I arrived in Manzanita during a torrential downpour. Always concerned about others, I was glad to see my arrival did not interrupt the status quo. Manzanita [www.sunsetsurfocean.com] looked the same when I awoke as it did when I went to sleep: wet! A cute beach town battening down her hatches. Wow! I think I saw an old guy collecting animals and building an ark in his backyard.
So, I did what anyone would have done in such circumstances...I drove to Tillamook [www.tillamookcheese.com] to sample some cheese. Unlike the other day, my cruise down the coast was not peppered with stops on hidden beaches…it was pretty much a straight shot to Cheese Central.
One of the cool things about Tillamook was how it formed: a cooperative organization. It started this way, to solve a conundrum. The coastal region had heavy rainfall and dense grass which made for excellent dairy products. But the big question was, “How to get the products from the coast to Portland?”, the largest available market. Back in the day, no individual farmer had the resources to transport their rich cream, butter, and cheese to market. So, as a group, they commissioned the building of a schooner, the Morning Star, to transport their goods. The cooperative arrangement still works today with more than 150 member dairies. And, the Morning Star still graces their products. Having my fill of all things Tillamook, I braved the deluge en route to Gaston, Oregon. I knew the rain made for great dairy products, but it made for tough driving. In fact, I may as well have been driving through cheese; the rain was so heavy. Driving along a few country roads, I eventually arrived at the home/shop of Steve Stadelman. Steve had contacted me way-back-when I sent out the original email. He told me he used to blow glass but had turned to making furnaces instead. I thought it might be interesting to see one made. When I arrived, Steve and the guys working for him were putting the finishing touches on some electric panels...not much to film. We made loose arrangements for me to come back when he would be casting the chambers and perhaps welding the metal skin which holds them in place.
I also had a chance meeting at his shop. A big guy named Jonathan Myers was there picking up some parts and pieces for his glass shop in Lincoln City, Oregon. I had never heard of Lincoln City. Jonathan told me it was a fun town on the water and that I should come by the studio and check it out for myself. He gave me his card and I told him I’d see him in a week or so.
I decided to take advantage of the break in the storm leaving Gaston and headed to Newberg. Why Newberg? Well, it’s never an easy explanation, but always interesting…
I headed to Newberg to meet Gil Reynolds. Gil was a pioneer in glass fusing and kiln working. Jim Gregory from Spectrum Glass put me in touch with Gil since I was going to be in Oregon. My conversations with Gil were limited and we played phone tag since I left Seattle a week ago. My cell phone didn’t work well on the Olympic Peninsula, nor did I have email (it was great!). Fortunately, Gil was both flexible and understanding.
I first met Gil at his house, which was next door to his shop. I think it is amazing how many people have their workshops next to their homes. Just like the old days when the shopkeeper lived upstairs. Now it’s next door. Anyway, when we had spoken earlier in the day, he mentioned some blues club he would be checking out this evening. I figured I would swing by his house and we’d arrange to meet first thing on Monday. I hadn’t realized it, but Gil wasn’t informing me about the blues club, he was inviting me. Oh, and Gil wasn’t just attending...he would be performing!
The Gil Reynold’s Trio performed at the First Street Pub in downtown Newberg. Newberg still had municipal drinking fountains on each street corner in downtown. Every Sunday night, the Pub promoted Blues Jams: Blues Jam - Bring an instrument, sing, dance, or just kick back and see what happens. Gil and his buddies brought instruments and sang. A couple danced out on the floor. And, I just kicked back and saw what happened.So, basically, within a couple of hours of meeting Gil, we were in a dark, loud bar where he was jamming on stage with a bunch of other people. It was great!
The next day, I met Gil in his shop. His studio was quite impressive. I don’t know what it says about me, but I’m always blown away by clean working environments. I grew up in a print shop - which was never clean. My uncle had a print shop - which was never clean. And, I’ve blown glass all around the country - and...well, some studios are cleaner than others. But, Gil’s place was super clean!
When I walked in he was working on the diamond saw, cutting what looked like a giant block of candy. He was slicing a 2x2x12 block of glass. It was a “pattern bar” he created utilizing a 
method he developed called Flow Bar. It was different from what I knew about fusing, slumping, and other kiln work. I shouldn’t have been surprised, Gil has been a fusing pioneer since 1981.
method he developed called Flow Bar. It was different from what I knew about fusing, slumping, and other kiln work. I shouldn’t have been surprised, Gil has been a fusing pioneer since 1981.He sliced the bar in 1/8th inch sections. The sliced glass pieces looked like mahjong tiles. Gil arranged the individual tiles and would incorporate them into a larger piece. How he made the initial bar was pretty cool.
In a kiln, Gil created a chamber using special bricks. He arranged them like he was building a house out of blocks. He left a space in between the bricks creating an open chamber into which the molten glass would drip. The glass began as many separate sheets of clear and red. He cut large pieces of stained glass into strips and assembled them on top of the brick “house.” Once the heat was applied, the glass melted and flowed into the chamber. By alternating the clear and color glass it created a swirling marble effect in the final pattern 
bar.
bar.Gil was super excited as he explained the process to me. And, he was more than happy to actually demonstrate it as well. Many glass artists are great technicians, but not all of them can articulate “what” they are doing. Even if I didn’t know Gil taught seminars, listening to him discuss the flow bars would have exposed him immediately. He casually explained a complex process getting excited as he spoke. In fact, he seemed to be bouncing even though he remained seated. His enthusiasm was contagious. By the time he finished, I was ready to try it myself...maybe.
Gil has taught fusing techniques for over 20 years. Initially, he traveled up to 25 weekends each year, sometimes internationally. Once he started raising a family, that was no longer feasible and Hot Glass Horizons was born. HGH [www.hotglasshorizons.com] was created for the sole purpose of educating people about fusing and kiln work. There are two conferences annually, one in Corning, New York the other in Portland, Oregon. HGH was a big deal...they book a whole hotel to handle hundreds of students, 15-20 instructors, and the 20 glass studios they will set up with over 100 kilns. It is a true hands-on seminar. Gil’s wife, Carmen, organizes HGH the same way a general supervises troop movements. Her office was dominated by a large cork board with notes as she precisely coordinated the instructors and students to ensure a good time was had by all. And, I think she achieves it. More than 40% of HGH participants return. Many use the seminar as the cornerstone of a vacation. As Gil put it, “we create the spark, the students bring the passion...before you know it, there’s a bonfire!”
I looked through the upcoming HGH catalog. The instructors were from all over the country and all walks of life. One guy was an actual rocket scientist who found glass after a career in aerospace. The success of HGH created the need for another Gil Reynolds solution. After teaching a class, students would approach Gil asking where they could buy supplies to replicate what he demonstrated. Gil addressed this potential problem as I imagined he did all others he encountered...he solved it! Even though I was holding a nicely laid-out catalog called Fusion Headquarters [www.fusionheadquarters.com] it didn’t start out that way. Originally, Gil had a sheet of paper that he mimeographed listing a few items that kiln workers could buy. What started out simply had become a detailed catalog with 30+ pages of all sorts of neat stuff.
Actually, not neat stuff, hard-to-find fusing supplies stuff (which were also neat)...an amalgamation of 20+ years: Imported enamel powders from the Netherlands used for painting, sifting, airbrushing, or silkscreening. Metallic leaf (silver, gold, copper, and brass). Organic micas. Binders. Gums. Fiber boards. Kiln Bricks. Books and Videos. All related to fusing glass. I didn’t know much about fusing and slumping, but a few things in the catalog really jumped out at me.The first was a series of molds Gil developed. Contracting a metal spinner, Gil fabricated a stainless steel mold that enabled him to make a sink from fused glass. I’ve seen several studios offering glass sinks made from hot glass. Gil was the first person I met making sinks from fused glass...but, I was not surprised! Gil also worked with a potter to design a number of ceramic molds. The ceramic molds were also used to impart a shape on the fused glass. A “finished” piece of fused glass is placed on the ceramic mold and then put in the kiln. The kiln is then set for a lower temperature than fusing for a process called slumping. Slumping occurs when the glass loosens, or “slumps,” into the shape of the receptacle. Intimately understanding this process has allowed Gil to make a number of molds for his students.
Always the mad scientist, Gil also developed several kilns. He was standing next to a prototype for one called the Liberty Bell (a vertical lift fusing kiln). He developed the process and Evenheat Kiln, Inc. [www.evenheat-kiln.com] fabricated and manufactured Gil Reynolds-designed equipment. How cool was that?
But wait, there was more...
They have also developed a binder, when added to crushed glass, made a paste that could be shaped and molded. Very cool. And, last but not least: Liquid Stringer Medium. LSM was a vehicle which was also added to glass powder and formed a paste of sorts. After the powdered glass was added the entire mixture could be squirted from a squeeze bottle similar to glue. LSM opened the doors to all sorts of designs and textures.
I asked Gil if all his time was consumed with the catalog and seminars. He said it might seem so on the surface, but “no.” First of all, Carmen is the organizer...Gil is the experimenter. And, the catalog has been a cumulative endeavor, so it’s grown organically. Gil further went on to explain that he originally was afraid to get into the supply business, because he thought it would take him away from working with glass. The opposite has happened. By giving away his knowledge, just putting it out there, others want to follow. It was the people who wanted to follow that allowed Gil to experiment. So, he no longer worried about “what sells,” rather, “what’s new and exciting.” By holding the seminars, they allow Gil to experiment, and given the way he views things...new procedures (and products) result.
In a way, Gil has elected to be the guinea pig for the fusing community. And, they support his endeavors because he so openly shares his knowledge. Gil told me, “There are no mistakes in glass, only successes and learning experiences.”
It was nice to meet someone who was truly happy doing what he was doing. Normally, I see that guy when I look in the mirror. Today, I saw that guy in Newberg...in Gil Reynolds, pioneer in glass fusing.
I spent the night at Gil and Carmen’s place. They introduced me to Rex Hill...Rex made a mean Pinot Noir, the region’s most famous grape. I also got to meet their son Lee...a cool guy. After spending the day slumping, we spent the night slurping. I left Newberg with a new respect for Fused Glass. Gil gave me a copy of his Fused Glass Handbook so I could learn even more. I’ll read it while listening to my new CD, the Gil Reynolds Trio [www.gilreynolds3.com].
How cool!
February 25 - 27, 2007
