from an artist's studio: November 2013

Celebrating Fusionglass Co's. 10th Anniversary.

"Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake"

I love this quote by Henry David Thoreau.
It serves as a reminder that we are never more fully alive than when we are in pursuit of a worthy Dream. The body is energized, the mind open to new possibilities and there is never enough time in a day! They say time flies when you're having fun, and as I reminisce over the last 10 years the overwhelming impression I am left with is definitely FUN.

It was in the pursuit of a dream that led to founding Fusionglass Co. with Paul Fernandes 10 years ago. or at least we had the beginning of a Dream.

...and what was that Dream?

It was simple really. We just wanted to do something we loved, and encourage others to do the same.
We wanted to leap out of bed in the morning with a sense of joy and fulfillment, filled with creative energy & eager to start a new day. We wanted to be challenged artistically and to share our love of art and if we ever got a studio I wanted a tea kettle and Paul wanted a George Foreman Grill!

As we make arrangements for our
Annual Holiday Show & 10th anniversary Celebration

November 30th from 7-11pm RSVP

I cannot help but ponder the meandering road that brought us to where we are today.
So full of twists and turns and unexpected crossroads. So please excuse me if I ramble along.

A Ten Year period brings with it uncountable joys and sorrows, challenges and inspirations Along with the hardships that seem unendurable we found deep and lasting friendship.

We have been inspired by YOU our friends and family.
Held up by you in times of trouble & doubt, you have been there to celebrate our achievements, to
encourage us to persevere through obstacles and challenges & most importantly to remain focused on our Dream.

With your support and encouragement that Dream has been realized over & above our expectations.

It has evolved along the way through impediments & delights, bolstered by disappointment and surprises. From the brilliant bursts of insight over a glass of wine and a bottle of beer in the back room: which weren't always so brilliant the next day!

To being watered by tears of frustration & nurtured & fueled by friendship, and the encouragement of wonderful people we've met along the way, Our dream has found a life of it's own.

Our passion has grown to include sharing what we do. Allowing others to tap into their creative source. To find solace for the soul in the joy of creating. To release tension & stress through the process of art. We've seen it ease the pain of cancer, of loss and of loneliness, we've seen students level of confidence raised, and effect to other areas of their lives. We operate under the premise that ART is GOOD for what ails you.

We are especially passionate about bringing art to kids, and in response to a disgusting lack of funding for the arts in our schools, have developed programs such as "Take pART", bringing a traveling glass class to local school children. We also work as community partners with the Girl Scouts Organization helping to inspire girls of courage, confidence, and character. We see ART as an integral part of life & encourage a S.T.E.A.M approach to education.

We initially set up the company for wholesale sales in 2003. Paul and I traveled across the United
States selling our work at big shows. It was a wonderful experience jetting off to such places as New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, LA, Dallas, New Orleans, & Atlanta a couple of times a year.

During those first five years we noticed a big change taking place. We noticed more & more imported items being offered for sale to a diminishing cadre of buyers.
Along with transportation costs, airfare hikes & hotel bills, we realized we had to rethink how we were doing business. We looked into the possibility of finding a space locally, somewhere we could create & show our work.

We found 8872 LaMesa Blvd., and a new chapter in the life of Fusionglass Co. began.

As soon as we opened our doors people were intrigued with the glass, the beautiful colors and patterns drew them in, they fell in love with it just as quickly as we had.

We heard the same thing again & again "it's beautiful... how do you do it?.. will you teach me?"
and another opportunity for sharing was born.

We embraced the idea of teaching and began with a simple pendant making class.
We 65 people show up for a 30 person class! Everyone stayed, shared tools, sipped wine and created a couple of fused glass pendants. It was a wonderful warm and very memorable evening.

We now offer an ever expanding repertoire of classes and projects from Fusionglass Co. and other local artists. Including a stain glass class every Tuesday with Paul Fernandes, painting & drawing (Lional Talaro), photo manipulation/painting (Kira Corser Carillo), silk painting (Marjorie Pezzoli) and with a 6 week basic drawing class with local artist Hazel Ross slated to start in January 2014.

Fusionglass Co. has given us the joy of watching new friendships develop through our Ladies Night Out Events.

& seeing the delight on someone's face when they pick up their work, and are amazed by their own creativity.

we've seen the glitter in an emerging artists eye as they sell their first piece of original artwork.

& we continually experience selfless volunteerism at our many events, people showing up to help prep food, or hang artwork, or offer lighting services or wine, or spend the evening entertaining us with song, dance or music, or bar tending or a hundred other jobs that need doing!

We bear witness to an ever growing community of open minded, enthusiastic & loving people coming together to encourage & inspire, to challenge, to motivate & to grow through their love of art.

And here we are 10 years later, still evolving and stronger than ever, with new ideas for our future and plans to bring the gift of creativity to ever more individuals.

We hope you'll continue the journey with us along this winding road, and if we can offer advice at all. It would be that you should follow your bliss, & everything you need will find you.

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
― Rumi

Live joyfully