Glass Craft & Bead Expo II And Other Contrafibularities

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Hellooooo there, friends, I’m so delighted you are here! I know it has been a while, so I have a tiny bit of catching up to do.

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This post is made with 100% Authentic Intelligence.

Here is a roundup of the things we’ve been up to, in addition to some super-frabjously phenomenal artwork.

Friday, April 17, 2026

As of this writing, Kory and The Tribe1, as they call themselves, made another pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Glass Craft & Bead Expo. Kathie is flying in tomorrow morning. In case you missed it, here is what I wrote about last year’s trip:

Kory has also been working to get her new book published at the same time as preparing for the trip - she was nearly certifiable with stress! However, all the volunteers talked her down from the roof and they got to their destination safely. Many hands make for light work. The book will be a “Must Have” for anyone hungering to learn everything there is to know about Cutting Glass and so much more. I haven’t any more information other than she should be announcing it soon. Keep an eye on her website Marvelous Mosaic.

I could write a book about the art of Cutting Class and other ways to goof off in school, but I’m about fifty years too late and why I’m broke as if I came in first place at a Decash-A-Thon.

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A man good at making excuses is only good for making excuses.

Before I get to the latest art projects, I must yet again beg your forgiveness. Just as soon as I think I have my schedule back on track, it’s time for the doctors at St. Kickakat to begin passing me around like a double-stuffed lasagna quesadilla in the breakroom of a Weightwatchers convention.

I’ve always felt the two words “nuclear” and “medicine” shouldn’t be joined a the hip, prolly because of all those Atomic Scare movies from the 1950’s where a mutant monster is awakened by an atomic whoopsie then goes around turning everyone into Scientologists. But, apparently it’s essential that I vibrate in isotopic harmony, I just hope the dancing photons at least have a nice disco ball!

So, what I’m saying is that I’m sorry for not getting these posts out with greater frequency. All I can do is beg your indulgence and ask that you hang in here with me. Especially for my paid subscribers, I am profoundly thankful you haven’t abandoned me.

Like a hungry bear that got lost in a honey-glazed ham warehouse, I’m going to claw my way back out and end up feeling better than I did on my way in. I may be old and falling apart, but I do have my finer points;

Okay, to the art!

Here are a few melt glass items I made stands for, Kory took them with her to the Expo where I hope they will sell, I put a lot of time in the making of them.

This is what the burlwood looks like when I first get it:

Burlwood is excellent for furniture, cosmetic, and decorative projects. The erratic edge is always interesting, but in order to enhance its beauty, it has to be planed flat, sanded smooth, and polished. The wood has a complex and remarkable splendor all its own, so I built a special jig to plane these mountainous chunks into submission.

Below are a few more items going to the show. The hastily taken phone pictures (not by me, not by me!) do not show them in their best light, nor was I given their titles, but perhaps you can imagine what they look like hanging in a sunlit window!

Kory’s ‘Glass Peacock’ in an oak frame I made that was cropped out due to the picture being too messed up.

Kory’s ‘Purple Flowers’ in another oak frame I made.

Another Kory classic. I’m sure it has a title as well, but it got lost in translation, so it’s just ‘Mountain’ until further notice.

Here it is in the mahogany cable frame I made for it.

If any of you readers would like to have your artwork showcased upon this mighty blog, please leave a comment, send an email or DM me and become famous!

Kathie made another mosaic and this has got to be one of my favorites! She was handed a commission for this crab mosaic by our mutual friend Jamie, whom Jamie will then give it to on her birthday.

Now with a backlight!

It’s on an experimental frame I made that was categorically rejected by Kory. It sat for years in lonely isolation, crestfallen and downhearted, until one day Kathie found it buried under mountains of glass in her studio. She wondered why it was never used as I personally thought my design was brilliant! Not only that, it is inexpensive and easy to make, it is also VERY sturdy. I simply explained that I don’t have the clout to overrule the court and the decision is final.

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I’m going to bang on something I ranted on before but didn’t have a solution. At the risk of causing the indignation of some in the glass-art world, I do so to right a wrong wrought to an artform that, in my view, deserves better. This has to do with the melt-glass process that was given the ignoble name “slider.”

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YUCK — OH THE HUMANITY!

In case you were unaware, the term “slider” has been used to describe those chemical gut-bombs disguised as miniature hamburgers on the dive-bar menu, usually a “Happy Hour” special. Patrons end up eating a few knowing how nasty they are, but they need to put something in their gullet to try and slow down the floor that started to spin like a Dachshund chasing its tail.

Well, that name has always caused my teeth to gnash as I never understood how this term could be applied to such a magnificent glass artform. So I’m a gonna fix that and unilaterally rename it “Gravity Glass.” One could even shorten it to “Graviglass” I suppose. If you don’t like it, speak with the Manager.

Much better, right? Here is one below:

To those new here, this elegant work of art is created by putting a pane of glass in a kiln with other small pieces of colored glass and finely ground silica, called Frit, which is placed on top. Then the piece is set at an angle so when the kiln heats everything to a molten state, then GRAVITY takes over and it all FLOWS downhill. Simple, yet beautiful.

Now, who could look at that lovely piece of art and think it should be called a “slider” when it is so much more deserving of an imaginative and accurate name?

Anyway, rant over. Vent your spleen in the comments, just remember, you heard it here first — Gravity Glass — case closed.

That’s all for now, but next post will have all the details from the Expo, plus I’m trying to finish a new song!

That is if those doctors will ever let go of me.

Who is old enough to remember that big hit from Dave Seville and The Chipmunks - The Witchdoctor song? It goes something like this;

I went to the Witch Doctor and he told me what to do - he told me - Ooh Eeh Ooh Ah Ah Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang.