"Glasscapes" landscape paintings using glass powders
A few years after I learned to work with powdered glasses in a kiln I was fortunate enough to spend a few weeks at lake Tahoe teaching a glass bead making class. On my days off I would travel around and note all the beauty around me. Lake Tahoe and the surrounding countryside is some of the most scenic and dramatic landscape I’ve ever seen. There are all these giant boulders everywhere along the lake shore and beautiful ancient trees stand like sentinels overlooking the lake. Laying in the sun on a huge rock I was totally inspired to paint some landscape images with powdered glass using my special technique of glass fusing. I worked on a whole series of drawings while I was there, planning work for when I returned home. I recently rediscovered those drawings and made this piece which still resonates with the special spirit of Lake Tahoe. Let me know how Lake Tahoe has inspired you by commenting on this post!
"Evening Tide" close up
Canvasing up and down the turnpike as we finished up with the Philadelphia Flower show, I was anxious to get my new big stained glass mosaic hung back up in the shop since it did’nt sell as I’d hoped it would. I really like the way this piece came out so maybe a little,I was glad it did not sell. I usually pick up a few commissions at the show, and there was a lot of interest in this one. I know it will sell soon.A few weeks after the show ended I got an e-mail from a lady I had talked to at the Philly Flower Show, inquiring about the Heron. She needed a window however and we have begun a beautiful glass on glass mosaic of Egrets that will be installed in a window. It is designed to illuminate and just glow up in the light. It will have the beautiful intricacy of a mosaic, but up in the light rather than wall art. I am so excited about this one because the drawings are coming out really well.
Now, meanwhile while this is all going on, I also keep getting “signs” along the way. I am also waiting to hear from an earlier client that ALSO wants a stained glass Great Blue Heron for their house in Florida. By “signs” I mean little coincidences that involve seeing herons. I was leaving a local park after walking Sugar, our dog, and a huge heron burst out of the underbrush and noisily flew away, obviously very annoyed. There have been several instances where the birds appear at key moments. To me it feels like I’m on the right path.
- Evening Tide
As we drive back and forth between The Philly Flower show and home, I always notice a couple of waterways from the NJ turnpike. It’s a no-man’s land out there, and I couldn’t tell you exactly where they are, but I always say I’m going to take my kayak out there someday. Usually in the summer the bright splashes of green form a beautiful backdrop for the many water birds there. Seems like I always cross paths with Herons and Egrets when I’m out paddling. Since I got in to kayaking I have been able to get so close to them. The last time was out in Barnegat Bay, I accidentally spooked a Great Blue Heron, being only a few yards from it as I emerged from some sedges. I just saw this image in my head and knew I wanted to do a big mosaic with evening colours of that bird. I had some perfect glass colours in hand and just finished it in time to debut for this year’s Philadelphia Flower Show. Please comment and let me know if you have had any good close-ups with any water birds.
Me Tim Dorland & my father-in-law Ray Folio
Recently, My father-in-law Ray Folio and I rode our bicycles from Washington DC to Boston, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh. We joined 50 other riders for the 7 day journey. It was a blast! We rode an average of 45 miles each day and camped under the stars along the way. Riding up the Potomac river was so awesome. To think of the incredible history of this area really made me feel some small piece of our nation’s beginnings! All along the way we noticed the beginnings of Fall colours on the trees. We rode along the C&O canal for three days. I kept seeing beautiful ideas for new glasswork along the trail. As we transitioned off the C&O canal trail and on to the Great Allegheny Passage trail, the elevation gained as well as the colours on the trees. I became inspired and saw exactly the way I was going with my glass when I returned to work in the studio. Back at the studio now and missing sleeping under the stars, I have begun a new line of pieces especially inspired by the electric, limitless possibilities of fall colours all around us now.
Uncategorized | Tim Dorland June 13, 2010 | 
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