Glass

Glass blowers like alchemists
Transform one thing into another
Melting glass until it flows
They blow in life
To create new forms

Heating and cooling
Twisting turning
Shaping
Adding layers of colour
A thing of beauty emerges
Each piece unique




Transparent opalescent
With a lightness
Forged in hot furnaces
Each glass artist
Finds his style
Beauty born of fire

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The bottom piece was bought at Robert Held's studio some 35 years ago. You can read about glassblowing from his web site

Chihuly

Chihuly, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I first saw the work of Chihuly in London at Kew Gardens in 2005. The glass forms were integrated with the plants in the green houses and glass sculptures of one kind or another were in various spots outdoors - in the pond, in front of the green house, near the tearoom... Yet this introduction could not prepare me for the magical world I found at the Montreal museum.



He plays with form, colour and light, creating fantastical settings. A smile broke out as I climbed the stairs and never left as I discovered each new space.

Playfulness, joy, exuberance, fantasy. What an adventure!



It is a voyage to other worlds - lands of whimsy.

You can see all my Chihuly photos here on Flickr

Wise Owl

Owl, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

As I think more seriously about moving, I'm having to make many choices about what to keep and what to dispose of. And then there is a question of how to dispose of things so that what can be reused finds a new home.

My newly found wisdom realizes that things can become burdens. Downsizing will eventually feel light. Will I remember this wisdom once ensconced in my yet to be found new place? Or will I be acquiring again after a big purge of stuff?

Friday Evening

Friday Evening, a photo by susanvg on Flickr.

I've never been a big drinker. Bringing up two children on my own I had this fierce need to always be in control in case of all the "what ifs" As they are now adults, I've eased up on the demands I made on myself and have learned to enjoy the occasional pre-dinner drink. A little time to mellow out as the weekend sets in.

Day 216: Glass Houses

Day 216: Glass Houses, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Toronto spreads and keeps spreading. What always surprises me is just how far from the centre there are still office towers and tall apartment buildings. A number of them are mirror-like, interesting to see but a hazard for birds who see what seems to be the continuation of the sky. I found a number of articles all stating that up to 5 per cent of birds are killed this way.

At one point I had one window in my house that was tinted so I could work without the sun glare. In daytime it was like a one way mirror. From the outside you could not see in. At one point a young cardinal kept coming back to perch on the window ledge, occasionally pecking at its image. Unbeknownst to him, my two cats were watching him from inside, no farther than the thickness of the glass. After a couple of weeks he stopped coming. My cats had to find another source of amusement. No birds were killed taking this photograph!

Day 86: Hand Blown Glass

Day 86: Hand Blown Glass, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I love good craftmanship. Some years ago I went to Vancouver and a friend of mine took me to Robert Held's glass studio. It was a fascinating experience. In the area where the glass is blown, there were a couple of furnaces with fires blazing inside. Rock music blasted from speakers trying to drown out the roar of the fires. At each furnace a skilled glassblower carefully formed the shapes of the objects and meticulously added the layers of coloured glass. Turning and blowing, the object took shape. I was told that some young street people had been trained to be glass blowers. Working in this environment seemed to suit their temperament. They must have felt enormous satisfaction and pride turning out such beautiful objects.

The pieces in the gallery were magnificent and so were the prices. This bowl sat among the seconds - pieces with slight flaws that did not meet the exacting standards of a master glass blower. I love to look at the colours in the glass and marvel at its intricacy. Despite having seen the process, it still seems like magic to me that someone can control the placement of the colours with such precision. It is quite a gift to be an artist.