Glasscaster: Hot Glass Talk In A High-tech World

Join Robert Mickelsen on his journey through the ever-evolving world of fine flameworking! In this interview we discuss his entrance into the functional glass world, and the fabulous collaborations that followed. 

I'd always wanted to interview Lisa Vogt...she was the first artist I knew who made glass sinks, which were high on my bucket list at the time. She's been working glass since 1988, has published 14 books and numerous articles. Her work has been exhibited in major cities throughout the US.  She's done plenty of Art in Public Places, many commissions, and she's a terrific instructor. We've produced quite a few Glass Expert Webinars™ together. We ran into each other recently at a glass industry event, and finally had the opportunity to do this interview while hiding out in a somewhat cavernous and echoey back room.  You can find out more about Lisa at www.lisavogt.net And you can access her recorded webinars here: https://www.glasspatterns.com/glass-patterns-quarterly-store/category/209-recorded-webinar-links.html?page=2 Enjoy the podcast!

I was lucky enough to interview Bert Cohen, known to the world as Marble Bert, by phone back in 2011 for a magazine article. Bert believed it was way better for kids to shoot marbles than drugs or each other! He collected hundreds of thousands of marbles in his lifetime, and gave away almost as many! I just located this interview file after all these years....it was missing in action on an old laptop. Sadly, Bert passed away in 2015 at the age of 83. Here he is, digitally immortalized for your listening pleasure. Enjoy this insight into the history and world of marbles!

Join us as we take a trip down memory lane with glass fusing artist Richard La Londe. You'll delight in hearing how fusing has transformed since the early days. Reminisce about kilns with no digital controls and shoot-from-the-hip firing schedules. Remember the days when frit was smashed by hand! Find out about the origins of Bullseye Glass and the efforts of the original artists that made it all happen! Fusing wouldn't be where it is today without the adventurous spirit of Richard and his creative cohorts. Have a listen and enjoy!

If you've ever wanted to throw caution to the wind and shatter your glass before you play with it, you've come to the right place! Tony Glander loves breaking tempered glass and reassembling it, then popping it into his kiln for transformation. In this interview he'll tell you about his "Shatterglass" technique, his photographic screen printing, evolution as an artist, and what inspires him.  He thinks in marvelous and mysterious ways, loving to break the rules that we've come to think of as norms in fused glass work. Enjoy this Glasscaster podcast. And if you'd like to take a 2-hour online webinar workshop with Tony, you can Find Out More HERE   

If you've ever wondered how traditional old-world ornaments were made, here's how! Michael Haberland, a third generation ornament artist from Lauscha, Germany, shares the entire process with you. In addition to finding out how traditional European ornaments are created, you will also find out first-hand what it was like for this young man growing up under Communism, and how life has changed since the Wall came down! An insightful look into glass, history, and the politics of our times!  If you'd like to meet Michael, or enjoy one of his Christmas ornament workshops, come with us to Lauscha, Germany! We host a small tour every summer.

Join Glasscaster as we share an exciting look into the world of Peggy Pettigrew Stewart. Her work with fused glass, kiln casting and Verre Eglomise has brought the world some phenomenal glass art. We discuss at length her current project casting the faces of some of rock and roll's greatest legends in glass. Focusing specifically on the San Francisco Bay area bands during the Summer of Love, she has cast the faces of Big Brother and the Holding Company, (Janis Joplin's Band), Country Joe McDonald of Country Joe and the Fish, some members of the Jefferson Airplane, and all of Santana. These complex pieces of glass each take several painstaking months to create, and are all a labor of love. There are many more stars to immortalize, and Peggy shares her concepts and methods in this insightful interview. Rock on, Peggy!

Edith Franklin was one of the lucky few to participate in the   legendary 1962 glass workshop with Harvey Littleton. This momentous occassion heralded the beginning of the Studio Glass Movement.  In this interview Franklin shares her memories of Littleton, Nick Labino and the humble beginnings of studio glass. A potter by trade, she was one of Littleton's ceramics students. He had a profound influence on her career; she continued in clay and eventually co-founded the Toledo Potters Guild. Known as the Grand Dame of the Arts  Franklin was one of the earliest board members of the Arts Commission in Toledo. She was an ardent activist for arts-based programming for inner city youth. Edith Franklin passed on just a few weeks after this interview. Her intellect, enthusiasm, and fiery spirit will be sorely missed.

Travel from Paris to Pakistan with glass artist Milon Townsend! Hear about his early adventures with fire and glass, and how how path led from flameworking to casting and back. Enjoy thoughtful discussions about teaching, webinars, and intellectual property. Plus....a little bonus content on homemade explosive devices and how glassblowers like to make things go "boom!" Join us April 30th and May 2nd for Milon's first online workshop! This first webinar, "Flameworking Dichroic Glass" will be an exciting exploration of some of his newest techniques, developed just for this LIVE EVENT! Find out more (and register) at www.glasspatterns.com. This podcast is sponsored by Glasscraft Inc.

You're going to love this interview with the Great Santini! One of the most talented transplanted Italians to grace American shores, Emilio's comedic antics will have you rolling in the aisles! You'll learn about life, love and the pursuit of happiness from one of the foremost flameworkers of our times. We'd like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast: www.glasscraftinc.com To see some of Emilio's work and find out more about him, go to: www.santiniemilio.com Ciao!

If you don't know Tom Philabaum, you should! And here's your chance! This is an artist who's life story reads like an adventure novel….He studied with Harvey Littleton, has worked with Dale Chihuly, and has created immense public installations, including glass waterfalls and flying carpets! Now involved exploring the architectural limits of Dalle de Verre, he's a man of many talents. Have you ever enjoyed a Flame Off? You can thank Tom for that! He's the force behind the Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, where the Flame Off style of team competition originated. He has also given unselfishly over decades with the Glass Art Society. So pull up a chair and have a listen. This talented and laid-back artist is more influential than you ever dreamed!  Be on the lookout for excerpts of this interview to appear in the 1/2013 issue of Glashaus Magazine…. Interview recorded at the 2012 Glass Art Society Conference.

As so many parents and children get ready for “Back to School” and anticipate the excitement of a fresh start and a new school  year, I wanted to share some memories of Fairglade, my all-time favorite school. This alternative educational environment, which changed the lives of hundreds of families, was located in Miami, Florida. Enjoy the recollections of Ms. Karen Collins, who ran the school for many years. This interview will share poignant and cherished memories that will be especially meaningful to Fairglade families and students, but really is an inspiring look at what real education is all about, and is therefore applicable to everyone who teaches and learns. As  “Miss Karen” closes the door on her earthly existence, and preens her wings for skyward flight, I wanted all the world to hear, in her own words, what Fairglade meant to her and to many of us who’s lives were transformed by the Fairglade experience.

Join us on a trip down memory lane as Fred shares his wacky and perilous journey behind the Iron Curtain. Obsessed by the glass of Lauscha, no regime could keep this passionate artist away. Home to some of the most complex glass techniques in the world, Fred risked life and limb to befriend a number of the influential artists who's work was hidden from the world in communist East Germany. Follow Fred's adventures and learn about the precise nature of the montage vessels created by Kurt Wallstab and Albrecht Greiner-Mai, among others. You'll also come away from this interview with a clearer insight as to the influence of the communist government on the lives of the artists in Lauscha. Within that context, the work of these German artists appears all the more provocative. precise and fascinating. We would like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about them at www.glasscraftinc.com

Margaret Neher fashions fabulous flameworked flowers using borosilicate glass. Influenced and inspired by the Blaschka glass flowers, her attention to detail allows her to create spectacularly lifelike work. Textures and patterns are her constant companions, and she finds them everywhere! If you have ever worked at making your own glass flowers, you'll get great technical advice here on how to prevent (and cure!) fractures, cracks and other unanticipated separations.  Find out more about her at www.margaretneher.com.  Excerpts of this interview can be seen in the March/April 2012 issue of Glass Art Magazine We would like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Check them out at www.glasscraftinc.com

Join your host, Marcie Davis, and Deborah Carlson, as they explore ways of getting in touch with your inner artist. By getting ego out of the way and reconnecting with the spirit of play, you can find your creative center. Playtime with Deb gives you ideas for getting beyond ego in both individual and group settings. Look for excerpts of this podcast in the upcoming issue of The Flow Magazine. Sponsored by Glasscraft Inc.

Join us for an under-the-sea sojourn with Kimberly Affleck! Her seahorses are delightful and unique. She shares how they came to be and her journey of discovery through glass. You'll also great technical advice on how to work soft glass silver colors; how to get them to "pop" and generate the great effects that they're known for. We'd like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Excerpts of this interview are featured in the November/December 2011 issue of Glass Art Magazine. PODCAST PERKS: Get 10% OFF your next purchase at www.firelady.com COUPON CODE: PODCAST 

Get a rare glimpse into the boyhood memories of Lucio Bubacco and Emilio Santini. Friends since birth, they share some of the hilarity of growing up together in Murano, Italy. Join us as two of the world's foremost flamework artists share their common past. Find out how Lucio's work evolved, what themes and influences are important to him, and how mythology, philosophy and sexuality converge to create some of the most complex flameworked pieces in the history of the art. This episode is sponsored by our friends at Glasscraft Inc. Find out more about them at: www.glasscraftinc.com. This interview was featured in the Spring, 2011 issue of The Flow Magazine. Note: English is not Lucio's first language! PODCAST PERKS: Get 10% Off your next purchase at www.firelady.com. COUPON CODE: PODCAST.

Join us for the first installment of "The Invasion of the Italian Stallions" featuring Cesare Toffolo. This Muranese Maestro shares his life, his work, and his innovations in glass. As a special bonus, we have a guest appearance by Emilio Santini, our talented and mischievous translator. This interview was conducted at the International Flameworking Conference. You can see excerpts of it featured in the Winter, 2011 issue of Glashaus Magazine. We would like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about them at www.glasscraftinc.com. If YOU would like to sponsor a podcast, contact me at firelady@gate.net. (Details at www.fireladyproductions.com). PODCAST PERKS: Get 10% OFF Your Next Purchase at www.firelady.com. COUPON CODE: PODCAST

Witness the birth of the Studio Glass Movement through the eyes of Marvin Lipofsky. As one of the students that participated in Harvey Littleton's first glassblowing class, he was present from the beginning. His work as a glass artist has taken him all over the world, where he was often the first American artist to collaborate with local factory workers. From the Czech Republic to Russia, Japan, Finland and Yugoslavia, this international glass master has seen it all. You'll also hear about the events leading to the formation of the Glass Art Society. We would like to thank Glasscraft, Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Find out more about them at: www.glasscraftinc.com. And remember to tell them you heard about them on Glasscaster! Printed excerpts of this podcast can be seen in the Summer, 2010 issue of The Flow Magazine.

  Build your dreams in glass! Engineer Tim Macfarlane shares a bit about the complexities of determining the stress, strain and structural strength of our favorite sparkly material. He brings architects' visions to life, an accomplishment that is no small feat!   You may recognize his work when treading upon sculptural glass staircases at Apple stores around the world. Or climbing the ruby red staircase at Times Square to usher in the New Year.    But it's not all about the modern application of glass as a building material....   He's also working on the restoration of a historic building in Virginia, circa 1769. Replacing missing sections with glass makes it "clear" to all the separation of the old from the new. A conservators dream! Or is it? Find out more in this engaging interview.