Guest blogger: Lewis Wilson of Crystal Myths
My first ever blog-----
I lived in Goose Bay, Laborador from
the summer of 1960 to 1964. Some of the winters there were the coldest I can
remember. It was during those cold winters that I taught myself
circus tricks like fire eating, juggling and knife throwing. Not bad for an
eleven year old kid but I had no idea it would dominate my life.
I started
working with glass in the summer of 1972 while I was corpsman in
the air force stationed at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and worked in
the emergency room. One day I picked up a copy of a scientific
glassblowing manual from the 1940s and then taught myself how to manipulate
small glass rods that were in the medical lab. I worked on a small Bunsen
burner. By the next summer (1973) I could make many small things. There was a transition
program run by the military that allowed me to work my last three months of
active duty off base. I was allowed to work with the Arribas Company
glass blowers at Walt Disney World. I worked with Miquel Bonillo and 14 other
glass workers.
At Disney, everyone
worked on National 3-A blowpipes where I was taught to do the type of
glass work referred to as spun glass, woven glass, loop stitch, drop
stitch and running stitch. This was county fair type work. One thousand
items in a row, then change to the next and do a thousand of that one. I made
teapots, birdbaths and crabs.
Jan 19, 1973 I left the military and was
immediately self employed. I have now worked glass as my
sole profession for 39 years.
In 1967, Peter Norton
founded a company called Nortel manufacturing, in Canada. He was an
inventor and created many things, including glass working torches. I was not
aware of his work for many years. But by 1992, I was impacted very much by him.
By 1992 I had started
working in soft glass and was introduced to the minor burner from Nortel. Most
reading this blog may have started on minor burners. Some may not. But, without
a doubt, all have been influenced, because more than likely the teachers who
taught you, or their teachers, worked on minor burners. The minor burner was
the work horse, the gold standard, the king and royal court of what brought the
art of soft glass bead making to become what we see today. For eleven years I
had a manifold system and nine torches that I used to teach my first thousand students.
In 1993, when I started teaching, I had eighteen students a weekend in groups
of nine.
Peter Norton, we all bow
down and thank you so heartily for your simple creation that has afforded so
many of us the ability to work with glass. It was well designed, affordable,
looked like a little slice of art deco misplaced for an inventful soul to find.
It was perfect for soft glass, worked well for small boro and was
just a very good torch. It was many artists’ first experience on a torch.
Nortel has gone on to
produce many newer and hotter high end torches . Nortel has employees that care
and know glass. People that have been bitten by the bug. One of these people is
Jean Robichaud I have known Jean for 10-12 years through her work at many
conferences and world class events. She is pretty much the front man for
Nortel.
It is with her asking that I
am the first blog writer for Nortel. I am honored.
I have taught hundreds of
students, produced 24 videos and DVDs, and produced world class bead and glass
events. I am a bit of a P T Barnum showman. Currently I, and my wife Barbara,
are creating an annual event called the 'Soft Glass Invitational' http://www.softglassinvitational.com/ which is open to anyone working with or
curious about soft glass. It is being held in Hilliards, Pa on May
17-18-19, 2012. This event is a soft glass retreat and will last three days with
up to forty torches going. Each year six very good instructors will each do demonstrations
and then work beside all the attendees. The first year the instructors are
Trey Coronette, Cindy Lemmo, Wesley Fleming, Patti Cahill, Sara Sally LeGrande
and I. There will also be a small bead bazaar on the last day of SGI which will
be open to the surrounding communities. We also have an open trade policy
where you can sell, trade or show your work for the entire retreat. This
retreat and the website is our way of thanking the glass community,
supporting the Glass Center and giving glass
artists a few days to learn, share and make lifetime glass friends. For
information on this event please go to http://www.softglassinvitational.com/ And did I
mention that you are all invited because we are creating a dream
without boundaries. We are closer to the Canadian provinces than most US states. I do
speak a little Canadian and even have a pair of mukluks. We already have a few Canadians
signed up.
Jean, and Nortel, has asked
me to return to Canada again. Barb and
I are planning on going directly to Toronto from SGI.
Arriving around May 21. Please keep in contact with Nortel or the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nortel-Mfg/127239834323?ref=tn_tnmn
for Soft Glass invitations. You can sign up for the facebook page if you are
just interested in soft glass. It has a lot of good talent.
Lewis C Wilson Crystal myths
