R Blog #1
How It All Began
The 3 people in patio chairs huddled in a semi circle were not sitting around a campfire. Instead, they were huddled around a Skutt 1414 glass kiln in a garage. They were waiting to see their first firing happen. They didn’t know what that would look like, so they would take a peek every so often-nothing…hmm. They waited patiently for something to happen. Eventually they decided to stop waiting (since the process would take 14 hours). The next day they opened the kiln to see their creations. They were excited!!! They had made glass plates…well sort of.
I was one of those 3 people; my son, Andrew, and daughter-in-law, Robbin, were the other 2. I am Ruth, and I am passionate about glass. The day was Mother’s Day, five years ago. Much has happened since. We now have a website; http://rvisions.net; a fusing studio; and a hot shop. As I blog, I hope to take you on our trip through the world of glass.
When we began we had no real knowledge, but we had a burning desire to create in glass. Andrew and I had worked in stained glass, but it was not where our passion was. Our real passion was to blow hot glass. We knew that was a very expensive dream, so we were excited when we stumbled onto fusing.
Andrew and I saw some fused pieces at the glass store where we bought our stained glass. We also saw a small kiln to cook pieces. We were hooked. We had to have a kiln. Robbin reminded us about a commission we had coming and told us we needed to go ‘big’. We decided to buy the biggest kiln (short of a commercial one) we could. It took six months, but then we ordered our wonderful glass kiln. We had no lessons, little knowledge, and a lot of excitement! We finally could make glass!!! We could hardly wait to get the kiln!
When Andrew picked up the kiln, the sales ladies asked him how long he had been fusing. He told them he hadn’t. They looked surprised. He said he was a chef and caterer and wanted to make special serving platters. Oh…and his mom wanted to make jewelry. Then they really looked at him! I guess most people don’t start learning how to fuse using a 48”x24” kiln.
R Blog #2
Learning As We Go
The fun thing about not knowing much about a subject is that you are always being surprised. You are surprised when things come out well, and you are surprised when things blow apart in the kiln-either way you are learning.
Andrew is our technician. He absorbs technical books. He began to read everything he could find about fusing glass. We each used his knowledge and our boldness to explore. Soon we were filling the kiln (that now had shelves too) with jewelry and plates. During this time we discovered dichroic glass!! It is glass fused with minerals such as platinum, titanium, and magnesium. It changes colors as the piece is moved. Oh the magic it created in our jewelry and plates!!!
It didn’t take long before we had customers-which was a good thing since we now had a habit to support! Playing in glass is very captivating!
One thing we learned was that we each have a different style. It is easy to pick out each person’s work. Robbin is very patient in her art. She sits for hours putting each piece of glass (even frit-crushed glass) down on the sheet glass to create her herb inspired pieces. She combines the palettes of Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest into unusual pieces of jewelry that are bold in colors.
Andrew is the perfectionist. He brings his culinary background to his glass. He studies to learn about the boundaries of his medium-then he pushed those boundaries. He moves easily from fused glass to beadmaking to hot glass. His pieces show his ability to be exacting. His art shows his passion and his playfulness. His fish are pure fun. They are actually beads, but you forget that as they look at you with those huge eyes.
I am the impatient one. I want it to happen quickly. I want to make it now. I want to try new things all the time. Much of my art reflects my favorite places-the ocean and the mountains. I love trying new methods of creating ‘painting’ in glass. I like working on a bigger canvas. I am the impressionist. Glass is my passion! No other medium allows me the flexibility I have sought all these years. I love the light playing through pieces-it feeds my soul.
Our company name reflects our combined journey through glass-R Visions In Glass. The ‘R’ stands for Robbin, R.Andrew, and Ruth, but reads like ‘our’ which is really what our company is all about.
R Blog #3
You Know You Are In Trouble When
We are very lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest. It is an epicenter for glass-both fused and hot glass. There are a number of manufacturers of glass in this corner of the US. This is a good thing and a very bad thing. It is good because you can drive to the manufacturers’ outlet. It is bad because it is like putting a kid in a candy shop. So much glass…so little time!!!
The moment we walked into the Bullseye store we were mesmerized! We wanted it ALL!! Since we were a business, we found out we could qualify for a discount. Now the glass monster was really loose! We all three went crazy – Sign #1 you are in trouble.
When we walked into the store we thought we would need to get other people to buy glass with us in order to reach our best discount. When we walked out of the store we had bought more than enough to qualify us for the best discount. Sign #2 you are in trouble.
With the trunk full of glass we headed home. Andrew was at the wheel. We were all like little kids anticipating Christmas as we drove back to the studio. All the sudden Andrew took a quick right turn, then another, then another, bringing us to the side of a store. Robbin and I were perplexed, then we saw what Andrew had spotted. It was a huge trash bin full of glass. Not beautiful fusing glass like we had just spent hundreds of dollars on, but plain old window glass.
He jumped out of the car and began to dumpster dive! His eyes were shining with pure joy. It was insane! Sign #3!!!
We went home with all our glass and began to create. I still have a piece hanging in my studio that was made using the window glass. It is a beautiful piece.
Once you are passionate about glass, you do crazy things. I would like to say that episode of dumpster diving is where it ended, but one day Andrew and Robbin arrived at my house with a trunk full of glass they had gotten. You guessed it – they had been dumpster diving again. At least this time it was multi-colored chunks of sheet glass.
I always warn my students about glass before I begin showing the wonderful world of fusing. They chuckle, but then I see “the look” begin in their eyes, and I know they soon will have their own “you know you’re in trouble when” stories.
Robbin once asked a glass artist what he did will all his scrapes. He said there are no scraps in glass. We now understand what he meant.
R Blog #4
No Don Quixote or Jiminy Cricket
There was no grand crescendo of “To Dream The Impossible Dream”, or even a few strains of “When You Wish Upon A Star’”. We didn’t even believe enough to dream or wish. A hot shop was not in our future in 2001 when I took my week-end glass blowing class at Firehouse 12. All I knew then was that it was the most incredible experience I had ever had with an art medium. I paid for a class with Andrew. We both were mesmerized! But even with this new passion, we never dared to imagine we could have our own hot shop some day.
Suddenly we could not go to the coast without visiting a hot shop and spending an hour watching. My various trips began to include at least one hot shop stop for watching and buying. Its true passion when you begin to plan your trips based on whether the country is noted for glass blowing.
In 2004 we discovered fusing. It wasn’t hot glass, but it was close. The 3 of us began down the path of becoming glass artists. One day while we were doing some fused pieces, Andrew began to play with a piece of stringer glass (looks like angel hair pasta) and a match. He liked what happened to the glass, so he upped the heat by using a little propane torch I had. Now he was able to make teardrops of glass. He had never wanted to do beadwork (torchwork), but now realized that is was like doing glassblowing in miniature.
Andrew bought a torch, got propane and oxygen tanks, and all the necessary tools and became a beadmaker. He set up his torch on a table on the back deck. Then…PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME!!!...he talked Robbin into letting him use their dining table “in the dining room” for his torchwork. Reasons not to do this:
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1. You need an area that is well ventilated for the propane and oxygen mixture.
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2. You need to have a VERY UNDERSTANDING, PATIENT, LOVING wife.
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3. You will take over the entire dining room with you tools and glass.
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4. You may need to replace your dining room floor when the hot glass melts through it.
Perhaps this would be a good time to tell you that it is also not the best idea to sit in such a way that hot glass popping from the torch will land in your belly button. YES-THIS DOES HURT!!!! A LOT!!!!! Especially when your first inclination is to suck in- NOT a good idea!!!
We all continued to be content with fusing and beadmaking for some time. Robbin had now taken over their family room with her jewelry and I had turned my garage into a fusing studio. From time-to-time we do talk about maybe, some day, we would love to have a hot shop. It is only wishful talking-we have no plans.
What made us begin to imagine actually having our own hot shop? Well, sometimes you just don't know the power of daring to dream. We were about to find out.
R Blog #5
The Impossible Dream Unfolds
In our family we have a saying, “It’s a God thing.” We watch for things that have God’s fingerprints all over them. Others may call them coincidence, or karma, or from the universe, but we believe they are God leading us or blessing us.
In 2007, we were pretty happy making fused glass and doing torchwork. We sold our art, gave pieces to non-profits as donations for fund raising, and gave glass gifts to family and friends. Life was good.
That year Andrew and Robbin signed up for a year-long advanced course on how to achieve the life you love. In one class they were asked to answer a simple question, “What would be the most impossible dream you could imagine for yourself?” Andrew thought and then told his group that it would be to own his own hot shop.
Once Andrew began to talk about his “impossible dream” to others, many unusual things began to happen. He was given the main components of a small hot shop by another glass artist. Definitely a God thing!! This represented a huge gift to us! Then another glass artist sold him a new, unused kiln and some high-end glass blowing hand tools for a fraction of their value. The garage was beginning to fill up with the makings of a hot shop. We each recognized the fingerprints of God all over these amazing blessings. All through the Bible it tells us of how much God wants to bless us. We believe that we are often the obstacle to the biggest blessings God wants to give to us. We decided to step forward to see what those blessings were.
Andrew and Robbin began talking about the impossible dream. Robbin put a stake in the ground and said “we will have a hot shop”. It wasn’t even a question for her, she believed that God was leading and an obvious path seemed to be opening up. Andrew sketched plans for a 1000 square foot hot shop for their backyard. It consisted of a hot shop studio, gallery, bathroom and a storage area-all with a 14 foot ceiling. He and Robbin visited their banker and received the needed financing. The plans were finalized by an architect and submitted to the city.
Now if you have ever waited for building approvals, you know that it is not a fast or easy process. (Do I hear some groaning brought on by remembering experiences you’ve had???) You can imagine our surprise when the plans were approved in a week!! Ground was broken a week later in August of 2007! The impossible was becoming possible.
In September, the gas and electric ditches were dug (the yard resembled the work of a giant mole), pipes and lines were laid, and the foundation was poured. Andrew now was back to work full-time, teaching and attending meetings.
Those of us who live in the Pacific Northwest can imagine Noah building an ark for the rain. We understand rain. Well, Andrew wasn’t building an ark, but he did know the rain was coming. Now he was faced with getting the frame up and plywood on it, the trusses up and the roof on while being restricted to working late afternoons and weekends. God’s blessings come in many forms, and though they may not know it, 3 people were blessings God sent to help; friends Kirk VanGelder and Woody Pollock, and Andrew’s dad, Ron. They were a fantastic source of support, information, and hands to help.
The rain came and the building didn’t float away or leak!! It was winter, things were progressing, and God was not finished supplying us with blessings. Next time I’ll tell you about the electrician who wasn’t and the shopper who was.
R Blog #6
How Do You Eat A Whale?
One bite at a time.
Well, building a 1000 square foot building when you have never built a full sized building before (can’t count the 6 foot scale Western town in your backyard…a different story) can be like eating a whale. It has to be taken a task at a time. The biggest task for Andrew was the electrical wiring for the shop. He had no experience wiring a building and just a bit of experience fixing wiring in his home. The whale was sitting there in the form of about ½ a mile of wiring.
Ron, Andrew’s dad, was not an electrician, but did have more knowledge on the subject than Andrew. He volunteered (or did Andrew beg him???) to help. This was no easy wiring job either. There needed to be some heavy duty wiring for the planned furnaces, annealer, and fan. Ron and Andrew began to eat the whale-bite by bite-until it was finished and passed the electrical inspection on the first try. What a shout went up that day!!!! Another huge blessing!
You can believe you are following God’s leading, but even then you are often surprised when He uses your talents and skills in ways you never expected. The shop was coming along; the wiring was done, the enormous task of dry-walling a fourteen foot ceiling, when you are afraid of heights, was done, the mudding was finished, and the painting would be done soon. However, there were other things the shop needed that had to be purchased. The budget was dwindling and some of the needed items were costly-especially the cabinets and the gallery flooring.
Between the three of us, Robbin is THE bargain shopper. Craig’s list and garage sales were created for her. She can find whatever you need for prices you can’t believe. Knowing her skills, we were not surprised that she was able to find what we needed, but the prices she paid for them were incredible-even for Robbin. She walked into a building supply store and bought, for $20, the very $200 cabinet/sink she went in to buy. She bought flooring for cents on the dollar. She bought all the cabinets we needed for a tiny fraction of their value. Using Robbin, God filled the shop with the things we needed and left us with almost the same amount of money we had started with to buy them.
To blow glass, you need a bench to sit at and a pipe warmer for your blow pipes. If you can weld, you can make both of these items. Andrew took welding in high school (let’s just say it was a FEW years ago). He had not really done any welding per sec since. He decided to take on both items. He succeeded in doing a great job on both.
We were nearing the finish line. Finally, we had our Grand Opening and Blessing in August 2008! Amazing things happened, and continue to happen!! Many blessings!!!
R Blog #7
Hot, Hot, Hotter
We are entering the third year of working in our hot shop. Time has really gone quickly! When we started, Chloe was 8 months old. Here she is now, following in her 'pappa's' footsteps..... ...almost. She may not be blowing yet, but she has certainly been watching!
We are pleased to announce that some of our work will soon be seen in a book called "Art Glass Today", published by Schiffer Publishing.
Soon we will fire up the furnace and begin blowing many new pieces. We are even planning the introduction of a brand new type of glass art. We will send out an email to let you know. If you are not currently on our mailing lists, just drop us an email to request the addition. webmaster@rvisions.net
We look forward to seeing you this fall!!!!
R Blog #8
It’s A Wonderful Life…Isn’t It?
George Bailey wasn’t sure his life was so wonderful when the movie started, but by the end he realized how blessed he was. He decided it was a wonderful life!
We start out each New Year looking at the past year. Our family is like most and has seen many rough times and some over-the-top times. We, like George Bailey, choose to focus on the blessings.
This year has been a very amazing year for our business. We have been so blessed with meeting many new people and sharing their adventures in glass. Families, co-workers, and friends have all been through our hot-shop this holiday season. We had private ornament blowing parties from mid-October until the Tuesday before Christmas. What fun!!!!!!!!!!!! Even Chloe (our 4th generation glass blower) blew her first ornament! She proudly shows it to all who visit.
Thank you for making memories with us!!! If you have pictures you want to share with us, we would love to post them on our site.
Who would have guessed that just 2 ½ years after opening our hot shop we would be where we are in the glass community. As I mentioned in the last blog, this year brought us some notoriety in “Art Glass Today” book from Schiffer. This fall we were asked to be part of a very special event. We were commissioned to make 175 ornaments to be placed in gift bags for a reception for Former First Lady Laura Bush. We were so honored!! In addition, we were able to make a special “thank you gift” to be presented to Mrs. Bush by the CEO of Columbia Credit Union. In January we will have a picture or two to share with you of that presentation. In the meantime, we have posted a poster that was done for us by Andy Ladick of PerfectlyLit Photography. www.perfectlylit.com
The colors of the piece are cobalt blue, clear, and hyacinth.
The piece is now residing in Former First Lady Laura Bush's office in Dallas, Texas. Watch out Dale Chihuly-we are on your trail!!
We are looking forward to what the New Year brings. We are planning more events to allow our customers to make their own pieces of glass art, as well as evenings of wine and hot glass. Some things on the drawing board are several glass chandeliers-one for display and possibly a commissioned piece. The new Luminata line will be expanding to include lit blown glass art pieces and blown glass candles as well as the fused glass candles introduced this year.
Another big project for the New Year is our expansion! We are adding on some more storage space…funny how you think you have so much room when you first build a place. With the addition we are remodeling the bathroom. We are adding a shower to showcase some of our tiles. Most important though is what will be happening in the ceiling. The new look will be a glass ceiling with various glass balls and forms with lighting behind them. If you have seen the ceiling in the Bellagio in Las Vegas or the walk way at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass, you have an idea of how it will look. We want to make this part of our new showcase gallery look. Eventually there will be a handblown glass chandelier in the gallery too.
The remolding doesn’t stop in the gallery. In the hot shop, the glory hole will be redone this summer. Andrew has reached the maximum size for his pieces with the old glory hole. To make bigger pieces, he needs a bigger glory hole. He is going to build one. We will also add another kiln and move things around to provide more seating for our visitors to sit and watch us work.
Lots of big ideas, lots of hard work!!! Soooooo much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you to each of you who have cheered us on!! We love sharing our passion with you!!
May your New Year be jam packed with God’s blessings!!!