A Blast

Sandblasted designs by Jo(left) and Alex (right)
This Saturday's class was a real blast, sand blast that is. While some of us were blowing glass, some of us were blasting glass. Check out the latest skills introduced to the College of the Atlantic, Intro to Glassblowing class taught by Linda Perrin.

Sand blasted bottles by Stephen (left) and Andy (right)

Whirly Glass and Whirly Bugs

Teaching the students this term at COA is drumming up all sorts of fond memories of what it was like when I first discovered hot glass. Alex said this weekend after making a chubby, light bending, little glass vessel, "This is so much fun". And well you can't put it any better than that. But you can ask why? Why is it so much fun? Is it all the primitive basic forces we wrangle with, fire, gravity, and fluidity that fill a modern void? Or is it the place that our brain goes to, or leaves behind, when we are totally focused on the harmonious movements required from our body as we glide through the hot shop balancing a hot sparkling blob out on the end of a blow pipe. In any case I truly believe that we did have great fun this week-end.
Because the fabulous Earth Day celebration at the College took place on Saturday, we had to change the glassblowing lab to Sunday. This shift changed the vibe in the studio and a lazy late starting Sunday feeling permeated the shop. Folks played the guitar in the corner as they waited patiently for their turn to try the first puntied off bubble. And as the day unfolded each person attacked the exercise with their own style.
Willy deserves a prize for being the "sacrificial first person" in line to blow it. But he came back strong with a great save on a bubble that took an adventurous tour of the cullet tray. Andy wowed the crowd with dexterity to burn , Kelly made a glass dough-nut for breakfast and picked up pizza for lunch. Emily and Linda came to class and fell ahead instead of behind.
Becky used precise heat to make two very good little cups, Jake a master of the wind blew the glass with cool aplomb, and Steven "the natural" surprised no-one if not himself for being a creative person, and Jo (aside from blowing glass) found a whirly bug lying high and dry on the pavement in the parking lot, and my heart was once again warmed by the incredibly kind nature of this pack of HE's, as she gave him a long drink and in true nature lovin' style explained his swimming and diving techniques.My most favorite thing ever is to check the annealer the morning after blowing glass. Here are our very first baby bubbles from the introduction to glassblowing at the College of the Atlantic AD4391...wooohooo!

Spring Flingin floppin and rollin...

Here's something just for fun. Even glass blowers need to take a little time off to relax. Here's us on a cold spring day on the crest of a small hill absorbing some solar gain. (Now that we have the video feed worked out look for some hot new scenes of molten goo in the near future.)

We Got Glass

Right, so today the COA students got their hands on some glass, well not hands exactly, but we gathered and gathered and gathered and made some.....well what were those things? raisin shaped scribbles,... yeah sculptural little single gather forms.
But more important than the glass we ended up with, it's the experience we gathered into the student body. The moves and the views. One of the hardest things in the beginning of working with glass is recognizing anything, everything is so foreign, the heat, the optics, the new tools and all those sparkles!!!... it can be a bit confusing. But for the most part everyone kept their cool and made small glass, but big gains.
What Fun!!
Today each student got four chances to gather
up the glass, form it with gravity, blocks, our jacks

and finally the tweezers. Each trip to the furnace and the rate of evolution was astounding. It was a blast to introduce everyone to the hot gooey glass, to watch the red skin and wide eyes fade with repetition, and hear the enthusiasm through out the day.

The Human Ecologists Cometh

Today ten lovely young people arrived at the studio. They are an intelligent bunch of college students from the national jewel of contemporary education, The College of the Atlantic. I have been invited to be a visiting instructor this term and I have the distinct honor to share our studio with these wisdom seekers for the next ten weeks. I look forward to sharing what I know about the magical experience of wrangling hot glass, cold glass, and our creative spirits.
Today we focused on an orientation to the the hot shop, the place where we blow glass. Inside it is filled with equipment that Ken has built and rebuilt over the years. We make lots of pretty sparkly glass but in my heart of hearts I often marvel at the wondrous equipment that make it all possible. Well today we gave it it's props and discussed how the equipment functions and how to use it all safely.

Thought for the day, courtesy of
Emile Zola:
"There are two men inside the artist, the poet and the craftsman. One is born a poet. One becomes a craftsman."

Turrets at COA

Isn't this a fantastic building! Imagine my feeling as I approached it for the first gathering of the students at the College of the Atlantic who are courageous enough to try their hand at molten glass. Our introduction to glass blowing course has begun and this week-end the students will see our studio. I hope they approach it with the same level of wonder I had when I saw the gorgeous old magical building above. I am so happy to foster the alliance between the College of the Atlantic and our studio, Atlantic Art Glass as I teach this course. The philosophy and culture of the college perfectly matches the ideals Ken and I have tried to employ in our humble lives as local artisans. "Think Globally and Act Locally" has been a mantra for a long time around these parts. Enjoy the upcoming posts documenting our progress over the next ten weeks.

OMG

Omg, we have so much going on here at Atlantic Art Glass!
MORE INFO ON EACH OF THE ITEMS BELOW COMING SOON...

1, We are offering a course in glassblowing at the College of the Atlantic for the upcoming spring session. VERY COOL!
2. We started an online shop where our work is available for sale with a secure pay pal service.
3. A new 5 week beginning glass blowing class will begin April 19th sign up now!
4. We are starting a Glass Club for all our past students! This is going to be Fun.
5. We are gettin ready for the The Maine Arts Commission--LINC program show and Kelly, (picture above) is psyched to show her master piece, (only we got our first glass burn yesterday, which put a wrench in the days production. Oh well at least she can call herself a real glass blower now!)

FRESHGLASS

We have launched a new site to feature our latest blown glass. Ken Perrin and Linda Perrin blow glass in series. We do bodies of work that change and evolve, much of our work is one of a kind. In an attempt to give you a "blow by blow" of what is going into and coming out of the annealers, we invite you to visit this site for the uncut view. Go to FreshGlass to see what's just come out of the oven! ....and let us know if you get hungry for some of our tasty sparkles.

Great Class

Well the first five weeks of the winter glass blowing session has whooshed by. This group has been fantastic! So much fun! The skills came easy to most, we spent Valentine's day together, and we rocked and (cinnamon) rolled each week. Above is a collage that Ken made of our dear beginning glassies. And they are not beginners anymore! Check out a few more photos below of the SKILLS!
NEXT CLASS TO BEGIN APRIL!! CALL OR E-MAIL FOR MORE INFO.

Maine art glass-BEGINNERS

Well we've really started something here. The ice is inches deep outside and the temperature just keeps plummeting, but in the hot shop at 25 Pine we are toasty warm. In this "bohemian vacation" we focus on all the information one needs to override the primitive response that happens when we get hit by 2000 degrees of hot glass (namely running away--willy-nilly). The 2009 winter glass blowing class has begun and it is off to a good start. Ken and I taught the dance steps one needs to gather glass effectively out of the said, 2150 degree furnace, get it to the work bench, and begin to use the ancient tools (some that have'nt changed since 50 BC) to fashion this gooey dangerous stuff into the sparkles we desire. Congratulations to our very full class!!! No one got hurt, and we have laid a good foundation on which to begin our glass journey. A point I always like to make, is how lucky we are to be able to dive right into the glass here in this class. For centuries in so many places, like Venice and the Czech Republic, places with long glass blowing histories, a glass worker would have to sweep the floors and assist a master for years and years before actually getting to make anything themselves. Yeah American Art Glass Movement!! We are free! and Yes we can>
ooops that's from something else...

Glass blowing classes, winter 2011

The 2011 winter glass blowing classes will begin January 8th!
Classes for beginners and advanced students.
Enrollment is limited so sign up now before we fill up!
A portion of the brochure is listed below, and in full at our website.

Beginning Glass Blowing
This course is designed for beginners. Emphasis is placed on learning the basic skills necessary to complete simple blown vessels. Class time is divided between demonstrations and supervised work time, with individual attention for each student. No glass working experience is required. Tuition: $375.00
This is a five-week course meeting once each week for four hours. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, as class sizes are limited. Full payment must be made by first class


Continued Glass Blowing
This class will build upon the skills acquired in previous glass blowing classes. It is also a prerequisite to studio rental. The class will explore the use of color and bit applications. The course structure will include demonstrations to suit the individual interests of participants. Schedule is determined by the instructor and the students. Class size is limited to four students. Tuition: $375.00 Dates: Send us an email for current dates -20 hour course. Registration is first- come, first-served, as class sizes are limited. Full payment must be made by first class.

Happy Endings Ornaments-Glass Blowing Demonstration

To see how Ken and Linda Perrin blow cheerful ornaments click on the video clip below!!! Thank you for showing and selling our work!

Shop for Atlantic Art Glass Nov. 29 & 30

We're Old Fashioned around here, even if we are cool glass blowers. In keeping with this, we will begin our Christmas shows/exhibits after Thanksgiving...
After the big feast, come on out and find our sparkley, charming glass gift creations. We'll be at TWO craft fairs on Saturday. Ken Perrin will be going solo Saturday in Cambridge, MA at the Harvard Square Holiday Craft Fair. Saturday,November 29, 10am -7pm and Sunday, November 30, 12-6pm. And I, Linda Perrin, will be in Portsmouth, NH at the Designing Women Show Saturday the 29th, 9am-4pm. We are looking forward to both shows, just like the song make new friends and keep the old, I hope that one is silver and the other gold....PLUS We have been making some truly heart felt work for you to find and give to whom ever needs a pick me up this winter. We have traditional Christmas ornaments made only the way we do, ...oil lamps to warm and lighten your heart/home, tumblers you can fill to the brim with holiday cheer...
and some special vases I made this week while musing about Florence Italy, Ah, Firenze a place where I first indulged my artistic tendencies, the aesthetics of which ring so purely in my heart that all aspirations, I think, when made Florentine can even enhance things like.... eggs. so imagine what I can do with GLASS. here's a sneak peek at what I'm talkin' about....."bella", no?

Exciting Ellsworth Arts Scene / Glass Etc.

Spirits Lifting! What a wonderful Holiday Season we can have this year. Values are shifting and priorities are coming into focus. As this cultural shift begins to take shape in this extraordinary new era, I am finding that the artisan is regaining importance in our lives. The local glass blower, fiber artist, bread baker, farmer, woodworker etc... are beginning to be the "go to" person for our special needs. as in people who have special occasions and loved ones in their life.
When you have a big birthday for a best friend, or the wedding of folks for whom you are hoping the best, or an anniversary of your own beloved but sometimes hard fought union. What special heirloom quality gift do you want to present? I am finding that people are beginning to feel embarrassed about buying something made in china or elsewhere for these occasions or for their own home and needs. And this all spells out a time of appreciation for the local artisan, and American made products. So as spirits begin to lift out of the overconsumption of crap made cheaply, remember to look for the perseverant artist and artisan who has been a beacon of belief in the higher order of things and has been asking for change long before it became fashionable...
OPPORTUNITIES TO FIND SUCH WORK ABOUND
•Atlantic Art Glass, 25 Pine St., Ellsworth: Glassblowing Demonstrations, Open Studio + refreshments, Saturdays , 10am to 2pm•
SevenArts Gallery,
"Responses to Maine" November, 2008
Beth Lambert / Landscape Paintings
& Jan Whalen / Handknits
Harlow Gallery, Maine Grind Building 192 Main Street, Ellsworth
Grand Opening, November

HUZZAH!!

Boo

My nose is cold, yep pretty consistently now, my nose is cold...that is at least it's cold when I am not blowing glass. This small change creates a fierce primal shift in my outlook on life. OCTOBER, the fear season, spooky long shadows appear, and the possessed street light down the street gets to me again. When the evenings are filled with light as they are on so many summer evenings I don't even think about the weird alley, one street over, the one that has a street light that tries to do Morse code.
But on a chilly evening such as this one, as the pumpkins come out to stand gaurd. I remember how on one night while walking Serafina, the light went out as I stepped directly under it. Hmmmm a short in some wiring perhaps, or a timer? I wondered to myself as chills ran up my spine. Later that week we took another jaunt down the alley, a seemingly good place to poop my pooch out, gravel lined, un-trafficked, weed rimmed...But this time Serafina seemed reluctant, something she never is when pulling me along. However we ventured down again, and I began a dialog in my head aimed at the light, vaguely wondering about coincidence or spooks, this time it came ON as I passed under it. My shadow appeared short and disfigured in old mud ruts.....Okay, send good vibes....I turned around and faced it, thinking if there was something ghosty to this thing it could answer me ...I begged the question if it could signal to me, that it was trying to reach out, it went out as fast as my silly question ill formed in my mind....That was last October, I don't go down there any more, the house on the corner of this alley is perpetually for sale, the name of the street is Shady Lane, and it just plain gives me the Willy's. My nose is cold, and the scarcity of planetary petroleum products is not the only thing to be afraid of these days....wooooo

Little Roady Trip

Hey guys, we are back from Providence. What a trip, met some real talent from all across New England and was happy to be among a large group of Maine-iacs, making up almost 10% of the show! Lot's of Maine Crafts Guild members as well as some indie artisans from our great state. The best part about the week-end was reconnecting with the Hawkes, dear friends. We reminisced that the last time we were in Providence was at their wedding and now there darling daughter* is almost 15. Thanks for the great hospitality! What fun to be in a compact deeply diverse city, we had vegan food at the Garden Grille, Haute Cuisine at Chez Pascal, got inspired to be funky at Oop Gallery (glad they are selling our work!) and great coffee at Tazza. True inspiration came from a trip to the Chace Center at RISD, where a new exhibit of Chihuly work has opened the newly built space. I was happy to see some brand new pieces, most of the botanical shows I have seen recently featured work more than 15 or years old. The show featured work of some of the early students of Dale's and I loved the idea of their mutual exploration in glass. One of the first things Dale made his students do according to Michael Glancy was buy a good quality camera....good reminder how important documentation is! Clearly Dale has always been an excellent promoter of glass art. Another show at the RISD art museum was an installation by Beth Lipman.

Beth Lipman
Still Life with Pearls, Antler, and Oysters, 2006
Strange to say but I felt the show was put together especially for me. After You are Gone is the name of the installation, as a glass bubble blower who has made 1000s of decorative blown glass objects I found this commentary on the decorative arts very provocative.....
As a parting note, remember that one's self is one of the most fundamental of all canvases.... Kudos to *Angela for her daring to push the pink loving limits with her new Mohawk!!!

Fine Furnishing Show in Providence Rhode Island

inspires

We are getting ready for the Providence Fine Furnishing and Fine Crafts show.

"Find it. Love it. Buy it at the Fine Furnishings & Fine Craft Shows
- Providence on October 24 – 26 at the Rhode Island Convention Center"

I can't help it but we have been having so much fun getting ready. We plan to show our distinctive blown glass jewelry, but many beautiful individually crafted blown glass pieces showing our range of sculptural and functional work as well.

Autumn's influence has inspired blown glass pumpkins,

churning surf vases, and blazing blown glass tree vases. Living on the coast of Maine we find that we just look outside and the strong influence of mother nature fills us up. I find myself sitting at my glass blowing bench spinning pipe and, boom I see firey trees bubbling forth. Yesterday we spotted our friends Obediah and Kate, of Sullivan, Maine gathering seaweed for their garden. And I am reminded of Ken's life filled tide pool glass sculptures, another little piece of the coast we plan to show this week-end. I hope you'll come to the show to see what we mean.

Blown Glass Beads, Bead Museum

My Papa's Rose Garden, a collection of beads by Linda Perrin recently reviewed by the Bead Museum in Washington, DC

This summer I answered a call from the American Craft Council web site regarding the Bead Museum requesting a review of the work of contemporary bead artists. We sent in images of our beads. And have been honored to be considered one of the top ten artists making handmade beads from hundreds of applicants in 33 states and 14 countries. Our work was featured at a show this last month. You can read about this in an article in our local paper, the Ellsworth American.
Chosen as one of the top ten by the Bead Museum in Washington,DC.

Reminder,
Come See us this week-end at the Camden, Fall Harbor arts and Crafts Fair Oct 4th and 5th!!

Eastport Retreat!

So many craft fairs have we been doing! So recently on one of our few week-ends off we decided to take a road trip! We just needed a little head space. So for the first time in my dozen or so years of living up here in Maine, Ken and I traveled up up up north or what folks around here call "Downeast". We let the car take us where it went. So with not much between here and there, it's no wonder that we ended up in Eastport.
Eastport is pretty much the edge of the United States and when you look out at the great blue yonder here, you see --Oh Canada!
We had a blast. We stayed with Ruth McInnes
in her "one of the oldest houses in the port"
a delightful B&B now.
And walked back and forth to the little artist run strip of a down town. Even found some treasures to bring back home.
In any case I just thought I would let you all know what we have been up to these days. And to urge you to stay tuned cuz there is some interesting news coming out of the hot shop....regarding international competitions, trips to Penland School of Crafts, special work being created for the Fine Furnishing Show in Providence, RI and even a story about lovers being reunited....Autumn is one of our favorite times, very colorful already.
PS
Do you see the resemblance?

Fair Weather

Well, after complaining about the rain in the last post my prayers have been answered, and the sun has finally arrived up here in Downeast Maine. There is a certain feeling in the soft summer-like air up here that all the world comes to discover. We who live here have been appreciating the recent sunshine so much! Since absence makes the heart grow fonder, we have been praising the sun everyday it dries up this year's often misty skies.
Ken and I show at some of the best craft-fairs that pepper New England.
The following is our autumn schedule, so please come see us at one of the following shows. We would just love to show you our latest sparkles....
Designing Women Craft Show in Bar Harbor, ME August 23, 9am-4pm at the Atlantic Oaks Convention Center, Bar Harbor, ME
Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival Sept, 6 and 7, 10am -4pm, Wells, ME
Common Ground Fair, Sept 19, 20 and 21. MOFGA Fair Grounds, Unity, ME
Harbor Arts Juried Arts and Crafts Show, Oct 4 and 5th, Camden ME
Providence Fine Furnishing and Fine Crafts Show, October 24-26, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
Check our Web Site for a preview of glass!!

Dog Days

Hey I was just wondering why we call the "dog days" the "dog days". I'd like to think we've had some, but it just hasn't been hot enough to growl about. I feel a bit guilty being so happy with the cool gray days, but the hot shop has been cozy during the many rain storms of late. In any case today is the official end of the "dog days", so let's at least say hooray for the dogs we know, Grover the goofy golden who accompanies Nate to glass blowing sessions and our little friend Serafina the official hot shop dog and "door bell" who heralds visitors arrivals when we might be too busy to notice....

DOG DAYS: In the summer, Sirius, the dog star rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, "dog days" after the dog star.

The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the precession of the equinoxes (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome. Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt.

Time lapse video of Linda Perrin and Nate Parker

Today Nate helped me work on some "dancing" vases. These pieces are rose colored in honor of the color of summer sunsets, regosa roses and watermelon flesh. We are having a harmonious summer... Living every day to the fullest.
Watch for cameo appearances by Grover (Nate's Golden retriever), Serafina (my little dog), and Ken as he checks to makes sure we are working hard enough!