Butchart Gardens

Last Sunday through Wed we along with Mina's parents went to Seattle and Victoria where we visited Butchart Gardens.  What a spectacular place!  The combination of colors and design & flow of the gardens was spectacular.  I will have to paint in these colors sometime.  You have to visit these gardens sometime. 

Back to the basics- drawing

I am enjoying spending more time drawing ( when I can between packing, starting a new job, getting ready to move).  Drawing for me is the foundation to designing stained glass and to oil painting.  Studying, working things out, not worrying about what is going down on the page.  It is lots of fun and a good way to let go of the busy-ness of my mind.  When I get faster internet speed I will download images of pen&ink and pencil drawings.

Transition

We are going through a huge transition right now.  My wife got a job at WSU in Pullman which starts the second week in Aug and we are in the process of selling our house and buying one in Pullman.  We are planning on moving the first of Aug.  I just accepted a job offer down there last night and start work July 26.  Changes are scary and exciting.  I have had an image for a painting in my head of a bicyclist climbing a steep hill and calling it "Uphill battle" because of how I feel of trying to sell my art, needing to work at a real job to get out of debt, and all that life throws at us.  Hopefully, I will be able to paint that image soon, in the mean time learning this new job and getting to know new people will be fun. 

Human figure in glass

This design was originally an oil painting and I wanted to create it in glass.  I spent many hours hand beveling the figure and beveling colored glass and bonding it on top of the clear bevels.  Even the fingers are beveled. 

I wanted to capture the depth and dimension of the figure from the painting into glass so the bevels are varying width from one side to another and even on the same side.  This gave the feeling of a drawing. The colored glass is blown glass from Fremont.  This was a very challenging piece and I enjoyed it very much. 

Human Figure

A lot of times my painting of the figure feels and looks like drawing which is a fun.  This is oil on canvas measuring 4ft x 4ft.

The human figure in painting/glass

The human figure is a fascinating subject, very complex and expressive.  I enjoy painting the figure to express something in particular or just to show the beauty of it.  Painting and drawing the figure always challenges me. 

I was expressing the emotion of anxiety using the figure with tensed muscles and fingers.  This is in oil and measures 4ft x 4ft.

Large windows

This window is 10ft by approx 40".  It was a challenge to create and ship but well worth it.  Hand bevels throughout, various textures.  This is in a wall which divides a bedroom and hallway.  The design ties into the railing from a staircase which curves up to this particular hallway.

Stairwell window

The following is in a stairwell.  The vertical lines are the railing on the other side of the stairs.

The hand rail is mounted into walls on either side of the glass and has a groove in it which rests on top of the stained glass.  Hand beveled glass and various textured glass.  I enjoy the flow of this design within the triangle. 
Laminated glass is on the stairwell side for safety reasons.

Bathroom Windows

This bathroom had an art deco design and I tied in some of the elements into the design.  I love the clear textures in this piece as the pick up different colors behind it.  It has a very different look in the fall and winter.

Bathroom Windows

Bathroom windows are a great space to have custom stained glass windows.  The following design was tying into some tile work in the bathroom which had this flowing leaf concept. 

River/ Water as inspiration, cont

The following is another glass piece inspired by water.  Sorry the pic is not the best.

Flowing from the sidelight into the door panels back to the sidelight makes this a fun design.

River/ Water as inspiration

 The flow of water has been an inspiration in my glass work for quite a while.

I enjoy the movement between one sidelight and the other. The movement of water and how it appears to be in segments as it flows over/ around rocks/obstacles or is being blown by the wind really inspires my work in glass to create the same fluidity.  This is always changing and moving as does a body of water. 
Hand beveled glass throughout this piece ads some nice light play. 

River as inspiration

This painting is titled Flowing

I had been inspired by the flow of a river which also comes up in my stained glass work.  I had two canvases stretched and I thought it would be fun to have one flow into the other and not side by side.  This really ties into the stained glass work I have been doing only in lots of color. I love the movement and color of this piece.  Lft panel measures 48"x32", rt measures 42" x 28".

Bedroom Windows

There is a blank wall and a bed between these two windows and so the lines move and look better with the distance between the two.  This provided privacy for the clients and still had light coming in.  Hand beveled glass throughout the design.  I enjoy the organic movement of the design.

This angle shows the textures of the glass on the wall when the sun is shining through it.  With the mirror close to the window these textures and colors bounce around the room in surprising places. 

Trees in painting and glass, cont.

Going through glass images I found another variation of the tree theme.

This is in a clients family room above two large windows.  I wanted to tie in to the trees outside so I drew this playful tree form, taking into consideration the flow of the room. Hand beveled glass throughout the piece.

Trees in painting and glass

The second tree in this particular series after Autumn Tree is Winter Tree. I actually painted this one before the Autumn Tree.  Dimensions: 50 1/2" x 30 1/2"

I wanted to capture some of the dark and harshness of winter and it's beauty.  There is a nice feel of winter calmness in the tree and white ground along with it's harshness with the darker blues and flowing movement in the background.  The tree is surviving even with the cold all around.

Trees in painting and glass

Looking at the picture in the last post and seeing different paintings I've done I realize I love trees.  Another series I did was of a tree in the fall and winter.

This is titled Autumn Tree and measures 49 1/2" x 28 3/4".  I wanted to capture the life still in the tree and the leaves falling and still hanging in there.  The blues to capture the fall sky.  I enjoy the line and grace of this tree with the flow of the background.

Enhance your dining area

Do you have a dining room window that needs a little something other than blinds to cover it up? Are you looking at neighbors while you eat? How about at the side of a wall or mound?  Even if you have a beautiful view to look at you can still add an artistic touch by adding a leaded glass window with a design that compliments that view without obstructing it.  The following image is in our dining room and we needed privacy from our neighbors but wanted the light coming in.  We love plants and I created a design that would compliment our joy of plants and trees. 

When looking at the room and window we felt that the design should flow to the right.  The measurement of this window is 49 1/2" x 49 1/2".  I enjoy the changing light and how the glass moves and changes color with the seasons and differing light throughout the day.  It is a very relaxing spot to sit and look at the window. 

Waterfall

A client had a window in front of a bath tub and wanted light coming in yet have privacy from the neighbors. Since the window is next to the tub I thought a  design of water flowing into it would be fun.  I showed glass samples of different clear textured glass to give privacy yet have light coming in to the client and they chose the one in the photo.  Hand beveled clear glass and colored beveled glass was used throughout the piece along with blown colored glass.  The result is a design that flows and the bevels add depth and movement. 

The clear textured glass is shifted to allow the texture to move and change as water moves and shifts depending on what it is flowing over.  The size of this piece is 57"x57".  Detail of the bevels can be seen on the post on hand beveling.  This was fun solution to the client's problem and added art to the space.

Music Series- Pianist

The third and final painting in this series is titled Pianist.

I wanted to capture more movement in this piece with multiple hands moving from one position to the next.  The colors are what I was seeing when listening to particular piano sonatas.  I am not sure where the blue colors came from but I really like them and it works.  I listened to a blues piece after this painting was completed and it tied together well.  I enjoy this piece a lot.  I can stare at it for a long time and keep coming back.

Music Series- Violist

The second musical painting is titled Violist.

I grew up playing the viola and I love the sound of it more than a violin. It is richer in tone, mellow, it is the alto for those who are singers.  This piece has more sophistication and detail than the cellist.  The colors are vibrant and really represent the sound of this instrument to me as well as the emotion from the performer.  This became a self portrait as I studied myself in the mirror to get details of the face.  I also enjoy the hand and scroll of the viola coming forward towards the viewer.  The music weaving in and out is like  muscle, ligaments of the body.  A friend of mine purchased this painting and loves to just sit and soak in the movement, color and texture (that is one thing missing in photos of paintings- the texture).  Whenever we go to his house I have to view this piece for a little while.  It is a fun painting.

Music Series- Cellist

I had created a 3 part music series in oil painting a few years ago which turned out to be quite fun.  The first of the three is titled Cellist.

 The concept was to create visually what an instrument sounded like to me, playing classical music.  The cello sounds warm, rich tones, and moves a little slow like chocolate.  The darker colors are the deeper sounds with the yellows/whites as the higher sounds.  The movement of sound flows out and around the instrument as well as the person playing because the emotion of the music comes from the musician.  As the first of this series I look at it and wince at some parts but there are some great things happening with this.  There is much improvement with the second one.  I know, I probably shouldn't be too critical, I just can't help it. 

Windblown

I thought that I would go through and explain the design process on individual pieces of art both glass and painting.  The first one is a glass piece titled Windblown. 

The client talked about how there is a lot of wind in that area and they have a tree outside this window.  They wanted to still operate the hand crank and locking mechanism to open the window to allow air in.  I created a design to tie in with the outside elements such as the tree and wind.  I also bent the framing of the stained glass to allow space to utilize the hand crank and allow air flow into the space.  All leaves were hand beveled with colored glass beveled and bonded on top of the clear bevel.  Very difficult panel to fabricate. 

Hand Beveled Glass

Do you enjoy beveled glass?  What is it that you enjoy?  Do you like the prismatic colors when the sun hits it? Next time you see beveled glass really take a close look at it.  I notice several things, the way light goes through it, the prismatic colors, the width of the bevel, waves in the bevel and dimension. I have noticed a difference in a commercial bevel (one done by a machine) and a bevel done by hand.  I create bevels by hand by holding the glass onto a beveling grinder and eyeballing the line of the bevel.  I find that the hand bevel has more light play with it than a machine bevel.  My eye tends to go through the bevel on a commercial one.  A hand bevel tends to have more fine waves in the glass which bends the light more and plays with colors and whatever else is going on in the background.  Another detail that I have noticed is that the bevel is an even width all around the piece.  In some windows with a lot of bevels this tends to look flat to me having all of these uniform bevels.  I wanted more depth and movement in my work so I began playing with varying the widths of the bevel.  This gave me the effect that I was looking for.  Another detail that I enjoy with bevels is that they have a clean, sharp look to them which appeals to me very much. I also began beveling colored glass and bonding it on top of the clear beveled glass which gave an added dimension and continued with the clean sharp lines that I desire.  The following image is a detail of a larger window showing the bevels.

Privacy and Light

Do you have a window that looks at your neighbor's house?  How about those sidelights in which everyone can look right in when they walk up to your door?  Do you want privacy and yet not block out the light?  Art glass windows are a great way to accomplish this.  Using clear glass with texture can give the privacy you need yet still allow light in.  An added feature is that the textured glass picks up different colors that are behind it and plays with the light.  As the light and colors change during the different seasons the glass changes as well.  Art glass windows are a great way to add art to your home/office and are functional as well.

Why I Create Art

I along with many artists will tell you that a reason they create art is that it is innate, it is inside and must come out.  I have a desire to paint these images that I get in my mind, sometimes it is only a feeling but I have to get it out onto the canvas or in glass.  When I do not paint for awhile or create a glass piece for a time I feel bloated emotionally and I even feel physical pain, agitated, moody, angry. I create art to add beauty, joy, peace and happiness to this life.
When creating a glass piece for a client I enjoy the process of explaining a design, how different glass textures will interact with each other and the surroundings and how they play with light.  The process of fabricating the piece is work, but good work. Cutting, beveling one piece at a time, knowing what the whole will look like excites me. Throughout the process I am somewhat anxious because if a piece breaks it can mean a whole lot of work depending on where in the process I am at. When the piece is complete and sitting in my shop I can only admire a portion of its beauty because it is not yet in the place for which it was made.  Once it sits in the space in which it was intended, do I fully appreciate the design and how it ties in with the surrounding space.  My heart races seeing it in the space.  I am full of joy, peace at that moment.  I feel a larger satisfaction when the client sees the piece and their countenance changes to joy, amazement, delight, peace.  Creating something that enhances a space, that creates happiness for someone, this is why I create art. 
The creations I make in both glass and painting are personal but the paintings are more so.  I do not create a painting to someones exact specifications.  I paint what is inside and is needing to come out.  Presenting these works can be scary but it has been rewarding to hear the comments from people who stand there staring at them and keep coming back to see them. 

Artist maturity

I turn 40 tomorrow (April 2) and it has me thinking about not only physical maturity but maturing as an artist.  Is my art growing, changing?  I think it is in different ways.  The way I am creating bevels now is better and different than years ago. My paintings have matured over the years.  My painting instructor/adviser in college once told me that it takes 10- 15 yrs to really develop your style and then many years of continued growth.  What do you think? 

Stretching Canvas

Stretching canvas this week for a new painting.  It takes some time to stretch canvas and is hard on the fingers as it creates friction burns from the canvas texture.  I purchased the stretcher bars a couple days ago and the size will be 60" x 54".  I am thinking of painting a bicyclist riding up hill.  I feel like that right now, struggling uphill and not much headway. 

Inspiration and Design- glass

Designing for art glass windows falls into two categories, fine art and commissioned work.
When designing for a fine art piece all the elements in oil painting are used here.
There a few more elements that go into designing for a commissioned glass window.  The first thing is the client's budget followed by what they are looking for such as a geometric design, flowing or something else altogether.  Once I establish a price range and get a feel for what they like I can then start designing.  Ideas/inspiration for a particular location come from the architecture of the building, design elements around the space both interior and exterior and pulling in elements of nature. With multiple windows I create designs that move and flow through them, moving the eye back and forth as opposed to one design repeated.

In this image the design mimics the hills in the background and flows through all 5 windows.  It is a simple design with complexities in the details such as hand beveled glass.  I enjoy creating this way- simple, not too much for the eye yet the details are complex.  The more you look the more you see.
Another element I look for in designing is the flow of the room/space to determine how the design should flow. If there is a wall to the right of the window/space and the room opens to the left then the design flows right to left.  In some cases I also look to the exterior flow.

Geometric design flowing through three panels.
Other design ideas come from the location of the window such as in front of a bathtub.  I created a design that looked like water flowing into the tub.
Inspiration for glass window designs comes from many sources and I enjoy creating a design that looks like it  belongs in the space it is going to occupy.

Inspiration and Design- painting

     Nature is a big inspiration for me, sitting and studying the different colors of a sunrise and sunset; watching cloud formations, how they become streaked or rippled depending on the wind patterns;  formation of trees and watching them bow in the wind;  water currents of the ocean or river;  calm lake;  birds flying overhead;  curving of a plant;  contour of mountains;  a person in a certain pose.
     Creating the feeling of or essence of something is also an avenue of inspiration for me.  Examples are the sound of a musical instrument, an emotion, the feeling of winter. 

     One example of what inspires me in painting is
"Discovering". When my son was a 1yr old he was in our back yard and had picked up a yellow leaf that had fallen from our tree.  He was studying that leaf and figuring it out.  The way he was studying it, the look in his eyes and on his face, the way he held the leaf really struck me and I wanted to paint this moment.  As I painted this piece I thought of my dad because of certain features on my son's face look like my dad.  These features became more pronounced and older and I realized this was becoming a generational piece.  I titled it "Discovering" because he was discovering new things around him and since this looked to be different ages in one person, as one ages one discovers different things. In this painting I was creating the essence of what my son was doing and it turned out to be so much more. 

Inspiration and Design

What inspires my designs for stained glass and oil painting?  I will be writing a two part series to this question covering both mediums.  In general what inspires my work is nature and the feeling or essence of something.  Details will soon follow.

Two Mediums

I have been asked when I began to paint with oils and to work with glass.  The short answer is that I began creating in glass in the spring of 1990 and with oil paint the fall of 1990.  The full story is that I had dabbled in different kinds of paint such as tempra, acrylic, watercolor and gouache from junior high through the first couple of years in college.  I had not touched oil paint and I am not completely sure why.  Was I intimidated? I had seen what had been done by other students in that class and perhaps I was intimidated.  Another thought is that I was focusing on going into medical illustration and I had seen illustrations done in pen & ink, watercolor and gouache, but I do not recall seeing them done in oils.  Oil painting was not really on my radar.  My adviser suggested that I should give it a try and so with some reluctance I signed up for a class the fall of 1990.  The first semester started out rough.  The class was basically life drawing but using paint instead of pencils and charcoal.  My paintings were muddy, I had a hard time trying to mix and combine color.  Though it was difficult I fell in love with the medium.  The vibrancy of the colors, the smoothness of the paint, the smell of the oil and paint thinner (side note: my dad is an aircraft mechanic and when I was a child he would come home smelling of the aircraft cleaning chemical, so I associate him with odors such as paint thinner and turpentine).  I felt free as I painted, if I made a mistake or did not like something I could wipe it off or allow the paint to dry and paint over it.  I was hooked!  I kept taking these classes over a 2yr period and after graduating I kept painting.  Slowly a style began to emerge and  is evolving, becoming intertwined with my stained glass style.
A class mate of mine in college one day asked if I would like to work with him in his business of creating stained glass windows.  I said that I would and I began working with him in May 1990.  The artist's name is John Dobbs.  I learned the basics of glass cutting, fabricating a glass panel and installing the panel(s).  Just like oil painting I took to stained glass right away.  I enjoy the different textures and colors of glass and how I can combine them to create depth and dimension.  John also taught me how to hand bevel glass which I love doing.  I ended up working with John for 3 1/2 yrs until he moved to upstate New York.  I began my own business January 1996 in Anchorage, AK.

Japanese style screen doors

Currently I am working on several designs for Japanese style screen doors that slide back and forth.  The openings of the doors are 2 ft by 5ft and will be leaded glass panels incorporating clear textured glass and hand beveled glass.  Three designs are geometric, one is a combination geometric and curving lines, the last is a flowing design.  All designs flow from one door to the next.  One challenge in creating the actual panels is to get the design lines to line up between the doors. 

Light Play

Growing up in Anchorage, Alaska one is very aware of light, how much or little there is.  I always kept track of how many minutes of light was gained or lost.  I always enjoyed the long days of summer, the long shadows, the long sunsets.  I would sit by the ocean and watch the sun set behind Mt Susitna and watch the orange glow move across the horizon as the sun came up a few short hours later.  Winter time was the opposite, but it was not pitch black as in some places like Seattle.  The snow reflected light which made it more bearable.
I believe the amount of light throughout the years had an influence on my art vision.  When I create glass windows I use textured clear glass as a way to give privacy but allow light in to a space.  It also plays with whatever diminished light there is and with colors that are around.  In painting I am constantly aware of light and dark to create depths and movement.  In both glass and painting I think about how to play with light. 

Images of art glass and oil painting