Sunday 11/14/21
On Sundays I reflect.
I didn’t drink alcohol this week.
Friday was opening day at Vail. I wouldn’t say coverage is great as only two runs are open, but it did feel good to get back on my board for a few laps. Now that its out of my system I’ll probably wait for more snow, though it’s great to know I can go take a lap any time I feel like it. Beaver creek will open in a few weeks and I’m hoping that when I return from Miami Art Week we have a solid base here on the mountains!
I’ve been blowing glass every day this week. My friend Germ came out to spend a week working in the studio with me. We’ve been making dry pipes and cups all week, some of which are currently available but waiting on photos. We are so thankful to the folks who have already bought our collaborations and excited to share the remaining work. We still have a few days and more projects in the works before he goes back to Philly and I think our best work is ahead of us.
Germ has been a friend of mine for almost a decade but in the beginning I am not so sure he considered us to be friends. We met at industry events back when I was an apprentice and too afraid of failing to turn on a torch. Over the years I gained confidence, and very slowly (like a snail’s pace) I developed skills with glass that I finally feel worthy of bringing to the table to collaborate with artist’s the like of Germ and other OG artists who now hold 20 years of experience to my 10. I guess Germ would probably say I grew on him over the years, and finally with enough nagging he finally made the trek to the mountains to throw down at Bat Country Studios. It’s been one hell of a week!
So many artists took me in back when I had nowhere to go. Germ was one of those people, making sure I had a place to stay any time I showed up to Philadelphia. Over the years he’s been like an older brother and mentor to me. It has been a real privilege to share my studio with him after all these years and to be able to spend the week making art together there. I never would have made it here without the support I received from the community and now that I have my studio in the mountains I hope to be able to provide the same kind of support I have been shown.
In addition to creating work with Germ this week I have also been working on projects with Wigged Out Art and OLDGREED. I also finished a fully worked composition notebook collaboration pint glass with some of the last prep I had from Firekist. As someone who is hypercritical of his own work, I have to say this one might be without any flaws. I don’t want to call it perfect because I am not sure there is such a thing when it comes to handmade original art, but I think it must be the nicest encalmo cup I have made. Typically at least one lip wrap comes out wavy or the lip has a blip but this one I really feel like I nailed it. You never know what the volume of a vessel will be until you take it out of the kiln the next day, and they say the kiln has a magical ability to shrink glass overnight. Not really, but sometimes thats how it feels opening the kiln in the morning. This particular pint holds 18 ounces making it perfect for a beer with room for head. I’m anxiously awaiting photo edits so I can get it listed on the site if it doesn’t sell in the meantime.
But my team of photographers have been a bit preoccupied with a special project putting other edits on hold. We are just four days away from the first ever Thirsty Thursday Grip Grab with SALT over on the Glass Grab App. We have presold ten VIP tickets through the app and I have received ten cups from SALT. He told me he might squeeze out one or two more last minute but I’m not holding my breath. We have been working together to create a new ticketed VIP drop feature on the app which we will be putting to the test this Thursday night at 8PM EST. Each VIP will have a preview of the available work one hour before the drop, which will give each VIP two minutes to make a single selection from the available work. Every two minutes the next in line will be able to checkout until each person has had a chance to purchase one cup. After everyone has a chance to pick a selection if any cups remain they will have five minutes to purchase a second piece before the drop goes live to the public through the app. I can honestly say that these shot glasses, cups, and mugs are my favorite batch I have ever gotten from SALT. He made one of the mugs with my composition notebook prep which is our first collaboration since 2016. He also made a mug in his signature color Spanish Olive which he told me is the most detailed mug he has ever made. The only other time I have withheld work for this long was the summer show Mug Mania and I’ll admit I wish I could share the pieces with you now. If you really want to see the work ASAP sign up for the Glass Grab App and tune in Thursday night for the drop!
I am glad to be back to writing this weekly blog, but I am also feeling called to get to the studio again today. I’ll be running Sunday Specials as always and working on a few more projects with Germ. If you are interested in owning any of my recent work, or making a deal on anything you’ve had your eyes on from the site please reach out and I will work with you to get that perfect piece. The holiday’s are coming up and it’s definitely not too early to support artists and independent businesses as we prepare for the holiday season. None of this would be possible without support from people like you.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy your Sunday!
BB
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