On Tico Time
Whether you’re in the tropics or not, these handmade fused glass clocks will keep you punctual.
They’re made with recycled window glass. (Thanks Kristina.)
Most will be available for sale at Sámara Organics Market.
$50.00/c25,000 each
Seven new pieces
I’ve been having a lot of fun recently making these wire-wrapped pendants.
I’ve enhanced them with beaded ropes.
I recently selected a few for gifts for the girls and women in my family. When I laid them out on the table so each one could choose her favorite, my 16 year-old grandson swooped in, made his own selection, and wore his pendant the rest of the weekend. So, you see, these designs are unisex.
These earrings are using a new technique with a new material. I hope you like them.
All of this jewelry is for sale at Samara Organics at the Natural Center.
Enhancements
Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of wire-wrapping over glass “puddles”.
When I make mistakes in fused glass pieces, I break them up and re-fire them into “puddles”.
Sometimes, I use these puddles in other fused glass pieces – see if you can find some in my portfolio – but often, I turn them into jewelry.
Lately, I’ve been wire-wrapping them as earrings and pendants.
I started with the “Tree of Life” – I love this simple motif – and then branched out into some more abstract designs. 
My friend, Connie – she is great with beads and beading – helped me enhance these pendants with beaded ropes for necklaces.
Some of these pendants will be shown in Samara Organics soon.
New Work
I’ve just put some new pieces into Samara Organics.
Lots of jewelry too.
Bottle Bird plates
Keel-billed Toucan
By now, everyone on the planet has seen the ubiquitous slumped bottle/cheese plate.
Ringed Kingfisher
I’ve added a Costa Rican tropical bird to each one, most of which I’ve seen here in Samara. (more…)
Send me your empty, your poured.
After yesterday’s kiln repairs, these lichor bottles look just as I expected: bright, transparent, without spots and no cracking. Now I’ll paint them with tropical birds that I see around my house.
These are the ones I fired last week when the kiln wasn’t working properly: lots of devitrification (chalkiness), bubbles, exploded bubbles, and generally ugly. I am so pleased to have figured out the problem.
Send me your empty, your poured.
What the ?
Since my Seattle workshop in June, I have been working every day in the studio and loving it. What have I been doing?
I’ve been “painting” pictures with powdered and crushed glass (frit). I’m enjoying the process immensely, but I’m less than satisfied with the results.
Is it technique or technical? I don’t know and I’ve asked for professional advice.
It would be easy if I would stick to using the tested compatible COE96 art glass – I can knock those babies out – but I am really committed to using recycled “float” and bottle glass.
And it just isn’t going well. I am really proud of this “save”. But why do my pieces spontaneously crack down the middle? Like I said, I’ve asked for professional advice.
Birds of Paradise
A new series – The Birds of Costa Rica. (We have seen all of these from my house.)
Black-headed Trogon
Hoffmann’s Woodpecker
I “paint” with powdered glass and frit onto float glass.
Long-tailed Manakin – Toledo
Some I put on bottle glass. Here is a Bombay Gin bottle, repurposed.
- Great Kiskadee
Scarlet Macaw
You can buy these birds in their wooden display stands at Samara Organics, in Playa Samara – c15,000 ($30.00)
Five Not So Easy Pieces
My head is exploding with new information and design ideas for glass fusing with frits – that’s what we in the craft call crushed glass. I’ve just finished a 4-day workshop in Seattle, lead by Michael Dupille at his lovely studio. Dupille has been working in fused glass many years so his knowledge is vast. His studio is full of completed pieces demonstrating the skills we were learning. He’s a thorough teacher and a gentle critic. I came away with 5 pieces, each using a different technique. Most were fused in the kiln more than once. I can’t wait to try these new skills out in my own studio.
Impression sunset.
Watercolor technique with dichroic ($$$$) inclusions.
A simple casting. This was really fun to do with lots of processes.
A Scratch and Frit Sandwich.
This palette knife Macaw isn’t finished. It’ll probably be fired at least 2 more times as I work on it.
We were a nice group of six, with a great caterer, for a fun and productive weekend.
Inspired by the sea
Red blue coral, 13″ diameter, C22,500, available at Gecko Glass
Blue green coral, 10″ diameter, C12,500, Sold
Lavender blue coral, 10″ diameter, C12,500, Available at Samara Organics Market
Que Lindo!
Para español ver abajo
What a great Que Lindo Feria de Arte. More than 57 artists brought their creativity, dynamic energy, and cooperative spirit to the Natural Center in Samara last Friday. Some truly beautiful work was displayed and sold. Many new friends and connections were made. Thanks to the more than 500 shoppers and to those supporters who took home a hand-made one of a kind piece of art. You helped secure the future of art in Sámara. Through the raffle and registration fees, we raised more than c138,000 ($275.00) for art education in Sámara. We will divide it equally between CREAR, who will paint a mural inside the community salon, and Sámara Pacific School, who will make a community notice board surrounded by mosaic of shells, seeds, and stones. (more…)
Currents
A new series, “CURRENTS”, will be on display tomorrow at Samara Organics Mercado & Café.
This one reminds me of the ocean.
And Costa Rica is so very green
Results are in
Here are the light catchers we made last week in the kids’ class.
If you’d like to schedule a kids’ class for a birthday party or special day, call or email for information.
Everybody knows how to draw.
What is art education? Well, it’s not something that’s offered in the small country schools around Costa Rica (and maybe not so much in the school in your hometown). But I think it’s something that’s important to growth as a human being.
Today, Gecko Glass hosted 6 primary students from Escuela Santo Domingo, just 4 kilometers up the road in the hills overlooking Playa Samara. We made “light catchers” that I’ll fire in the kiln tonight. A little discussion about what is glass fusion interested the teacher but went over most of the kids’ heads.
We started by drawing some ideas on typing paper with colored pencils. The maestra was amazed at how calm and focused the students immediately became.
“Huh? Give them a colored pencil and paper and they quiet right down. Who knew?” She was as excited as they were to be here. She says these kids, who live in the hills, never get to go anywhere or do anything interesting. She thinks it’s so important for them to explore and express themselves.
I didn’t give the kids much instruction about drawing. I think everyone knows how to draw if given a chance, especially children. They may not see exactly what you see but they can express an idea. I like to see what they’ll come up without rules.
They seemed content to just work the paper but, eventually, I got out the bowls of pre-fired glass chips. They loved the colors and shapes.
They moved them around trying to match their drawings which were of course too big and impossible to reproduce. Quick adjustments were made without complaints.
The glass pieces were fixed to the clear base sheets with white glue. Who doesn’t love glue?
It took a little prodding to encourage them to explore more ideas. Dayron was “FINISHED” several times. But Sunlly kept adding to her perfect puppy until the composition was richer and more complex but still perfect.
The maestra was thrilled about how the activity touched on so many topics and she was already working the different topics into future lesson plans. Science – melting glass. Geometry – shapes. Mathematics – celcius versus farenheit. Sociology – comportment in someone’s home and studio. English – goes without saying. Even Geography – we have a compass on the bottom of our pool which fascinated them.
I think she and the parents thought I was going to teach the kids how to draw. But, of course, they already know that. I don’t think I taught them a thing but they learned a great deal.
This class filled the kiln this time
It was a big class this week, so we stuffed fused glass art into every corner of the kiln. Two plates, two votive holders and two night lights. A great family activity produced hand crafted vacation mementos.
Design with light
Another fun glass fusing class with beginner, Jeff from California, and frequent fuser, Roy. Colors seemed to be of a theme on this cloudy tropical morning. But Roy, this votive holder is my favorite piece yet of yours. Great design work! Nice arrangement of colors, darks and lights, and, of course, “surprise”. It’ll catch the candle-light beautifully.
Kids’ class in Samara
Friday afternoon, we made light catchers with students from Mareas Homeschool, here in Samara.
We talked about glass: what it is made of – and glass fusing: what happens when it is heated in a kiln.
We talked about color, the color wheel, and how different colors work together.
We used pre-fired pieces of fusible art on top of a clear base sheet, in designs to match or drawings.
Here are the light catchers, with hooks, in the kiln and ready for firing up to 1490 degrees farenheit.
Twenty-four hours later, we opened the kiln to find the pieces of glass fused to the base sheet.
And, voila!
Colored light, ready to hang in a window.
Kids classes can be scheduled for small groups. Call for more information.
Sparkle Plenty
New fused glass earrings on display at Samara Organics Mercado and Café.
Handmade in Samara, Costa Rica.
How to wrap a puddle – class
Wire Wrapped Glass Jewelry Class – 1 pm Monday 11 November 2013
Guest artist, Joyce ???, will help us learn to wrap a glass puddle or stone for jewelry. We’ll make
– Earrings
– Pendants
– Charms
I have a bucket of glass “puddles”, many matched in pairs for earrings. Or bring your own stones or beach glass. Joyce will show us how to wrap them with jewelry wire. I have wire and findings for pierced or un-pierced ears, as well as for pendants. Please bring needle nose pliers if you have them.
Call or email for a reservation. 8977-1576 or glass@casaelgecko.com. C7,500 ($15.00) You’ll make 5 pairs of earrings, pendants or charms.
Fused Glass Jewelry Class
Pendant and earrings set
10 AM Monday 21 October 2013 at Casa Gecko Glass
– Earrings
– Pendants
– Charms
You’ll make 5 pair of earrings, pendants or charms.
Dichroic glass inclusions
We’ll use copper wire to embed hooks in the firing process. Bring your fabrics to make jewelry to match your favorite dress. Just in time to make Christmas gifts. I have findings for pierced or un-pierced ears, as well as pendants.
Copper inclusions
Call or email for a reservation. Class size limited to 5. 8977-1576 or glass@casaelgecko.com. C10,000 ($20.00) 5 pairs of earrings or pendants.
ETSY SHOP for purchase of smaller pieces and jewelry
MY WEBSITE – for full portfolio of artwork
Gecko Glass 