In the Studio

Holiday cheer and family fun. A quirky take on an intimate space typically found in an iconic Irish pub. [...]

Summer's Fading into fall... and this is my FAVORITE time of the year! [...]

I like it, but… the colors are not quite right. Can you make one with (insert colors here that match my decor better) and maybe a little smaller (or bigger, or longer, or wider, or narrower)? The piece they really, really liked was Winter Blue, and could a I make a piece with that composition in colors that would match their home better?        Of course! That is the prime definition of a commission. But it will be different, since I don’t work from patterns – even trying to recreate the composition will result in a completely new window. Turning Maples is similar compositionally to [...]

Why should you apply for a public art commission if you are don't meet all the 'qualifications' exactly? [...]

Well, no, but you will have the artwork a lot longer than you have the sofa, so is that really important? And contrast is good, which in designer speak is called ‘accent colors’, so go ahead, buy that painting, pottery, art glass that you love… it truly will compliment your home, even if it doesn’t match the sofa. The simple secret to collecting artwork is to LOVE it.  All else will fall into place, and you will find a place to display it – even if you think you don’t have space. I come from a [...]

Everyone always asks, “How do you do that?” Well, the answer to that is actually not too complicated. I start with an idea, usually a photo, or a sketch, or a painting. Then I begin choosing the glass. The glass can be in a palette that matches the inspiration imagery or it can be something that you may like. Either way, I begin by laying out the glass intuitively while glancing at the inspiration image Step 1 With the inspirational image of a Super Nova star exploding in the background, the glass is being laid out on the work table. You can see the [...]

In my previous life as an architect, we would ask our clients what they absolutely really needed, what they would really like, and what that one really “wow” factor was. Then we would ask what the budget was… and sometimes reality got in the way. But there is always a way to work around limitations– that is what creative vision is about in the design (and art) world. In working out the plans, I would design as many of the likes and “wow’s” into the project as feasible, but creative editing is a good thing. Sometimes, the compromise is actually better than [...]