Glory hole-second full day

Tuesday July 27

Well, it's the end of the second full day here. I'm in the lobby hoping to get some internet time tonight so I hopefully won't be so rushed in the morning. This morning I didn't really get anything done in regards to writing or posting. Just as I got set up people starting arriving for breakfast and I felt rude not hanging with the glass clan so I put the computer away and started my day with them.

The day went well. We had a short demonstration and then broke up into teams to do some gathering. Everybody was pretty ambitious and suddenly doing large and heavy glass pieces. Most everything turned out great but there were a couple of mistakes and injuries. Some glass hit the floor- too heavy, too hot, lost control, etc. and a couple of people got burned. Either from the glory hole - just sheer heat coming out of the furnace- or picking up hot tools- or myself- stupidly reaching up with my right hand to turn the punti. At the bench, the right hand is for tools only. But until you really learn that once sitting at the bench, your right hand never touches the pole, it's a natural instinct to want to turn with both hands. Especially if you're just turning to cool your piece and someone starts talking to you. Dusti got the worst of the burns. She was out the rest of the class.

Not too far into the morning I was waiting my turn, hadn't had enough coffee, feeling a little bit blue for some reason, and walked over to sit in the sweet spot. The sweet spot is, yes i understand, another innuendo, but it is actually about 5 feet from the door, in between the fans. It must be atleast 10 degrees cooler with a breeze. Anyway, I look over and notice this bucket for the first time. It was just a bucket of water to keep shaping blocks is but across the top, written on purple tape was MILES. A sweetness washed over me and I had a smile to myself.

After the video Tommy had a talk with us about the rest of the afternoon. We were going to start blowing but i think because of the big jump today and the accidents that came because of it, he wanted to reel us in and get us back focused on learning technique more than size. So, hopefully we'll get on that in the morning. I'm a little nervous about it. There is definitely an element of frustration for me. I'm so use to working like Tommy does. Smooth and successful with ease. (for the most part)

The video today was very interesting. The first part was a performance art group called group B or something like that. Amazing stuff- girl dancing on hot glass, people spinning hot pates and someone else shooting melted glass balls at it like a target. Even raining molten glass. Crazy rock and roll glass stuff. Following that was about the founders of the glass blowing movement and their innovations and studios. .Also amazing and inspiring. I'm definitely a metal girl, but I am truly digging this glass. It is absolutely hot hard work- when you leave the studio you look like you've been laying asphalt- but it is also very zen.

Hanging jelly fish

Shaping with wet paper- 10 year old wall street journal

Bucket of water with shaping tools called blocks

Kevin getting ready to take a hot piece and load it into the kiln.

Glory Hole-monday- first full day

Monday July 26, 2010

So I slept in longer today than i thought I would. I really thought that because I'm used to getting up @ 5:30- 6:00 that I might do the same here. No, I must have hit the snooze twice and reset my alarm atleast once. But I was up and in the cafe by 7:30. The cafe and lobby are the only places with wireless so I'm having to write at night and post the next morning.

This morning's breakfast was pretty de-lish. I had a biscuit with gravy, a piece of quiche, some grapes and a banana. Lots of water. And more water.

I was so tired after just a 3 hour class last night that i knew the first full day was going to be rough. And it was. The first half of the day was really good. Hot, but good. We were all starting to feel more comfortable and gather glass with more confidence. Trying new things. Mostly learning how to gather, stretch, shape the glass and to take it off the punt correctly.

At ten a.m. I stopped to take this picture.

Everyone partners up so that someone can assist you with opening the door to the glory hole, shielding your hands, cooling your punti by pouring the water, assisting you if you're looking for a tool and generally toss ideas off while your trying to figure out what to do with the molten, changing, moving glass on the end of your rod. This is Landon.

We were pretty much drawn to each other right away. I think because I could tell he was serious about this experience and I think he sensed that I was too. We spent the morning trying out some things that we had been shown- everyone had their turns. We broke for lunch for an hour and were back at it. I really could have used a little longer break to digest and rejuvenate- get some more water in me before being back in all that heat.

After lunch we spent another hour and half working on our skills some more.- gathering more glass, larger loads, making larger shapes, learning to manipulate with different tools. At 2:30 we broke for a slide show of Tommy's work in the AV room. Coming from the Hot Shop it was like walking into a dark cool cave. And also made it a little harder to get these old bones moving again. It really just wanted to be a bear and sleep in it's den. But I didn't. I rallied and was happy about it. Especially after he told us that we would be moving on to introducing color. Basically the same techniques that we've been practicing but on your marbler (steel table to work your glass on) I don't know if i've got that right. It's so hard to hear in that shop! There's the roar of 3 glory holes and a punti furnace- all firing with such force it sounds like a plane blowing by- plus we have 8 floor fans going and i'm not sure how many over head fans. So, it's alittle hard to hear Tommy speak. He doesn't have a very strong voice anyway. His words. All of this was just to say, I'm not sure if that steel table is called that for sure. And i have a correction to make about the previous post. That is a boil at the end of the punti.- not a boiler.

Moving on- working with the color was really exciting. It'll be really interesting to see all these things finished. Color looks so different when it's molten than when it has cooled. And even different still, when it's in the powdered form. What is actually a purple, looks like baby blue in powder form. So as we make things and tap them off the punti, they land gently at the bottom of the kiln where they will anneal. Ironically, in metalsmithing, annealing is done by heating the metal, yet in glass blowing, it is actually what is considered the cooling process. The kiln allows the glass to cool slowly at different temperatures for different lengths of time until they are cool enough to take out. Instead of sitting out in the open, the glass would crack and explode.

We each experimented with more shaping but also with beginning to layer in the color for the next couple hours and called it a day. Tommy has been bragging on us about being such a great glass and moving so quickly that i think we are actually going to begin to blow a day earlier than he had planned. We had exceeded his expectations. We had "blown him away" I believe is what he said.

Here are some random shots from the glass studio.

and below- two essentials- especially as a beginner- water bottle and socks for your arms. 100% natural that is. No melting please. And absolutely no jewelry. It can quickly get too hot and burn the skin. But what a concept for me. I also think that it's an ironic concept since I've been looking to this trip to give me a break from what I've been doing for 25 years now. 26 actually.

Class ended at 5 and everyone made their ways to showers and what not. I was a what not. Soaking wet and stinky as hell but I was afraid that if I stopped, I would collapse. So I came back long enough to change shoes, headed back to the cafe for dinner, before going back to the Hot Shop for a blowing demonstration from Tommy and Kevin. Kevin is Tommy's assistant for the week, and a student here, graduating soon with his BFA in glass. Super great guy. I really like him.

So, dinner was good. I forgot to take a picture of it. Big fresh salad, meat and/or veggie lasagna, garlic bread, and bread pudding. All homemade mind you. We are well cared for here., that's for sure.

I was going to video the demo tonight but my camera is acting weird. It's like the stabilizer is going hay wire and not working, being really jiggly. So I ended up using my video on my phone. You know, I'm lucky my phone has such good camera on it. A lot of the pictures I've been posting are from my phone. Most of them, actually, So I got some good video if I can figure out how to get it on here. I'm also thinking that I'll try again tomorrow night at his demo if i can get things straightened out.

I think their demo would be amazing to see for anyone, but after you've spent the day in the heat, feeling the weight of that glass and how easy and how quick your shape or direction can change when you're not looking, or your turning too fast, or too slow- in a split second; you can really be blown away by someone that is handling with such ease at least ten times the size and weight you've been working with. Like butter. Like NOTHING. It's like a beautiful dance. It really is. you never stop moving. Something's always moving,…turning….rolling….. sagging….. balling….swaying….. pulling…. stretching. It's really cool.

GLORY HOLE- appalachian center for crafts

So this morning i headed out for the mountains. I'm taking a week long glass blowing class at the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Smithville Tn. It's atop a mountain over looking the beautiful Caney River.

It's the first time i've left my family since we've become a family. i knew it would be hard, but leaving the house and leaving my baby was a little more thick in the throat than I had expected. But, I filled up the tank, picked out some tunes, got on the road and got on with it.

Here is a picture of the Caney River. This river you cross over just before turning onto the winding road that leads you to the campus.

There are 6 workshops going on right now. Glassblowing, woodturning, metalsmithing/forming and chasing, fiber surface design, clay sculpture, and blacksmithing. Tonight @ 5:30 we all met at the cafe / gallery- had a tour of the studios,- these are photos of the metal studio. -Every time i see a shop like this i have tool envy so i had to document-

and came back for a yummy dinner. And I mean yummy! Started out with crushed ice for my drink- cha-ching! And then moved on to fresh salad from their garden, homemade dressings- ranch or balsamic vinaigrette, pork tenderloin and chicken, grilled and dry rubbed with chili powder, cumin and cinnamon. Singing my name ba-bay! And homemade mac and cheese that about made me cry. My best guess is cream cheese sprinkled with cheddar? i don't know- HEAVEN. Meg is the chef- I think she may be family; if you know what i'm saying, and she had two super cute boys working for her. Both sporting longish hair and crocs for the kitchen; one wearing an apron that said The Perfect Wife on it. i love it when a man is secure enough with who he is to do something funnily like that. Sealed the deal on liking Meg's Cafe crew.

After shamelessly having seconds on the mac and cheese, we all headed out to our prospective positions. Our class is being taught by Thomas Spake of Chatanooga TN. Also, the father of an eleven month old-he and I related on that.

In the Cold Shop we talked about what we would be doing over the next week, what's it's like being in the hot shop - he warned us that the terminology was suggestive (i'll say) and about the importance of staying hydrated and taking breaks. After we were in the Hot Shop beginning to look at equipment, I noticed a thermostat on the wall that said- 110. …..that's right. Did I mention it was 7:00 at night? In the mountains? I'll report back about how hot it is during the day!

We learned about puntis. Those are the steel rods that you spin and pick up and shape glass with. We learned about the glory hole…..yep;….and how to turn our puntis and use them to reach into the glory hole, penetrate the surface and gather the glass…"you'll feel a little resistance - don't go too deep or too fast"…easy, easy..turning, turning until you can pull out gently….turn around slowly….and lay your punti over the cooling bucket while your partner sprinkles water over it- and you rub a cloth up and down it to cool and dry it off.

I don't know about you, but I might need a cigarette.

What we did tonight was called gathering- and what we made is called the boiler. (IF i'm remembering all this correctly) and that is what you build upon by dipping back into the glory hole and going through the turning/cooling and then going back and doing it again until you get enough to began stretching, turning, shaping your piece. After we each had our turn at the glory hole, we all pretty much went our separate ways until morning.

My place is nice. Like everything here, it's very woodsy and cabin like. Wood and glass and green all around me. I was excited to find out that i didn't have a roommate, but later disappointed to discover I had a suite mate. Of course, I had already begun nesting and had to gather up my things from around the place. But, it's okay, I've got plenty of room where I am. It's nice and quite- with the exception of the cicadas- and it's just what i need.

House of Rock /My Big Backyard/ the FINALE

so clearly weeks have gone by since my last post. life is busy busy and i can't seem to find the time to make a post these days!! but more honestly, so many hours went into this project that by the time it was finished and the garden was open, i was too tired to talk about it, write about it, or even think about it. i'm going to do my best to quickly top this thing off and attach some pictures.

last i left off, i was heading to the shop to begin on my instruments and turning over the painting to the volunteers. good move. there's no way it all could have gotten done without me missing work at the shop, not to mention losing countless hours of sleep. here's a few shots of painting in progress.



the reason for making the instruments was that i wanted the kids to see that you don't have to spend a fortune on a drum kit, or expensive instruments- you can make noise/sound/music on everyday objects. so i gathered up tin bowls from the dollar store, plastic buckets from all over, brass pipe, discarded cymbals, and wooden decoupage boxes from michael's..all different sizes and shapes. i was able to make some wooden drums, some bucket drums, some steel drums, some mallets out of dowels and super balls, a chime set of goblets and a discarded flag pole and some tin can shakers. along with cymbals scattered about on the walls, there is plenty of noise to be had at the house of rock.





the week leading up to opening day was a huge push for everyone. it had been raining for days on end so progress was at a snail's pace and anytime it wasn't raining the place was buzzing with workers. the 3 nights before the opening i was there at the playhouse until late....the last two as late as midnight. eeeery and peaceful at the same time.




opening day finally came and it was a mad house- kids everywhere.... banging on everything. i couldn't help but join in. it of course rained and that was kind of a drag but the kids didn't seem to notice. nearly everyone in my family was in town for one reason or another and they all came, so it was great to share my big day with them.

















by the end of the weekend i'd gotten word that a few things had been destroyed so wed. after work i went over to assess the damage. it was hard to take when i first saw all my hard work in a heap on the floor, or dangling from the walls. the worst of it was seeing the mothers just stand there while their child wielded with all his might to destroy anything that was left. first of all, this is suppose to be a learning experience, not a seek and destroy mission. second of all, what parent stands there while their kid destroys things that aren't theirs?!! maybe that should have been the "first of all".





after they all left for the day, i retrieved the broken pieces, along with my pride, and returned to the shop for a better stronger solution. forget the kids learning about making music or sound out of everyday objects. that's not on their radar and clearly the parents aren't going to make the connection or interaction with them so i'll just let it be.
i made a repeat of the bucket drums. i changed the way i did a couple of things and found some thicker buckets that i hope will hold up to the mongrels they encounter. the wooden drums i changed all together. i did a little research and built a replica of wooden symphony blocks made of 3/4in thick plywood. surely they can't break these.

early one sunday morning about 6am, i returned with help to the playhouse to install the upgrades, tighten up a few things and do some touch up painting. it was great to have the help on the paint job, but it wasn't the neatest job for sure. i also tried to drive the message home to play gently and make music by painting it on the back wall and on the drums. who knows if it'll actually work or not.

so i finished all that up and on the back side, posted a message to my son, who i can't wait to share this with. so much of my days, nights, hours, and minutes were spent thinking of him and the day he gets to come here and experience this place that i built.

oddly, after i finished, i didn't want to leave. but eventually i said my goodbyes with a little prayer that it would hold up and serve it's purpose and bring many kids joy through the sound of and act of making music.

oh- i never saw the dog again. one of the landscapers finally caught him and has since given him a good home.





it's been a little over two months since My Big Backyard has opened and i still get compliments and photos sent to me to let me know how much the kids love it....all the way down to an exhausted mother who, after 45 minutes at the House of Rock, had to drag her son away while he had a crying fit about leaving. not that i want anyone to cry, or drag, but it does my heart good to know that the kids are loving making music so much they want to stay. i'm very proud that it has turned out to be such a success.






this is john, who couldn't wait to tell me that my playhouse was his favorite.










.....and some photos of the rest of the garden. i have to give credit to stacey greenberg for these that follow. and a couple above. i snagged them from her blog. i couldn't help it- they're so good! thanks stacey. and still, there is so so much to be seen that is not included here. so i hope everyone makes it out some time or another. it is definitely for the kid in all of us.












thank you to everyone for all their hard work on such an amazing project. thank you to all who have shared their stories and photographs with me. and most of all, thank you to my loving partner jamie, who gave me more love and understanding and support than anyone could ever hope for.