Happy Halloween from Heart of Glass! 

Glass Lecture Nov 5th NY

NEW YORK METROPOLITAN GLASS CLUB

www.nycglassclub.org

LECTURE ANNOUNCEMENT

 

 “Looking at Lalique"

a Presentation by

NICK DAWES

 

Tuesday Evening, November 5, 2013 at 7:00PM

St. Michael’s Church - 99th Street between Broadway and

Amsterdam Avenue

 

Nicholas Dawes, considered this country’s leading authority on Lalique glass, will be the New York Metropolitan Glass Club’s featured speaker at the second lecture of its 2013/2014 season on November 5.

Mr. Dawes will address the life, times and extraordinary work of fabled glassmaker René Lalique (1860-1945) in an illustrated lecture. He will use recent discoveries and scholarship to illuminate the lesser-known aspects of Lalique’s creative output, beyond his famous and highly collectable glass creations.  We will have an opportunity to see and examine some examples of Lalique from his own collection.  And members are invited to bring some of their own Lalique pieces for identification, appraisal and discussion.

Mr. Dawes is Vice President of Special Collections for Heritage Auctions and is widely known through his frequent appearances as an appraiser for the PBS program, “Antiques Roadshow”, since its launch 18 years ago. He purchased his first piece of Lalique in his native England at age 13 and has specialized in the subject for much of his professional life, moving to New York in 1979 where he has pursued a career as auctioneer, author, appraiser and antiques dealer.

Mr. Dawes is the author of three works on decorative arts including “Lalique Glass”, selected as “Outstanding Art Book” of 1986 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Library, as well as scores of magazine articles.  He has helped to form and sell some of the finest collections of art glass in the world.

We have a new and exciting Club website which will make it easier for members and the Club to stay in touch between meetings.  Check it out at www.nycglassclub.org.  We value your input and would appreciate your comments.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The New York Metropolitan Glass Club meets the first Tuesday of each month (from October through May) at St. Michael’s Church, located at Amsterdam Avenue and West 99th. Street.  St. Michael’s is a land-marked church whose interior was designed by Tiffany Studios.  Annual membership dues range from $25 (student rate) to $75 (for a family).  Attendance on a per meeting basis is $10 per person.  We welcome both new members and visitors. 

Our featured speaker’s presentation begins at 7 PM and is preceded by a wine and cheese reception at 6:30.  After the meeting, many attendees enjoy dinner with friends and fellow club members in one of the numerous restaurants in the neighborhood. 

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, November 5.

For further information, please email us at nyglassclub@gmail.com

Ebay listing from blog reader Tim

After browsing on eBay I finally said enough is enough. I am auctioning off several items and I listed the first one already. More will come. What I did do is include a short commentary on Blenko auctions in my ad. I  have already received some interesting feedback. I'd like to know what your readers think.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261316675891?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649

-Tim


Vintage Blenko #413L Ruby Giant Goblet 
Pre-designerOkay, so you've been looking on eBay for a nice piece of Blenko Glass, but if you do a thorough search as I often do you will see an alarming trend. 1. Most sellers wouldn't know Blenko Glass if came up and slapped them on the face.  Either they are too lazy or out for a quick buck. DO SOME RESEARCH! There are plenty of resources out there! You should never have to see "Blenko?" on an auction. 2. People who are trying to sell at an exorbitant price. Pulling numbers out of  thin air hoping just to make a quick buck, or worse. If they overpaid for their items, that's their fault not yours. You should not subsidize someone else's ignorance. The vast majority of Blenko Glass can be purchased for less that $400-$500. Of course, rare and hard to find pieces are the exception, but those pieces are few and far between. 3. Lastly there are those who slap "RARE" "HARD To FIND" and "ONE OF A KIND" on everything they have.  Here is a rule I was told by a more experienced collector, when I first started, regarding online auctions: 75% of items listed as Blenko are not, and more that half of what is Blenko is either misidentified or over-priced.  On to the good stuff! A little background info on this design. It is a beautiful Ruby giant goblet made during the pre-designer era at Blenko Glass. Blenko Design No. 413L. Blenko Glass was originally called Eureka Art Glass for their discovery of an elusive ruby formula.  Here is a perfect example of all their labor!  Imagine this item as part of your bar set. Better yet--you may even just enjoy it as a beautiful piece of Blenko Art Glass that stands on its own. If you prefer, you can place it on a shelf or window sill and watch the light pass through it. This Giant Goblet stands almost 13 inches tall! I have photographed it next to a Gold 413L (NOT FOR SALE) so you can see how much more substantial this ruby goblet is next to the yellow one. It is quite heavy and thicker than you average giant goblet. You will not regret getting this lovely piece. If you do, send it back and I will refund all of your moneyThere is no cloudiness, glass sickness, breaks or chips of any kind. Of course, it contains some normal wear and of course the Blenko pontil mark.  This item has a fair opening bid and no reserve. Check out my other auctions. Flat shipping rate of $30.00 for this piece (insurance optional) due to it's weight and size.  No hidden fees or charges.  Good luck!


http://www.ebay.com/itm/261316675891?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1586.l2649

Predesigne​r vases Blenko #482

Predesigne​r vases Blenko #482

Hi Hillary,
This is a trio of Pre-designer colored rim vases. These are Blenko #482-S in
Emerald Green, Turquoise, and Sea Green. Hard to photograph but pretty to the
eye.

Hope you enjoy,
Bruce S.

Blenko Glass November Schedule

Please call (877) 425-3656 for questions or to confirm the schedule below
* Schedule for November www.blenkoglass.com - sent to us by Carolee of Tenn. *** check the blenko website for updates to this calendar. 

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember   20122013201420152016 Print
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
27 12:00p: No Demonstrations...	28 8:00a: Glass Making Demonst...	29 8:00a: Glass Making Demonst...	30 8:00a: No Demonstrations...	31 8:00a: Glass Making Demonst...	1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28 All Day: CLOSED for Thanksgiv...	29 8:00a: Black Friday Sale...	30

Blenko #6734

Hi Doc,
Another pair of Myers designed pieces. The diamond stoppered decanter is a
Blenko #6734 in Honey crackle. I actually bid on the decanter body and stopper
separately and waited with much anticipation to see if the stopper would fit the
body. Even though they traveled from opposite ends of the country they mated up
perfectly. The smaller vase in Plum is a Blenko #6614 in crackle finish. I have
tried for months to shoot this pair and only was able to pull it off with the
new equipment. Thank you Kayla.

Hope you enjoy,

Bruce

Blenko Pumpkins on Ebay

Can't get to the Visitor's Center? You can find beautiful vintage Blenko pumpkins on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/400580633005?lpid=82

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLENKO-GLASS-COMPANY-Orange-Art-Glass-Hand-Blown-Pumpkins-set-of-two-2-/281189432618?_trksid=p2054897.l4276

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blenko-Pumpkin-Crackle-Glass-Dreamsicle-Handcrafted-Both-Rare-Color-Crackle-/231073354940?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35cd0b94bc

Glass Artists and the Importance of Notebooks

The following from our Glass Blog friend Tony Patti
Note:   Many collectors are purchasing artist drawings.

Glass Artists and the Importance of Notebooks

People I respect like Ed Schmid and Karl Carter have steadfastly stated that an important step in becoming a better glass artist is keeping a detailed notebook.

My friends at Turning Point Gallery www.turningpointgallery2.com  in Media, PA
today provided me with these examples of notebook pages of the North Carolina Glass Artist John Nygren www.johnnygren.com/gallery.html


I was awestruck by both his work and his detailed notebooks with color sketches.

You may not be able to tell in the reduced-size photos below, but every glass piece, now numbering in the thousands, is sequentially detailed in his notebooks.

Estate Sale with Blenko Glass - 50% OFF - South Charleston - October 19th & 20th

Readers:  Our good friends at PM Estates aka Purple Moon 

sent the following!

        

 

 

 

 

Estate Sale - 601 Rosemont Ave, South Charleston, WV

CLOSEOUT - EVERYTHING MUST GO - 50% OFF

Saturday - October 19, 2013 10am to 4pm and Sunday - October 20, 2013 – Noon to 4pm

WATCH THE PREVIEW VIDEO HERE

601 Rosemont Ave - South Charleston, WV (off Montrose Drive) – CLICK HERE FOR MAP

This charming sale features vintage furnishing including a Broyhill Saga bedroom set, sofas, Asian Modern furnishingss, Oriental-motiff china cabinet, desks and much more!

In perfect time for your Holiday entertaining is a fabulous stand-alone bar and back cabinet, silver plate flatware and service ware and Christmas decor items galore.

Art includes original mid-century paintings, Jere-style wall sculpture along with many unique decorating items.

Appliances available at this sale include two refrigerators.

Many other great collectibles - vintage lighters, books, lamps, Blenko glass, Murano glass, crystal, fine jewelry, mink stoles, vintage men's and women's clothing and so much more! See preview video below for more details.

Doors open promptly  at 10am Saturday, October 19th!

Blenko Find #992

From Blog friend Tim in Tx

 Blenko Find #992

We found this piece some time ago, but finally put it up on display. We got it for a very good price. We spoke to Mr. Blenko (Bill Jr.) and he told us many of these were shipped to Texas (for obvious reasons) but this is the first one we ever encountered in the "wild" We saw one at the Huntington Museum and have seen one or two damaged ones for sale on eBay, but they seem fairly scarce. While it is a wall pocket and winner of a Good Design Award as a wall pocket, I would never hang it as a wall pocket. I can just imagine a stress crack or break or even worse.

-Tim

Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro di Murano)

Murano Glass Museum (Museo del Vetro di Murano) from Blog Friend Toni P




I saw this short (four minute) video of the Museo del Vetro di Murano (Murano Glass Museum).

I wanted to share it as a source of inspiration, especially for those starting a new semester.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-zeMWZE0d0

You can also visit the Murano Glass Museum official website at http://museovetro.visitmuve.it/en/home/

The Murano Glass Museum (Italian: Museo del Vetro) is a museum on the history of glass, including local Murano glass, located on the island of Murano, just north of Venice, Italy.

The museum is located in the Palazzo Giustinian. The palace was the residence of the bishops of Torcello.

It was originally built in the Gothic style as a patrician's palace. The building became the residence of Bishop Marco Giustinian in 1659. He later bought it and donated it to the Torcello diocese.

The Glass Museum was founded in 1861. It is located close to the "Museo" vaporetto water bus stop. The museum is run by the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE).

Bullseye Glass Company Resource Center New York is opening soon!

Bullseye Glass is excited to announce that Bullseye Resource Center New York, our first resource center on the East Coast, will be opening soon!

What is a Bullseye Resource Center?
 •Your direct connection to the Bullseye factory, a place to experience our complete line of glass and accessories.
•A showroom displaying finished work—everything from art to functional objects—to inspire and inform users about the wide range of methods available for working with the material.
•A training facility where artists and makers can learn about kiln-glass, or where experienced kilnformers can add new skills. Check out the October-December class schedule—including Realism to Abstraction: Breaking Down and Zooming In with Kari Minnick.

We're still putting the final touches on the new space, but will be open for business on October 8. And here are some other important dates to remember:

Grand Opening Celebration – October 26
 Open house from 2-5pm. Join us for the ribbon cutting ceremony and the opening of Painting with Glass, our gallery's inaugural exhibit.

First Fall Sale – November 13-16
 Four fun days of fabulous deals on glass and supplies.

A Brief History of Kilnformed Glass – November 23
 Don't miss this fascinating lecture by New York artist Jane Bruce.

Location
 115 Hoyt Ave
 Mamaroneck, NY 10543
 Map & driving directions

914.835.3794
 newyork@bullseyeglass.com
 bullseyeglass.com/newyork



Bullseye Glass Co. is a leader in promoting glass art worldwide through quality production of colored glass for art and architecture, research and education, and the presentation of innovative glass art in its galleries.

www.bullseyeglass.com/products/resource-center-new-york.html?utm_campaign=5bd00fcc50-2013017_RCNY_opening&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Bullseye+Glass+Co.+Newsletter&utm_term=0_c1c516a2ed-5bd00fcc50-37730485

Blenko Catalogs www.blenkoproject.org

We now have all  Blenko Catalogs available for viewing at www.blenkoproject.org   this website contains all the catalogs.

Thanks to Dr V, George D,   E.D,  Lorin  and Blenko Glass for making this possible.

Blenko Glass 2013 -2014 Catalog

Blenko Glass Company, Milton, WVa 
The Blenko Glass 2013-2014 catalog is available for purchase at the Blenko Glass Gift Shop and Visitors Center.  The fee is less than $5.
If you are a collector of WV or Blenko Glass you'll want to purchase this catalog.

The Blenko Project www.blenkoproject.org offers a complete selection of Blenko Glass catalogs which are available for research , identification and viewing at no cost.
Dr. V has added the 2013-14 catalogs, http://www.blenkoproject.org/2011-present
If you have catalogs or other paper items you would like to see published for the glass communities use please contact   The Blenko Project  theblenkoproject@aol.com. 
We welcome these items.  

The Blenko Glass Co.  2013-14 Catalog

Thank you Lorin for this information.

Milton Pumpkin Festival

Today will be  posting photos of Blenko  taken by blog reader M.  These photos were taken at the Milton Pumpkin Festival this weekend.

 Folks we apologize for not informing you about this Halloween  outing.
We work 30 miles north of Charleston (more than 60 miles from Blenko).  The only way 'we' know when Blenko Glass will be at an event, or what Blenko is doing for a holiday -  Halloween,  Xmas etc is if someone from Blenko or the community sends the information to the blog, email, or phones us.

The history with this communication isn't always good.  Blenko has a small office staff and everyone is very busy.  Dr V and I also have jobs and are busy, Dr V and I take our after work hours for Blenko Project updates and  to keep the Blog publishing photos of Blenko Glass.  When photos of NEW Glass is sent to us from Blenko Glass, we publish photos of new glass.  If we don't receive current info or current glass photos - we rely on photos of vintage glass sent to us by readers.

Hope this helps to explain the situation.  Neither Dr V nor I work for Blenko,  or visit Blenko more than twice a year. Dr V  is a Phd Engineer / Researcher and I'm a Dentist  we both work 40+ hours ( same as  the Blenko office staff).   Blenko is open ( office 8 to 4)  Visitor Center is open 9 to 5  - check the hours  by phoning Blenko Glass. 

Thank you for the photos -   and again we apologize for not having this information.

We suggest you phone 304 743 9081  every few weeks and ask Blenko what's new!

Who Designed Blenko Glass #3402

oops.  i may have not included the original message in my reply, leaving you to wonder 'what the heck is this photo?'  i apologize and sending photo with previous messages.

---

Please send a photo of the vase in question.

 Subject: Who designed #3402?

i identified my blenko vase as #3402 on pdf page 24 of the 2002 catalog.

was #3402 designed by richard blenko or matt carter?

or were there other unnamed designers at that time?

what a fantastic website!!!

i can't imagine the dedication and hard work that goes into it.

thank you!

regards,

victoria

Victoria,  We are happy the Blenko Project website   www.blenkoproject.org was helpful to you.   It is our desire to have all Blenko Glass Company catalogs published on line for use by collectors to identify their glass.   There is no fee for the use of the Blenko Project archive of Blenko Glass Catalogs.   We plan to add other WV Glass manufactures catalogs within the next 5 years.  We're in the process of acquiring catalogs.

RE:  who designed your glass,  we will send email to Matt Carter,  Rick Blenko and also Blenko Glass.   Check back for response. 
 

  1 Attached Images

Slump Fest 2013 Oct 19-20

http://www.slumpys.com/SlumpFest-2013

Saturday October 19, 2013 (8:30am-5:00pm) and
Sunday October 20, 2013 (8:30am-4:00pm) at

Slump's
710 Catawba Street
Belmont, North Carolina 28012

Early Bird Special
Tickets purchased before 10/1/2013 are $250
Tickets purchased after 10/1/2013 are $295

Ticket price includes:
·        Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner on Saturday
·        Breakfast and Lunch on Sunday
·        ALL supplies needed for classes (except tools, bring your own tools)
·        Slumpy’s Slumpfest T-Shirt
·        VIP access to new storefront while attending
·        Percent off discount coupon codes, and free shipping for orders of $250 or more
·        Discounted rates at local hotels
·        Lucas Krenzin will be teaching crackle technique, plus other techniques
·        Erica Biery will be teaching glass stamping technique, plus other techniques

**PLEASE NOTE T-SHIRT SIZE IN THE SHIPPING NOTES SECTION DURING CHECKOUT**

Parking will be available in the Main Office parking lot on 8th and Catawba Street.

Blenko Husted minitures from 1960

 Blenko Husted minitures from 1960


Hi Hillary,
Just getting the chance to shoot some more shots with Kayla's new camera.
Finally have all the various pieces that make up the Husted 1960 miniature set.
From the left is the Blenko #60-B in Sea Green, Blenko 60-F in Tangerine, Blenko
60-C in Jonquil, Blenko #60-A in Sea Green, Blenko #60-D in Amethyst, and the
Blenko #60-E in Jonquil Variant.
Hope you enjoy,
Bruce S.

Bruce - Please share information about Kayla's camera.  I'm looking for a new camera,  in the past
we've had several inquiries re: camera purchase.  hjh

In the Mix: Glass and Ceramics (combining while hot)

In the Mix: Glass and Ceramics (combining while hot)



The current issue of GASnews (Glass Art Society Newsletter), Spring 2013 has a very interesting article  concerning the quest to combine WHILE HOT the two materials glass and ceramics.

 Below are the first three paragraphs from the article, so you can decide if you want to read more at
http://viewer.epaperflip.com/Viewer.aspx?docid=e94ed3fa-724d-4d18-bc82-a19e00c43b8b#?page=8
By Dr. Jessamy Kelly

As an undergraduate student, I was always told that glass and ceramics could not be combined in a hot state and that I should not waste my time trying to make them mix; it just would not work. Many glass students have received this same message at some point in their education.  At the time I did not like hearing this information, but relented and decided that perhaps gluing them together was a good option. This got me an effective quick fix, but a few years later I decided I wanted more. I applied some perseverance to this challenging question: how do I mix these two difficult materials in a hot state? My doctoral research managed to answer this question and turn the first statement on its head - glass and ceramics can indeed be combined in a hot state.

I completed my practice-based PhD at the University of Sunderland in 2009.  Through my research I successfully combined glass and ceramics in a hot state, resulting in the creation of a unique series of blown and cast artworks that fused the two mediums into one. The opportunity to re-write glass and ceramics history was quite a coup – although if anyone had seen my earlier testing they would have thought I was quite mad, and indeed possibly wasting my time, as most of the samples cracked at the beginning. Until I found my secret ingredient – quartz added to bone china. In this article, I will talk about my research, my search for materials that would aid my testing and the artworks that were created. I will also talk about the scientific, historical and contemporary context that inspired and guided me through this process.

It is usually best to start off with the material science; the mediums of glass and ceramics are renowned for being difficult to combine, and are usually regarded as being incompatible due to differences in the materials’ structure. Basically, glass expands when you heat it and ceramic shrinks. Glass and ceramics have many related material qualities and are processed in similar ways. Chemically they are alike; however structurally they are very different, which creates compatibility issues when they are combined in a hot state.