The rim actually came out very nicely. It's always a bit of a gamble, even when you do everything right. I'll take a photo tomorrow of the bowl in the font stand in the sanctuary so you can really see it in it's home!

Also, I cut a boat load of dichroic glass today... Here's a little bite to wet your appetite!

This is rainbow, granite, ripple on back- COE 90...YUMMY!

So much glamour in the glass business!

2011-12-28T22:26:00.000-06:00

What an exciting and glamourous day I've had! I did get to sleep in and hang out in my PJs in the morning, which is always an awesome thing! Then it was straight to the studio to finish the Baptismal Bowl/Font for Zion Lutheran Church.

So here's how it went; 1st Step; I measured the disc about 75 times to make sure it was a solid 18.75" perfectly round. I ground it about 4 times to make sure it was perfectly round. Did I say it had to be perfectly round! OMG! Finally had to pull out the old cut a circle out of paper trick to lay over it. That proved to me it was done correctly. This time I was determined to measure correctly. (The lip of the last giant bowl had to be ground, beveled and polished after the slump, because I didn't double check the measurements before the slump.) So OK...lesson learned!

Here is the very glamourous machine I used to grind the disc a billion times!

2nd step; I changed from 80 grit for the take down on the lap wheel, to 200 grit and did some refining, and a slight bevel on the edges. 3rd step; I hand padded with the 400 grit diamond pad 2 times...I should call that thing "old yeller" 'cause it's always there supporting my me, like an old friend...and it's yellow. BTW, that pad really works your biceps. I'm sore!

4th step; Sandblast the top with 150 grit silicon carbide to create a smooth silky finish. That also had to be done 2 times, 'cause it's easy to miss spots on a large surface. 5th step; A good hose down and wash. OK, I did that twice also. We just couldn't have any black grit showing up on a transparent bowl. That would just be wrong!

This is the super high-tech level I use to make sure the disc is level on the mold.

The 6th step; spray coat the stainless steel mold with boron nitride spray. Remember to open the door or go outside...and you are supposed to use a respirator. I'm going to claim amnesia on that...I did open the door to vent the room and have air exchange. Kids, don't do this at home! Always practice safe glass! The 7th step; level the mold with a straight level - side to side, and then front to back. Then double check that. Nothing is worse then a wobbly bowl.

Here is the disc sandblasted and on the leveled mold, ready to slump!

The last step for me was to get the disc into the mold without disturbing the mold position and without hurting yourself in the process. I use 2 suction cups for this. Then I use the bubble level between the suction cups to position the disc in the mold so that the disc is level in the mold. Once that's done, all you have to do is clean the disc like crazy again with alcohol to remove any flecks of boron nitride that you might have disturbed, or any dust or errant molecules that might be lurking on the surface. At this point I'm usually ready to be drinking the alcohol!

Anyway, then you set the kiln! ....and Voila...!!! 2 days later you have a gorgeous big freaking heavy bowl that is 3/8" thick. Easy right? Sure, just ask the heating pad I'm leaning on....Also, imagine how glamourous I look while doing all of this.

All in all, after all the steps, I feel happy and accomplished. Hundreds of little babies heads will be sprinkled with holy water and begin their lives surrounded by joyous parents and loved ones. They will hold hands, kiss, and rejoice...all in front of my bowl. It makes me feel like I'm a part of all of those occasions to come!

Try not to puke from all the sentiment ... I'm a sap!

A Dichroic Glass Field Trip!

2011-12-27T21:32:00.000-06:00

Today Stacey and I ventured to Round Rock, Texas, just north of Austin, to meet with our buds at Austin Thin Films. Glen and Eric were jovial hosts and gave us the techie tour, which of course I loved...'cause I love all that physics and chemistry stuff. We got up close and personal with the vacuum chambers, which I totally could have curled up and taken a nap inside of...'cause again, I love the science stuff. I tried not to act like the biggest science geek of all time. I think I kept my cool. I actually think Stacey was fascinated, which was kind of surprising, since molecules aren't really her bag. I, on the other hand think the periodic table is science porn!

Too flipping' Cool!!!!!

So after the tech show and tell was over we set to it! KilnFrog.com is now a Dichro Magic distributor, and Wired Designs will carry the full line of products too. We really do like buying local! So here's a little peek in on our shopping experience.

Shopping for 2" x 8" in all the standard and premium colors on black and clear!

Yes... We will be selling the muy famouso scrap bags!

Pulling scrap in Coe 90 textures and Patterns!

We'll have the Magic Boxes and Sample Sets too!

We don't reopen until January 3rd, so theres lots to do with all of our loot before we're ready to sell it.

The Best Last Days in the Studio at Wired Designs!

2011-12-23T18:32:00.002-06:00

There are some days that go down in the record book! Today was the most wonderful day! As the year comes to a close, I am thankful for my friends and family, and the best students and clients!

Here's why:

The folks from Zion Lutheran Church approved the blank for their Baptismal Bowl. They said, "we love it!" and that makes me so happy! We decided to make it thicker and heavier, so I added a 6mm clear layer behind the design. It's in the kiln re-fusing now. Cross your fingers...no pun intended!
We are doing a new sink commission for a residence in Stone Oak. The client brought in their marble countertop sample, for us to match. They have some technical issues to figure out first though. They want to undercount the sink, but not back light it, so color might be an issue. The marble sample is a combo of grey, cobalt blue, with white and deep green flecks. This isn't going to be easy...YiKES! But I am up for the challenge!

I got myself a holiday present! I've always wanted one of these super expensive riveting system tools, with all the goodies that come with it! So I decided to spoil myself and get it. Let's be honest, who else is gonna buy this for me, c'mon! So I have over a week of time off to play with it. It's stupid expensive ($100-for the basic unit, although it cost me $199 with accessories and shipping) but it's supposed to be awesome. I'm hoping that this is one of those times when you really do get what you pay for. I'll show you some stuff I do with it.
My mom is turning 75 in 2012 and I want to do something with her that is on her "bucket list." She's never been to Europe, and she's always wanted to go to Paris, so I found a cruise that I think she'd love. London, Paris, Bordeaux, Lisbon, etc. I showed her and she agreed to go!!! So off we'll go....next year.
I got to work a half day today and I went home a made a stuffed pork roast with cranberry and apples, sage and white wine, and some other stuff. It's in the oven roasting now and smells delish! Nicole is coming over for dinner and we'll eat, hang, and plot the future of glass as we know it!
I am grateful for the staff/WD family; Judy (Who thinks she doesn't know what she's doing, but always does just the right thing.), Cathy (Who I miss while she's gone, because NO ONE can dish the dirt like she can.), Stacy (Who isn't arid as much since she's a full time student now-miss her!) Natalie (Who is the portrait of the perfect mom.), Nicole (Who juggles teaching, working, leading, and just being with finesse and style.) Stacey C (Who is smart, funny, and lately...made of steel!) I love them all!

More rambling about happiness and love later!

Sometimes no glass gets done...

2011-12-21T20:47:00.001-06:00

Like today.. It's been a long few days of closing out the books and making sure all the allocations are in the right place. I'm almost finished and ready to close the books on 2011! I'm looking forward to no more paperwork!!!

My year end thoughts are going something like this...

I'm finally ready to admit that our move to the new studio space was a gamble for us. It really could have gone either way, and oh boy, was I afraid of the change... but it was the best possible move we could have made! Business has been really good and very different! We've done more commissions in 2011 then in any other year. Our new location makes that so much easier, and the new wet room is a dream! I hope the trend continues in 2012! We're making a strong effort toward that type of business. We've joined Custom Made, a website and service connecting makers with customers, designers, etc. Take a look! http://www.custommade.com/by/gailstouffer-wireddesignsstudio

KilnFrog.com has had a fantastic year! We've sold more kilns this year than we did in 2008. Maybe in 2012 we'll beat our 2007 record! We're adding Bullseye Glass in 10" x 10"s and 17" x 20" half sheets for shipping, frit and stringers. We're also adding dichroic glass from Austin Thin Films. We'll be entering 2012 with over 60 kilns on the site plus all the glass. We're really excited about it all. By the way, the frogs name is Phillipe!

We went to the Texas Art Educators Conference this year and it was a great experience. We represented Bullseye Glass and Jen Ken Kilns at the show and we visited with our friends at Paragon Kilns. Everyone was lovely! We love the art teachers! Can't wait to do it again in November 2012! It will be in San Antonio next year, so that will be even better. We're planning on hosting an event at the studio! Hopefully Larry and his mobile glory hole furnace will be part of the fun! Here's a picture of our booth from the show.

I'm really looking forward to beginning 2012, new and free and ready to fly!

I'll share more end of 2011 thoughts tomorrow.

Last Class of 2011!

2011-12-17T22:45:00.000-06:00

Today was, as the title says, my last workshop of 2011. It's hard to believe how fast the year has gone. Today's class was beginning soldering and my students were awesome! I could tell immediately that this group of folks was just gonna "get it!" So I demonstrated a more difficult beginning project and they all did a fantastic job. Here's what we made.... there are matching earrings which we made first! In this class students learn to cut and sand the metal components, pattern and texture them, solder the metals together using a micro torch, remove fire scale with pickle, set stones in bezel cups, and then final add depth and color with patina.

This piece is copper, nickel, brass, and bronze with a red garnet set in fine silver.

I always love teaching this workshop because it is the gateway to making beautiful jewelry. Once the students have soldering skills, they can do so many things. They are only limited by their imaginations and skill level. Some of the students have real potential! I hope they'll come back and take it to the next level. I love to see what they create.

After class I went to Mitch and Judy's house for some homemade tamales and a wonderful holiday get together. Mitch made the yummy tamales and Judy created the wonderful atmosphere and poured lots of wine. We sat around a fire in their yard with kids and dogs running around and adults laughing, all under a clear starry sky. It was a lovely evening to cap off a great year of teaching!

I am indeed a lucky girl!

Busy Day at the WD!

2011-12-16T18:00:00.002-06:00

Today Peggy came to pick up the bowl and she was the happiest camper ever! I'm always overjoyed when I get the opportunity to make someone that happy. Here's the final picture of how the hanging system came out. It's very old school. This way you can just hang it on a hook on the wall.

So between helping customers, juggling phone calls, and pushing papers around, I managed to place a big fat Bullseye Glass order that should arrive here on January 4th! Lot's o'glass coming here!

Then, lucky us....we received another commission to make 50 centerpieces for tables at a large local charity fund raising event in February! Here's a prototype of the pieces. There will be 10 of each color scheme, red, cobalt, turquoise, purples, and greens. They are about 12" high and 7" wide at the top. They have votives in them for the event. It's going to take a lot of work, but it will be fun too. I'm excited. We'll keep you informed of our progress and show you the pieces as we go.

Ok, it's off to dinner for mom's birthday! Mike's in the Viilage....Bulverde! YUM!

An Awesome Day!

2011-12-15T22:42:00.000-06:00

Finally, Peggy's bowl is done. It's slumped and looking good! I promised I'd show the hanging system fused into the back. If you look really closely you can see the lines from the 9 pieces where it broke. The hanging "tabs" will have wire through then so this can be hung like a picture!

Another upbeat note! Here's the fused disc for the Zion Lutheran Church Baptismal Font. Tomorrow is grinding day!

The white paper underneath will show us how the piece will look because the font has a base of white formica. Can't wait to see this done!

Also, I was checking my Blog stats and saw that Lisa Meyer was following me, so I looked at her blog and saw this really cool stuff. She's one of my students and I am so proud of her! Check out what she's doing.

Tangerine Tabby - A Creative Life in the Texas Hill Country: New Work: This platter is a consignment piece for a friend. He and his wife saw a smaller piece that I had done and wanted one larger and in blue col...

Cowgirl Heaven!

2011-12-14T17:51:00.001-06:00

Sometimes when I make something and sell it I kind of miss it for a while after it's gone. I've found myself thinking about this piece today. My sister, who's birthday it is today, is the proud owner of this necklace/art piece. I really enjoyed making it, and feel like I should make another in the same genre, but I'm not sure it will be as much fun to make the second time around.

This piece was made in a 3 day mixed metals workshop with 3 of my students. It was our every Friday private party and we had such a great time. This piece has etched copper, soldered brass and bronze, a bezel set turquoise, coiled sterling and bronze, resin capture of an image and pearls, and a metal chain necklace.

I'm kinda missing the fun of it, but it couldn't live with a cooler gal than my sister! I hope she enjoys her birthday in cowgirl heaven!

R Rated Glass Cheese Trays

2011-12-14T12:15:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I lamented my wine bootle slumping enchantment. Here is a peek at what the clients bottles ended up looking like.

So, who does one gift this too?

Everything is Different & More of the Same

2011-12-13T21:57:00.002-06:00

Today started with a bang! I emptied the big kiln of 14 various and sundry bottles that someone paid me to slump, just to fill it back up with more of the same. Then, just one more load tomorrow of the little buggers. It's not the most artistic endeavor I've got going, but it does pay the electric bill.

'Tis the season for bottle slumping, and the festive jingle of glass cheese boards! This is what they're planning to make out of those recycled wine bottles. They look cute all dressed up like this!

When that was done, I got to start the next commission. I'm now contracted to do the Baptismal Bowl for the font at the Zion Lutheran Church here in San Antonio. It's a very old congregation, with a a beautiful light and airy sanctuary. I'm excited to tackle another one of these projects!

Here's what's firing in the kiln right now as I write. It will take about 24 hours for this firing cycle. It's 15 pounds of glass with gorgeous shards of light sky blue, light aqua tint rainbow irid, steel blue, neo lavender tint, clear, and true blue. I have high hopes. I'll post the pix of the finished flat disc when it comes out. It felt really good to put it together and get the kiln going. Between the hammer and glass tile nippers my hands were very busy this morning.

Another project that has been fun to tackle is "Peggy's Bowl." This one I created with the client. Peggy picked all of the glass for the job, and then told me what she wanted and we put it together as a team. We both loved how the piece turned out. We slumped it into a specially made mold that made it look like crumpled fabric and it looked beautiful as a focal point on her wall. Then, suddenly a week after hanging it it somehow fell off the wall and broke into 9 pieces. Yikes!

Peggy brought all the pieces back and we set out to see what could be done. I felt terrible for her. She had tears in her eyes as she handed me her beloved creation. Give the state of affairs with the 9 pieces, I told her that I had no idea what could be done, but that I'd give it a try.

I know it's kind of hard to tell from this picture because of the glare, but I was able to put the pieces next to each other, add some frit and stringer and Wallah! You can't even tell that this disc used to be 9 separate pieces! YEAH!!!! It does look great if I say so myself. Stacey came in and asked me if I had re-made the piece from scratch! Not bad... if it could fool someone who knows what to look for!

Anyway... I'll be slumping this tomorrow into it's final shape. We'll used the same mold so it will have the crinkled paper look again. But, this time we're incorporating a stronger, more secure hanging system right into the slumping of the piece. I'll take a picture of that when it comes out of the kiln so you can see what we did. I think it should work out better this time. Fingers crossed!!

That's all until tomorrow! Ciao!

Here Goes Nothin!

2011-12-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

This is my first official post! I've been really resistant to having a blog because I always think that no one really reads these things. I guess I though it was a waste of time. My best pal, Stacey has been bugging me to do this for years. She thinks it's a good thing since I am "in my head" a heck of a lot. I thought it was stupid, that is... until I starting reading and following a few blogs myself. So my 2012 resolution is to blog every day. I'll share Wired Designs Studios related information as well as my own personal musings, and of course my progress with the Master of Art Education graduate course work at Texas Tech, and any art in progress or commissions.

This weekend I updated my website. It took a while but I'm getting there. Take a look and let me know what you think. MY UPDATED WEBSITE

This is what I've been up to this month:

This bowl is for the Baptismal Font in the private chapel for the Sisters of Divine Providence Convent at Our Lady of the Lake. The bowl is 18 pounds, is 20" wide and 5" deep. It was one of the most calming commissions I've ever done. Even though it was heavy and hard to grind and polish, I smiled the entire time I did it. Hmmm? I think I should continue pursing this kind of work, it's kinda Zen to do. Ironic huh? A big thank you goes out to Gini Garcia, who referred this job to our studio!

This piece is almost finished. I did this in Kate Mckinnon's workshop when she was here last week. This piece has fine silver metal clay components, copper enameled components, forged copper components, and bronze components, all cold connected with rivets, etc. This was so much fun to do! I was like a kid in candy land! Even though I was officially the TA for Kate, I did get to play with the students, and it was 3 days of perfection, fun, silly laughter, and great Kate'jucation. If you've never taken a workshop with Kate Mckinnon, get yourself into one immediately! I've been in 3 of her classes, and I learn something new every time! Follow her fun blog at KATES BLOG.