Back in the day...

The very first studio we started in. One half of a single car garage. We had to move the kids bikes out to be able to get in and work.

Helen's Art Plate

Leah On TV

click the image above to view the video

New Mural Out Front

Thank you Scott!!!

mural painted by Brian Buchanan

little things I love around the studio

Scott's crazy ties on the bulletin board!

Big Brothers Big Sisters at AGS

A party of ladies and their young friends, all part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, came to Aquila to make glass pendants. They all had fun times designing and creating little works of art. Big sisters and little sisters alike caught on quickly and had no trouble piecing together their pendants, choosing colors and deciding what kind of texture they would like in the end. Everyone made about 6 pendants!
Scott even got some of them to make little droplets of hot glass (with his help!) and it was brilliant to see their little faces light up in front of the flame as the glass became molten and turned into a little dot.

If you would like to schedule a party like this, give us a call - and if you are inspired to become part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization - please do - click on the link to find more information about volunteering or donating funds for this amazing group of mentors! I like this slogan found on their website:

"Expanding horizons through the power of one-on-one friendships"

excited! about! decor!

It seems to me like Aquila is a work in progress. The guys are always moving things around, rearranging and reorganizing in order to make more space for cool stuff.

One thing that never got finished (or so it seemed to me) was the bathroom. Oh sure -- it has the important parts (toilet, sink, mirror, towels). But someone had picked up some wood panels and molding for wainscoting the wall in the potty. And there the wood sat for the longest time. There was at least one occasion I offered to grab a hammer and put the paneling up myself, but let's be honest -- nobody wants that. Nobody. Aimee + Hammer = Bad Idea. (I'm much better at DEconstruction than construction.)

But I digress.

The last time I was at the studio, I noticed that the wood paneling was finally in place! The bathroom was nearly done -- all that was left was the crown molding. It looks great! I get so excited about bathroom decor!! Let's use more exclamation points!!!

And as I come out of the bathroom praising the wonders of wainscoting, Scott gives me a look. "You know... we did that like two months ago. It was like that the last time you were here."

So much for my powers of observation...

Tom Magruder's Marble Run

How I Fell in Love with Glass

You can blame Leah for my love affair with glass. There's probably a lot of people out there who blame her, now that I think about it. Maybe she taught your torchworking class... maybe you spotted her mobiles at the Portland Saturday Market.

In my case, she lured me in with wire.

Leah was looking to hire an extra pair of hands to help with mobile production, and first on her list of things to hand off was cutting wire. By lucky coincidence, I was looking for a part time job... so we each had something the other needed. Before long, Leah had me playing with glass. I made not-very-loopy loops on the torch. (They were more triangles than loops.) I cut my way through buckets of scrap for use in mobiles. I took an Intro to Fusing class with Scott. I took a bunch of torchworking classes with Leah. (My favorite so far is making ornaments!) I invited friends to the studio and got them to fall in love with glass, too.

I've yet to get tired of all the possibilities. I love pawing through a tub of scrap and finding colorful treasures. I love mixing and matching bits and pieces until they become something new. There's always some new project to admire, some friendly glass artist to chat with. The company at Aquila is just as appealing as the glass! I've never felt anything but welcome there.

So what's your story? How did you fall in love with glass? What brought you to Aquila?

The Journey Bead Program

Aquila was in the news recently

click here for a link to the Portland Sentinel to read more about the Journey Bead Program that we donate glass pendants to at Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital.

If you would like to make pendants for this program - please do!

Ask Scott or Don for more details, or come for "Pendant Night" which happens quarterly (check the schedule for detailed dates)