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!

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. 

 

Paul Stankard's contributions in glass span more than four decades. You'll enjoy this candid and revealing interview with one of the world's foremost and well-loved paperweight makers. Find out about his thoughtful and provocative book, "No Green Berries or Leaves", and see what's happening at his alma mater, Salem Community College. Their new Glass Center now fuels it's furnaces using methane from a nearby landfill while turning extra gas into electricity. An ambitious undertaking! (Recorded at the 9th annual International Flameworking Conference.) 

We'd like to thank Glasscraft Inc. for sponsoring this podcast. Learn more about them at: www.glasscraftinc.com.

Want to sponsor a podcast? Go to www.fireladyproductions.com and find out how.

To see more of Paul Stankard's work, go to www.paulstankard.com.

Check out the International Flameworking Conference and the glass program at Salem Community College at: www.salem.cc.edu.

Our first podcast tutorial! For a very long time I've considered the podcast potential for creating "enhanced tutorials." So here we go....Watch! Look! And Listen!

Suzie Fitzwater shares how she constructs her S'elf. It's just the CUTEST little flameworked Elf on a mandrel.

We've created this tutorial to feature the flesh tones of Lauscha's CARAMELLO.

If you want to try making this elf but you're out of CARAMELLO, head on over to www.firelady.com and you can find it under Lauscha Glass rods. 

Meanwhile, enjoy the tutorial. Suzie rocks!

Shane shares his personal history, cultural influences, & artistic evolution as one of the foremost American flamework artists. Follow his path from its early beginnings at Santa's Workshop & Cypress Gardens, through his trailblazing career as one of the visionaries that redefined the hot glass world. Find out how Shane’s insightful and progressive ideas are being implemented within the Glass Art Society, where his reign as President has resulted in many new benefits for members and the glass community. Look for the printed version of this podcast in the SPRING, 2010 issue of Profitable Glass Quarterly

Join us as we explore the personal cosmos of Julie Riggs. Her glass sculptures blend spirit, sensuality and nature with passion, conviction and skill. It's a successful mix! We discuss fairies, figures and flamework, as well as technical subjects such as amber purple, surface mixed torches, and her recent collaborative work in Las Vegas. This interview was conducted as we stole extra time before checkout at the end of a GAS Conference in Corning. Excerpts of this interview were printed in the Winter, 2009 issue of The Flow Magazine.

PODCAST PERKS: Get 10% OFF your next order at www.firelady.com. COUPON CODE: PODCAST

Join us as we explore the Japanese flameworking scene. Roger Parramore shares with us how the Japanese aesthetic has influenced his work. Try as he might, efforts to resist the artistic flavor of the Far East proved futile! Enjoy this cultural immersion, and his articulate & candid observations on the joys & dangers of absorbing and adapting the artistic imagery of a foreign land. Find out about the Osaka University of Art, and it's world class flameworking program....the first program of it's kind, anywhere! Look for excerpts of this podcast in the Fall, 2009 issue of Profitable Glass Quarterly, as well as a downloadable PDF version soon to be available at www.profitableglass.com.

So you think you know a little about borosilicate color, do you? Join Suellen Fowler & I as we take a walk down memory lane and explore the history and chemistry of colored borosilicate glass. Boro is notoriously difficult to color, because traditional coloring agents burn out at the temperatures required for boro. Starting with her early experimentation under the tutelage of John Burton and Margaret Youd, Suellen began creating her own color recipes while still in her teens. Her formulas became the basis of some of Northstar's original formulas back in the '80's. Her hand mixing techniques and incredible attention to detail produced some of boro's best beloved colors, including the rubies & the precurser to the amber purples. Find out how it all happened in this intriguing interview. Excerpts of this interview can be found in print in the Spring 2009 issue of The Flow Magazine. See Suellen in action! Her DVD, “Flamework: An Intimate Art” will show you her famed hand mixing technique, as well as the creation of a fire-breathing dragon, an Aurora bottle, a hobnail perfume bottle with stopper, and a spinning top. You can purchase the DVD at www.firelady.com Note: This podcast contains a telephone interview. At certain moments the audio may be less distinct than in an interview conducted in person. So turn up your volume and enjoy! We would like to thank: The Flow Magazine for sponsoring this episode of Glasscaster.

Listen to Lisa as she enthuses about the all new Workhouse at Lorton. This historic center has the infamous distinction of being the holding tank where protesting suffragettes were held after marching on Washington! Currently open to the public, this newly revamped center will become the largest arts community on the east coast. Lisa also discusses details of the upcoming ISGB Gathering in Miami, and additionally gives us a step-by-step discussion on the best ways of fuming with gold.

Wayne Strattman is a pioneer in the world of illuminated glass.Taking neon to new levels, his installations are architectural in scale, and internationally acclaimed. A PhD with an engineering background, his inner mad-scientist escapes on occasion. His book, "Neon Techniques" is the industry standard. His own work , however, leaves ordinary neon behind, and expands into product lines such as lightning and crackle tubes, plasma spheres, and his famed Luminglas. Created through a patented process, Wayne and his company, Strattman Design, have managed to sandwich lightning-like effects between two pieces of flat glass, using phosphor-sensitive beads. Luminglas has enthralled people in museums and night clubs across the globe. This interview was recorded at the Glass Art Society Conference in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Strattman helps promote an annual neon show at GAS, and does much to nurture the evolution of illuminated glass as an art form. Listen to this engaging interview! You can find out more about his work at: www.strattman.com

Carmen Lozar tackles ideas and ideals and translates them into glass. Her narrative scenes become commentaries on human behavior and modern life. She insists that we look upon the dark and the light within our society and within our own human nature. Her work can be startling, shocking, whimsical and humorous. Join us in this brief slideshow, narrated by the artist.

I love fire! So I find this insiders' look into the history of torches to be tons of fun and rather fascinating. In this very informal telephone interview, we find our heroes, Fred Birkhill & Bruce Lawrence, discussing the intricacies of flame and combustion starting at the very beginning. Fred has some torches dating from ancient Rome! Have you ever seen a gasoline powered crossfire with glass tips? You will here! This animated discussion was initially conducted as a research-gathering conversation contributing to Fred's Glass Art Society lecture on the history of the glass burner. It was so intriguing I decided to release it as a podcast!

Join Marcie Davis and Jared DeLong in a thought provoking interview about art, glass and inspiration. Jared shares his experiences with illustrating, hot glass, coldworking, and the creation of his glass knives. Together they explore their shared ideals on the personal enrichment gained by travel, and remind us all that life is about the journey, not the destination

Find out how she does it! Join us as lampworking legend Leah Fairbanks shares some great tips on creating her floral flameworked beads. Her organic backgrounds are often composed of metallics and dichroics. In this easygoing interview you can learn how to apply some of these techniques to your own work, as well as find out more about the artist, how her style evolved, and where you can study with her.

Learn the truth about COE and it's limitations in calculating compatability between glasses! Henry Halem is one of the industry's leading experts on this and other technical subject matter. He's recently released an updated edition of his legendary "Glass Notes," the glass studio bible since 1996. From it you can learn how to build a glory hole, an annealer, batch your own glass, master sand casting, kiln casting, and find out how to calculate annealing temperatures. He's a wealth of knowledge, and we have an exciting conversation about viscosity, chemistry and compatability. Succinct and to the point, this episode will explode outworn myths and lead you down a new path!

Sally Prasch is one industrial-strength glass artist! One of a handful of female scientific glassblowers, her story, struggle and subsequent success in this field makes great listening. Her adventures are both humorous and intriguing. What's the largest piece of apparatus she's ever made? Just a wee bit of quartz 12 inches in diameter and 11 feet long!!! Her talents range from the industrial to the artistic, including lathe work, neon, casting, and sculpture. She teaches all over the world. Look for excerpts of this podcast in The Flow magazine, Winter, 2007, coming this December.

One of the grand artists and philosophers of our time! Gianni Toso participated in the early Studio Glass movement, flourished in the US and abroad with his narrative flameworking scenes, and has added his creative and spiritual spin to everything he touches. An inspiring interview! Find out about his controversial chess sets and his homemade wine! You’ll love listening to this entertaining and uplifting journey through his life. Enjoy!

Join Marcie Davis and Steve Sizelove as they explore various marketing philosophies and the joys of a life in glass. Thoughtful and entertaining. Recorded at this year's International Flameworking Conference. You can read excerpts of this interview in The Flow Magazine, Summer, 2007.

A Free Video Tutorial! Pat Frantz shows you how to make a Gold Foil Bead in true Venetian style. This short video podcast gives you a quick visit to the island of Murano, and some helpful hints on applying metal foils to your beads. Enjoy!

Travel to Murano and Burano with Marcie Davis and Pat Frantz. You don't have to get on a plane....let Glasscaster take you there FREE! Pat is one of the world's foremost experts as well as collectors of fine murrine, and she is more than willing to share! So buckle your seat belt, relax, and listen.

Check out our FIRST VIDEO PODCAST! We've wanted to test this technology for awhile now. And what better way than with a 7-minute mini-cast with Robert Mickelsen? His views on creativity are inspiring! This footage was shot just as the sun was rising early one Florida morning in Melbourne Beach. It's classic Mickelsen... We'd love some feedback regarding image quality and download times....

There's a little mad scientist in us all! Find out how Bandhu Scott-Dunham expresses his by combining inner vision with engineering skills to create marvelous kinetic glass sculptures. He shares the inspiration and history behind his glass steam engines and marble machines. And you thought it couldn't be done!

An effervescent and exciting interview with Kate Drew-Wilkinson, describing her dream-come-true exhibit featuring American beadmaking, in Europe. See how she spreads glass joy around the world by leaving random beads on many continents! Listen now...

In an impromptu interview in a rented car in Tucson, Loren Stump shares his views on glass, globalization, inspiration and content creation. An enjoyable insight into the artist and the man. His contributions to flamework are profound. Find out what makes him tick!

Journey across time and space with Marcie Davis as she interviews three talented glassblowers who've worked at Disney. Bill Rasmussen was on the scene when Disneyland opened in 1955. Lewis Wilson followed with a stint at Disneyworld in the '70's. And Keith Bryan gives us an insider's look at the cultural integration of this all-American icon at today's Disney Tokyo.

What's involved in finding your own true voice as an artist? Explore this concept with Micah Evans, a notoriously talented flameworker, as he shares his own path, and inspires you to develop yours! This incredible discussion delves into the inner workings of the artistic spirit, as well as the cultural influences that evoke certain expressive styles. What is it like to be working hot glass in America today? What does it mean to establish an "American Style" of flamework? Listen, and find out....

Paul Stankard & Fred Birkhill share their own personal artistic history, while giving excellent insight and advice into what it takes to live the life of an artist. Find out what influenced them, and hear their thoughts on how to access your own creativity. Recorded at the 6th International Flamework Conference.