WarmGlass.com

Hi everyone,
I'm moving to Portland, Maine (unfortunately NOT Portland OR) from the wonderful San Francisco Bay Area. Anyone know of any hot glass activity - practitioners, studios, classes, stores, whatever - in that area (Southern Maine area, that is)?? Thanks a lot!!
Elizabeth

Welcome to Maine Eliz. , well almost.
Our glass community is growing all the time. (Warm & Hot)
Email me when you get in the area and I'll help you out as much as I can. I work right in South Portland and live just a short ride down the Pike from there.
Good Luck on the move
Diane

Welcome to New England. You'll love the area and you'll hardly notice the difference from the SF Bay area :^o ... except that housing is much cheaper, and you'll have to pay for heat ... and you'll have to wear warmer clothes

Seriously, we have a great glass community in New England. You'll have a great time here.

Tony

Tony Smith wrote:Welcome to New England. You'll love the area and you'll hardly notice the difference from the SF Bay area :^o ... except that housing is much cheaper, and you'll have to pay for heat :shock: ... and you'll have to wear warmer clothes :roll:

Seriously, we have a great glass community in New England. You'll have a great time here.

Tony

and mud, and black flies, and tourists all summer long.

I'm further north- Bucksport is in Hancock County. Glass Orchids is not far from me. Nancy Tang was my first (and to date, only) warm glass instructor. She's in Frankfort (Waldo County) and has an 800 #. She's also a sponsor on this website... check her out.

I'm also trying to convince Glass Express in Waterville to get into carrying warm glass and supplies. It didn't work in the past when they tried it but I'm working on it.

I also shop thru Delphi in Lansing, MI.

Welcome to Maine, btw.

Sue in Bucksport, Maine

Nancy Tang is UGotGlass. She also has Glass Orchids.

Sue

Elizabeth W wrote:Hi everyone,
I'm moving to Portland, Maine (unfortunately NOT Portland OR) from the wonderful San Francisco Bay Area. Anyone know of any hot glass activity - practitioners, studios, classes, stores, whatever - in that area (Southern Maine area, that is)?? Thanks a lot!!
Elizabeth

nancy tang - uGotGlass, a board sponsor - is up in the hinterlands of me
and ne is beautifull, very different than sf, but beautifull i'm a displced yankee and i miss it - also centre de verre is up that direction, in nh, might be close enuf for the periodic weekend foray....
lucky you
D

Marty wrote:

Tony Smith wrote:Welcome to New England. You'll love the area and you'll hardly notice the difference from the SF Bay area :^o ... except that housing is much cheaper, and you'll have to pay for heat ... and you'll have to wear warmer clothes

Seriously, we have a great glass community in New England. You'll have a great time here.

Tony

and mud, and black flies, and tourists all summer long.

lolol yes, there's the infamous mud season, which down here in the southeast we have been experiencing for a couple of weeks ;P fortunately black fly season doesn't last too long, and besided, that's more reason to work hard in the studio ;P hehehehehehe but tourists tend to shop while on vacation in nice gift stores that carry fine crafts like warm and hot glass
D

Welcome to the Portland, Maine area. I live in Cumberland Ctr. which is just north of Portland "up the road a piece". I have been to Portland. Or and hear what you are saying!!! I left the airport with about 50 lbs of scrap glass in my carry on.... Let us all know when you arrive, maybe we can all get together and meet. Pam Damon

Pam, I love your idea. I'd travel to meet other fusers... Heck, I travel to Waterville just to see what's new at Glass Express! (I also do stained glass. Fusing is an extension from there, I think.) If this gets off the ground, let me know. My home email is: SWalsh1954@aol.com
Sue

I'm just spitting distance from the Maine Border, due west of Portland. I lived there for 20 years and developed much of my personal work there. I was pretty much the only show in town, relative to warm glass. When I lived in PWM there was only one glass blower, Chris Heilman, now there are a few more. Back at the turn of the 80's-90's There were classes at the Maine College of Art. They were started by a ceramics teacher and she handed them over to me. I did it for a couple of years and then they converted the classroom in to a closet and shut down the program.


Welcome to Paradise! Maine, the way life should be...

Except for the mosqauitos, black flies, and summer tourists...

It was once pointed out to me that if it weren't for the nasty bugs, Maine would be way overcrowded with people, instead of bugs.

Elizabeth~
Welcome to Maine! Yes, it's true that we have mosquitos, black flies, and mud season! Our summers are short but it's great to see the tope of Mount Washington, NH, when swimming in the lake in the summer! As Bert said, Maine, the way life should be!
I work in Portland and live in Yarmouth. You can see some of Bert's sconces here at Uncle Billy's resteraunt in Yarmouth! Best ribs in Maine, so they say!
Pam Damon and I have made road trips to Centre de Verre in NH a few times and are due for a trip this spring! I, too, took my first fusing class from Nancy Tang ~ it's not a bad drive from Portland at all! I don't know of any formalized groups/meetings of warm glassiers but it might be fun this summer.
Look forward to meeting you and welcome to Maine!
~ Sonje

Hi everybody and thanks so much for your emails!! I'd love to meet or at least speak with some of you when I actually land in Maine. It's nice to know that there are some kindred spirits out there!
Elizabeth

Yeah, sure....now you all show up! Where were all you fusers when I lived in Maine and was the only act in town??? Seriously, Maine is a fabulous place. I moved there in my early 20's, and except for a hiatus to MA for a bit, spent most of my life in that state. My son was born there and still lives in Durham.

During the summer, take a ride up to Rockport and stop in to say Hi to Richard Remson. He's a great guy (studied with Chihuly)...bought an old blueberry factory and turned it into a foundry/glass shop. He's a blower and also does bronze work.

Avery

Does Tim McCreight still teach at the college there? I'd take a jewelry class with him in a NY minute! And with regard to the bugs.... I've found keeping a stable of a dozen cats or so pretty much takes care of them, especially the ones that offer added entertainment features like flying and buzzing. The ultimate natural means of pest control. I'm jealous. I wouldn't mind being one of those "Maniacs" at all.

At the moment, I'm in Maine but I'm heading to San Diego on Thursday.
My daughter won a major award with Chase Manhattan Morgage, whom she works for, and is up for a bigger prize. This is an all expense paid trip to an awards banquet and where do they choose to have it, out of all the states they do business in? San Diego, where my younger daughter is stationed in the Navy! I'm going to see both my daughers for a week and someone else is paying for it! I can't wait to hug them both!

Anything I should see while I'm in San Diego? Glass-wise, I mean. We have a full agenda. Kris and I are busy with Chase for 3 days and then Amber sent us an itemized agenda for the rest of the week. Any place to get good fused glass? Sue

Dani:

Yes, Tim teaches at Haystack a couple of times a year. Check out their website and class schedule. It is a drop dead gorgeous place to go. One of my best friends in Maine is featured in this month's Ornament magazine. She studied under Tim. From what she tells me, he is amazing - both as an artist and as an instructor.

Avery

SWalsh wrote:Anything I should see while I'm in San Diego? Glass-wise, I mean. We have a full agenda. Kris and I are busy with Chase for 3 days and then Amber sent us an itemized agenda for the rest of the week. Any place to get good fused glass? Sue

There's a dreadful piece at the Convention Center.... ooops, did I just say that?? Well, at least it will show you what $630,000 can buy when you've got the right buyer. See it at glass.com and hit the link for magazines. Ahem. Of course, I might just have said this because I'm delusional.... I hear that's the latest great excuse in court.