Work in Progress

Sneak peek at my newest project. This is the largest piece of artwork I have embarked upon in its most primitive stages. What you are looking at is the first layer of patina on copper sheet. Stay tuned....glass work yet to come on this one.

Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center

Chris, Jen, and I will be showing artwork at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in Pennsburg PA from May 2011 to July 2011. I sincerely hope you can join us to view Chris's digitalized landscape paintings, Jen's sculptural weavings, capturing a local folk art in a modern way, and my nature inspired glass art. The opening reception is set for Sunday May 1st. I will post the hours closer to the date. We are all really looking forward to this show, and Schwenkfelder has such a beautiful gallery space. While you are there, please check out the many historical Pennsylvania Dutch heritage displays throughout the building. From antique Fraktur drawings, early PA Dutch printing presses, hand carved furniture, and looms, to gorgeous handmade quilts, a tour of Schwenkfelder is an amazing way to spend some time.

Reservoir, 9000 ft.

Winner of Best Airscape, Terra Firma Exhibition, Studio B, Boyertown PA, May 2009

I created this piece recently as part of my satellite image body of work. This is my interpretation of Green Lane Reservoir and the surrounding areas from 9000 ft. above the earth. Mostly rural, this piece is very different from the satellite image of Reading. Instead of urban areas, in this piece mainly fields and forested land surround this particular water source. However, the impact of our bustling modern human lifestyle on the landscape is clearly evident in the enormous road systems that intersect and run all through, on top of really, the otherwise beautiful, primarily agricultural and wooded area.

This is the area where I live and so I am close to this particular satellite image. When I go to Green Lane Park I can still hear the traffic of the highways that flank the park on all sides. It strikes me, and hard, that there is little area near where I live to escape the madness of commerce, the rush of contemporary life. Many of the surrounding farmers are selling their land because they cannot make ends meet growing food. Farming, a profession that has sustained humans since the beginning of time, is becoming obsolete. The loss of family farms holds a huge impact for humans, as well as the landscape and surrounding natural areas not only in this area, but all over the country.

In Reservoir, 9000 ft. I have captured a moment leading into a different age. We may not recognize this landscape in 10 years. Perhaps in 10 years most of the farmland and forested land you see here will be housing developments and quarries.

Landscape and Industry at Goggleworks

Please come and see my satellite image captured in glass, Reading from 2000 ft., at the Goggleworks group show Landscape and Industry. The Opening Reception is May 7th 2009 5:30 pm-7:30 pm. The exhibit runs from May 10, 2009-June 14, 2009. I hope you can make it in to see all the talented artists in the area take on this interesting subject matter.

Dark Blue Swirl Bowl and Tile Set

I have been sold out of this particular design in bowl and tile sets since the winter. This set is brand new just in time for spring!

Rainbow Bowl and Tile Set

Designing bowl and tile sets is such a fun thing for me to do! I love the process and the results are always rewarding. This one is so colorful and cheerful, it would be nearly impossible not to fall in love with it!

Mica Bowl

Fresh out of the kiln, this bowl was a rather nice surprise. I blew mica onto black radium glass in the hopes of creating something truly unique and I was not disappointed. After cold working, the piece was slumped into a large bowl and viola, the pictures speak for themselves!

Student Work-Betty Price (and my son Dylan

Above are two tiles in progress designed by Betty Price. The green one is all Betty's creation and it looks great! The blue one Betty made with the help of my four year old son Dylan. You can certainly tell the difference in artists between the two...Dylan is really into capturing the whole rainbow of glass colors in one piece!

I am excited to get these tiles cold worked and in the kiln for the fire polishing. They will become votive holders for Betty to display in her home when I am done with the final slump fire.

Student Work-Nancy Klick

This is a work in progress. Nancy designed this 4 x 4 tile during her visit, and I will cold work it and slump it for her. I think it looks great and another person that visited my studio last week commented on how much she liked it too! This decorative tile will eventually become a votive holder for Nancy to display in her home.

Unfortunately I am a little behind on my cold working right now so finishing this up has been going slower than I had hoped. I have a huge backlog of pieces that need to get sawed, ground, and sanded, then fire polished. I am hoping to get a fire polish in this week though.

Stay tuned to see the finished product!

Reading From 2000 ft.

This is a new piece I made for submission in a group art show with a theme of "Landscape and Industry." It is my interpretation of a satellite view of Reading, where the interchanges of 222 meet at Penn Ave/Penn St. You can see the Schuylkill River, and next to it a small part of the city. This piece was fired in 2 parts initially and then those two parts were fused together in another firing. After that it was cold worked and fire polished into what you see in the pictures.

The first layer is set on almond colored glass. The trees and natural areas around the river are represented by glass frits in green colors. the river itself is designed from copper leafing and several different colored frits, all in shades of blue. The city is created from glass melted through stainless steel. This process creates the glass swirls you see and also accounts for the building lines. Stainless steel leaves some metal residue on the glass when I fire it in such a way and it is a very interesting design element. Certainly perfect for this project! Some of the buildings and parking lots you can see are represented by copper mesh, and others with mica powders I painted on there with the help of a gum arabic and water mixture. This layer was fused with a layer of clear glass to laminate it.

The second layer was a base of sheet glass onto which I constructed and adhered the road systems. The roads are designed with copper coiling wire and all bent and arranged according to the appearance of the city at a 2000 ft. altitude. The second layer was laminated and fused.

The next firing fused the two layers together. When that firing was complete, cold working began. The sides were cut square to expose the edges of the copper wire fused within. I sanded it to a fine finish and beveled the edges slightly, then it went back into the kiln for a fire polishing.

The finished piece of artwork is 7.5" W x 5.5" H x .5" D. It is shown unframed. My wonderful husband will be welding a stainless steel frame it before it due to be shown in the gallery show.

Student Work-In Progress

These snapshot photos are of a student's work. Erin Reinhart made these 4 fused tiles and this pendant on January 3rd. Since Erin lives in Baltimore and cannot just visit PA for several weekends in a row, I will be doing the cold working, fire polish, and will be slumping the pieces. The 4 tiles will turn into 4 little sushi bowls and I can't wait to see them finished! The pendant will eventually have a sterling silver bail attached to it so she can wear it and show it off to all her friends.

For info on instruction time in my studio, please e-mail me at adriaoglass@ovdiyenko.com. I will do one-on-one sessions or two-on-one sessions on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (normally you would have 2 sessions in a row (a week apart), 2 hours each session-4 hours total-then the next week you would pick up your finished, slumped project). No more than 2 people at a time, please. The cost of the sessions will vary based on experience and project (includes firings) plus the price of glass. You can buy glass from me in 4 x 4 sheets (that's the standard...if you are doing a larger piece we can break it down by the size you will need). I have a pretty good selection! Dichroics and speciality glasses can also be broken down by square inch.

After seeing this great work that another student has done, I hope you decide to drop me a line and take a class! I will post photos after these pieces are done so you can see the finished projects.

Nature Inspired Soap Dish

This soap dish could very well be the exact opposite of the one below with the dichroic glass! This is a light and subtle nature inspired piece. The focal point is the leaf, constructed from green frits. it is surrounded by purple hues on iridized glass. This soap dish would look great in any bathroom or kitchen because it can pretty much go with any color or scheme.

Happy New Year 2008/2009!

I would like to say Happy New Year! We are counting down the hours now here in PA until 2009. I am sure it will be another great year and I am looking forward to so much-too many things to even list. I will be completing much more work in the new year, including sculptures and new designs across the board. I am entering some art shows starting in February so will be working hard through January to prepare. I will keep the photos and postings rolling.

Thanks for checking in and looking at what I have to offer. I appreciate any feedback you have and if you are interested in purchasing anything, please e-mail me at adriaoglass@ovdiyenko.com. I will be happy to discuss pricing and shipping, and answer any questions you might have.

Happy New Year!!

Are You Going To Let An Ugly Bar of Soap Cover This Up?

Just imagine the surprise when an unsuspecting guest lifts the soap off of this soap dish! This is dichroic glass at its best, a real show stopper. Warning: it may turn you into an obsessive compulsive hand washer. But who could blame you for wanting to ogle this baby as often as possible?

Super Thin and Modern Dark Blue Swirled Dish

This dish is around 4 x 4 in measurement and is just light as a feather, so dainty. It really captures the spirit of the fragility and function of glass and minimalist design. The bottom is coated in silver mica for a metallic luster. The top design is dark blue and clear swirled glass. Simple and elegant.

Medium Votive Holder in Purples and Blues

Way back when in September I posted a violet votive holder, which is a relative and predecessor to this votive holder. This one is bigger, medium sized, and textured with frits instead of smooth. It is more on the blue side too, as opposed to being mostly purple like its counterpart. The violet votive from the past may have been the inspiration, but this piece is all its own.

Votive Holder-Red With Gold Mica

These pictures speak for themselves! This votive holder is designed with red and orange glass on the inside and is coated with gold-bronze mica on the outside to give that crackled metallic look you see. It really does shine and sparkle beautifully!

SOLD-Bright Reds, Oranges, and Yellows

This bowl is so simple, and yet so eye catching, colorful and interesting! It stands out with bold color on the top, where I used cherry red, red opal, orange opal, tangerine, light orange and marigold frits. The bottom shines in gold-bronze-ish mica. The shape is just barely slumped. Very unique!

3 Saucy Sushi Dishes

Here are three petite sushi condiment dishes for the roll fanatic. Perfect for any dipping sauce (like my favorite-Wasabi) or even small little nibbles (like Wasabi covered peas, another favorite of mine) to go with your meal. I suppose if you were feeling imaginative in your cooking, or if you don't like sushi, these could be used to beautifully display other condiments like olives, tapenade, oil and herb dipping sauces for bread, horseradish sauce, mustards...as you can tell I like to cook, AND the list is endless.

I am currently working on some sets to go with these three little dishes. I will make sets of four in each design and sell them in sets rather than individually. For now I just wanted to show them off. I hope you like them! Look for sets in future postings!

Large Dark Blue Swirl Bowl-Matte

Don't let the picture fool you-this baby is pretty big! It measures 7 x 7 inches. What is so interesting about this bowl is the matte finish on the inside, which is bordered by a thin strip of shiny glass right around the edges. Truly amazing. The outside is Amazon Green glass, which is bolder than the pastel green in some of the other dark blue swirled pieces you have seen on my blog. Still nature inspired, but more midsummer as opposed to early spring!

Again, you can see the raindrop pattern I added to the design to give it that watery feeling. This bowl has it all-texture, color, and style.