RigadoonAmy

Inspiration For Late Winter

2010-02-04T09:03:00.010-05:00

"Rain garden with Hummingbirds, bees, birds, and butterflies "

Dreaming of my flower gardens as they are inspire my art.

Inspiration to have outdoor working areas to form art.

"Glass Lampwork Yellow Finches and Morning Glory flowers"

"Autumn Leaves in Glass Enamels"

For The Love Of Glass Colors!

2010-01-27T16:43:00.012-05:00

I never stops to amaze me the array of glass colors and how the colors are made. The colors come from natural minerals from the Earth. Cobalt for blue, copper for aqua, gold for red, zinc for white, iron for greens, etc..... I first learned to make glass beads at the torch from Tom Holland in the early 1980's. He showed me to make just 2 beads - one plain and the other one a feather design. I was on my own after that. He gave me his old torch then I got a hold of catalogs and set-up shop. I started to teach myself glass beadmaking at the torch. Never took any workshops. After a few years I felt as if I could start selling my work with confidence! With my love of glass and fire I found another form of glass working. It's a quiet art. I lose my cool when I do get burned! Hot glass chips stick to you as their burning. And they get into the darnest places too! All glass lampworked beads must be annealed as glass does. There's so many beads out there that are not annealed correctly or none at all.

I found that it was also a wonderful way to dress up my enamel jewelry! One of the wonderful things about glass is how is can be shaped, and mixed. Glass is torched, enameled, fused, casted, blown, pressed and built up. It's also an functional art form in fiberglass, windows, cookware, etc....! It can be in opal, transparent, opaque colors - IT'S ENDLESS! So much glass so little time.

Jumble Bracelet - about 250 beads with matching earrings.

Paperwight, feather, eye, dichroic, and latticino beads!

Torch worked marble done in 7 layers of colors and clear. About 1 1/2" around.

The Lost Art Of Glass Enameling

2010-01-25T18:56:00.011-05:00

Glass enamel copper bowl

"Bear Glacier" Veiw near Hyder, Alaska

I learn to work with glass enamel on copper back in my Jr. High School days. I remember my art teacher Hedy Kish at the time. To this day she and I like to get together! Funny how it seems as if I was the one that got older - not her! I continued my enameling experience into High School with Jean Leptow. I fell hopelessly in love with the glass colors on the metal. I went on to learn more at The Cleveland Institute of Art. There I was taught by Mary Ellen McDermott. Also a dear person to learn from.

I love the colors as they look like watercolors. You can mix, paint, draw, sift, etc.... them. The way they blend softly but yet can be bright and sharp. It's a wonder to see the colors cool from 1400 degrees to room temp. After college days mom and dad bought me my first enameling kiln that they bought from a lady in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It had powdered glass colors, tools, hardware and some copper for me to start right away! I believed they paid $300.00 for all of that! *Thanks mom and dad your the best* I've been self employed in glass enameling ever since 1983!? - hard to remember when. It's a hard living as the cost of enamels are out the window. There are not many places that make glass enamels. Here I show photos of my studio.

Just lately I learned the Cleveland Institute of Art was deleting their enameling program. There was not enough students for it to have the classes. Something will be lost if glass enameling becomes pushed to the side. Alot of lower education school have taken the arts out of their program. But as you may know glass enamels on metal has been around ever since glass blowing and metal smithing! Today I teach in my studio the art of glass enamel on metal! To see more of my glass enamels please see my website http://www.rigadoonglass.com/ MilesOfSmiles,AmyInTheWind

Jars of powder glass colors there's more than 50 colors and counting!

The old kiln is still running like a champ. It does however need it bricks rebuilt.

"Down On The Farm"

2009-06-17T10:35:00.012-04:00

Breaking the soil!

Planting beans this year.

The land is plowed and planted now it's ready for spring rains. My farm is my inspiration for my art. The Dogwood trees that bloom at the edges of the fields, the wildlife, the leaves on the trees and the old ancestor feeling of belonging. There's a great sense of the Earth when you smell the freshly plowed fields, the smell of the spring rains and the farm that was built up by my Great Great Great Grandparents. The farmhouse by my Great Great Grandparents! Our food and open spaces come from farms. Still to this day their very few folks out there don't know this and or even care. OH! By the way did you know that farming is Ohio's Largest Industry?!"

A good crop 3ft.deep.

Ohio Jewelry and Metal Art Guild With Firstbook at Barnes and Noble

2009-05-19T10:17:00.008-04:00

The gang is almost all here!

On May 15, 2009 the JMAG folks (Ohio Jewelry and Metals Art Guild) got our heads together and did up a nice showing of our jewelry work at Barnes and Noble to promote the First book program in Montrose, Ohio near Akron. Barnes and Noble donated a portion of the sales to children to could get their first book. The women pictured here set up tables and displayed their professional handmade jewelry. There was lampwork glass beads, silversmithing, stone setting, Viking Knit, and even some wonderful chain mail work too! We are a great together! Please see our website http://www.ohiojmag.com/ for more information.

The Log Cabin Gallery Spring Fantasy Show 2009

2009-05-16T16:46:00.011-04:00

In the little town of Peninsula, Ohio there sits a little log cabin that over looks the Cuyahoga River. It's been restored and is now a gallery that's open for special days and by appointment only. Diane Seskes the owner has about 20 artist showing their work during special show. There's my enamels and lampwork beads, garden art, prints, lithographs, glass, wood, pottery, quilts, photography, fiber, mixed media, and more jewelry! Then there's a wonderful place to sit outside to watch the birds and see the gardens! The show hours are May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, and 31. The address is 1671 Main Street in Peninsula, Ohio It's in the back of North Canal Street just west of downtown. Phone number 330-657-2670 Website http://www.thelogcabingallery.com/

Canal Fulton Glassworks

2009-05-09T13:46:00.022-04:00

Canal Fulton Glassworks Studio and Gallery is housed in a restored home from the early 1800's next to the Ohio Eire Canal in canal Fulton, Ohio. I've found myself another gallery to sell my work in. Then I desided that it would be a great place to devote some time once a week working there! I've learned to make a glass furnace marble from a batch of copper red glass. Brian Graham (the glassworker there) mixes his own glass batches. His mom and dad are great folks who support Brain's endovers in glass. There are plans to have enameling, beadmaking and marble making classes there. I've been ask to teach some classes as that is what I'm good at! It's a great place to visit to watch marble making (call ahead to see when marbles are being made), feed the canal ducks, bus tours, to see the gallery with REALLY fine glass art, then you can walk through the near by town for lunch and see the canal boats at the visitors center! You can easily spend the whole day in this town! Lot's of history here! Their website is http://www.canalfultonglassworks.com/

Here are some photos to veiw-
Brain making a marble.

My first furance marble!

The gallery has fine glass for the wall, windows, and the table top!

As always glass jewelry too!

2009-04-30T19:48:00.011-04:00

"1923 R32 BMW Engine"

Here's an example of one of my motorcycle drawings. I enjoy drawing in the winter when I'm unable to ride as much. For more examples please see my website http://www.rigadoonglass.com/ Please do not post or copy (I have a copyright on these) my drawings with out my permission.

Thank You.

2009-04-29T21:12:00.010-04:00

I just found this on the VA. News leader's website! The photo below is just some of the photos posted!
http://www.newsleader.com/

Photos By:
Pat Jarrett/The News Leader
Amy Jean Nichols is refected in a mirror on her merchandise table Saturday.

A demo of Glass beadmaking on Saturday at The Virginia Hot Glass Festival.

2009-04-29T15:37:00.007-04:00

Just got back from a motorcycle road trip from Staunton, VA. I took my work horse motorcycle that I have named "Boyfriend". The 6' table that you see in the photo below I didn't take this year instead I just rented one! (Less weight for the curves!) I named him "Boyfriend" because he takes me anyway I want to go and so much fun to run around with! I take this rig because I can haul all of my show gear to do "The Virginia Hot Glass Festival". It's a lovely ride through the mountains (large hills) of West Virginia and Virginia. It's full of hair pin curves on Rt. 250 for about 60 miles and the views are wonderful. The weather this year was sunny and in the temp. of about 85degrees! The Dogwood and Redbud trees were in full bloom! The festival is nothing but three floors of glass artist from all around! There's demos of hot glass blowing, marble and beadmaking! It's a site to behold! The show runs on the last weekend of April on Saturday and Sunday. The website for this festival is http://www.sunspots.com/. This is a must see festival!