Starleen's Studio: The Hot Glass Journal

LONGWOOD GARDENS : A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN ON EARTH

2009-03-10T22:19:00.021-04:00

Longwood Gardens has grown into one of my greatest sources of inspiration. Long walks among such natural beauty truly cause me to pause and contemplate how we are all so similar to the flowers within the meadow. We grow and bud, later to blossom into full beauty then to pass leaving a heritage.

The gardens and preservation of all I see was the fulfilled vision of Pierre S. du Pont. Founder of DuPont Chemical company (1870-1954).

Just as a beautiful flower does not purpose itself to leave such a grand heritage upon the earth, it is said that Mr. du Pont's gardens had no set plan during its beginnings. In 1906, the Pierce land was purchased to preserve the diversity of trees. From there his passion for conservation and love for flora and fauna transformed the grounds one project at a time. Theaters, fountains, topiary mazes, & grand conservatories, were but a few of his creations.

His zest for life and love for humanity can clearly be felt as one walks through the preserved Du Pont house. His generosity of spirit is timeless. In his later years, the fate of his property became a pressing concern and as a result the formation of Longwood Gardens was born. A non profit foundation dedicated to continuing the public enjoyment of his gardens, education, and preservation of the DuPont heritage.

I would like to think that if Mr. Du Pont could see the progress of his estate now, he would be more than pleased by not only the care of preservation, but how heirs and trustees honored his vision by adding to the gardens beauty "after his own heart".

As the flower described in my initial comments, Mr. DuPont grew in stature, blossomed and generously passed on such a grand elegant heritage that reflects all that is beautiful in the world. It truly is a faint glimpse of what heaven surley must be like. Rooms upon rooms filled by The Lord's beauty and grace.
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Enjoy the photos. I so loved every click of the shutter. ~ Starleen

A few more photographs of Wheaton Arts:

2007-09-28T14:44:00.000-04:00

" The Gaffers Hands "

History of glass molds

Furnace

Now torches the size of a Mirage or CC do not intimidate me, however the idea of holding a plumbers torch while sitting at a bench makes me cringe. I so respect the art of glassblowing and admire observing their molten dance.

The General Store

The Museum

Remember, Students that wish to go on a trip to Wheatons may accompany me monthly free of charge as a Studio benefit. I am both your tour guide and wheel man. The only thing it will cost you is a smile. Keep their fires burning by visiting them often and purchasing a piece of art to treasure. Volunteers work hard to keep the glass molten in historic South Jersey! http://www.wheatonvillage.org/

For more information on Starleen or the hot glass studio, visit http://www.starleensstudio.com/ , We would love to hear your feedback!

The Stankard Exhibition at Wheaton Arts & Cultural Center

2007-09-22T02:05:00.000-04:00

The work was piled high on my desk yesterday and my only student cancelled... So, I thought it was the PERFECT opportunity for a spontaneous visit to one of my favorite places, Wheaton Arts.

To my delight I stumbled upon a real treat. The Paul Stankard & Stankard Studio Artists Exhibition was in the gallery, and I HAD MY NIKKON CAMERA & I Pod.

Does it get any better than this?

If a picture indeed says a thousand words, these stunning works of art speak volumes. They are remarkably detailed and layered with depth that it is impossible to truly appreciate it through printed material or photographs. It must be seen in person to appreciate all that goes into their creation. Just look at the Murrine portrait chips within the seed pods. It is a master piece on it's own.

I would have given my right arm to have the opportunity to photograph these works in early morning sunlight without the plastic case separating me from obtaining the perfect photograph.

Bringing the Macro Lens would have also been a good idea.

The gallery & museum feature some of the finest paperweight artists. You can see work from the Kontes, Gordon Smith, Chris Buzzini, Debbie Tarsitano, Bob & Ray Banford just to mention a few.

Josh Simpson's work is also within the gallery store. I could have kicked myself for missing the Corning Josh Simpson Megaplanet / Worlds Within Exhibition.
His work is even more detailed if you can imagine! It is layers upon layers of detail birthed of fire. He is the poster boy of what a true glass artist is. If you are not familiar with his work go to www.megaplanet.com and buy the video documentary then pick up one of his inhabited planets, they are affordable at $250.00 each and they will not dissapoint. Photos just do not do the depth in art glass any justice.

OK, back on track here...

Now this photo is a bit deceptive. The work is around a 12-14 inch perfect sphere. It has to weight around 40 pounds or so I imagine. Even though that might not sound like much to YOU, I would like to remind that it weights a great deal more on the end of a steel punty. I am uncertain on if finished halves were assembled during cold working or if the whole piece went into a glory hole for block shaping/reheating after encapsulated pieces were arranged. To be perfectly honest, I am not qualified to answer my own question, but I am on a mission to understand paperweight creation techniques. I have the shott clear and encasement cuff/plate. I think it is time to start with my first formal lesson and book a Loren Stump class as an excellent first step. My luck, I will be mezmerized by murrine and camp out on that technique for a few years instead. Hmmm... that might not be such a bad thing! I keep putting classes off due to requests to teach in my own facility, but it is time to slow things down a bit.

(If your a glass blower or vacuum encasement artist reading this, call me I would like to attend a lecture or pay for studio observation time. ~ Seriously.)

That is the last eye candy shot for now, but I will return with dozens of Wheaton Arts photos of the glassblowers! ~ Starleen

For more information on Starleen or the hot glass studio, visit www.StarleensStudio.com , We would love to hear your feedback!

Can you take the heat?

2007-06-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Yes it is hot outside, but the type of heat I am referring to is the pressure one feels in the work place regardless of if you happen to be a hardworking employee or running your own empire.

Owning and operating the teaching facility of Starleen's Studio is incredibly challenging! Between making & marketing your artwork, order fulfillment, managing apprentices, running the shop, accounting, picking up students from the airport, website management, achieving projected cash flow, issuing purchase orders, juggling demanding wholesale orders, traveling to shows or conferences... well, you get the idea.

I am often asked how do you keep up with the demands of balancing out everything that needs to be accomplished. To be honest, I can't 100% of the time... unless I cut corners. For me, that is just not an option. I would rather delay cash flow than compromise workplace excellence. I believe all small business owners are left with the choice of either perusing excellence in every facet of your company OR just doing enough to somewhat stay afloat.
There are pro's and con's to either approach. Cutting corners means everything gets done ahead of time, the quick buck is made, & deadlines are met and on the surface it seems harmless. Here is the BUT... The price to this approach is that projects almost always needs to be reworked at a later date or you need to smooth over an account that did not get everything as promised in a timely manner. The long-term ripple effect is a decline of repeat loyal customers due to negative experiences (regardless of how great your product is). Shifty managers or owners will say " I cannot afford to have one employee focus on problem resolutions presently.... who will answer the phones? Besides every business has fall out". To me this talk translates to blah blah ba blah blah... blah. By the time they get done with you, it will sound as if your crazy to put yourself in the clients position and somehow twist it into their fault and yours for entertaining that they even have a valid point! I call it "Suit Talk" and it is a language all it's own.

On the other hand the practice of excellence will cause you to spend more time than necessary fixing a problem with a customer, distributor, or supplier REGARDLESS of how small or large the problem may be. Yes, it takes time to do so, and almost always there is no time in your day planner to fix the source of error and every repercussion caused by the ripple effect. BUT if you don’t spend the time nurturing your business relationships NOW, you will spend triple the time nurturing the people in your contact manager later on after their guard is up.

I have worked for many large businesses, accepted consulting contract work, then tried to work for a small NJ 3rd generation manufacturing company. The absolute worst offender was the 3rd generation machine shop. Why? In my opinion they lack the manpower to allow one or two employees's to focus their attention and see a problem through from start to finish. As a result there are stacks and stacks of accumulated problems everywhere in their offices. They lacked long-term vision that will secure future success because of the fight for survival in today's slow economy. They only live in the moment... Sad.

I had one terrific boss in a larger company of 800 employees. She recognized the value of a workers with a high level of integrity and work ethic. Her pride took a back seat to owning up to being wrong for the sake of those around her. She often took heat for slow progress during systems integration. Constantly reprimanded for over analyzing and not thinking on a high level, but she stood by her approach to think about all the details and do it right even if it meant slower. She allowed fall out and played "catch-up" but was honest about it during her conversations with vendors and customers alike. If the company was in the wrong, she made it right for the customer at all costs. A real stick you neck out stand up person. As a result her department shined and served as crutches for other departments that crumbled during rollout of systems integration. Smart lady. She more than anyone else taught me that no matter what I decided to involve myself in business wise, to make sure they were a stand up operation. If not, turn in your resignation professionally and run for your life before their practices pollute your passion for excellence. She told me once " Even if our backs are turned, you will always do the right thing. Compromise of work ethic of any type eats at you Starleen. It is how you are designed. Even if you stack cans on a grocery store shelf, you would rather make the manager mad than do it incorrectly as instructed just to save on time. That is a leader... "

All of these experiences formed how I conduct business today. I made the decision upfront to run Starleen's Studio with integrity, hard work & the practice of excellence in every way. Sure I might drive apprentices NUTS & items NOT on the high priority pile will sit for up to 3 weeks mocking me for completion. BUT oh the pride felt when my collectors and students spread the word of how the craftsmanship is beyond fantastic or how great their hot glass experience was in my shop. That is priceless and makes taking the heat of juggling priorities worth it all.

So can you take the heat of running your own business with excellence regardless of the cost? ~ Starleen