Caudill Glassworks

Time to promote my amazing husband and his glass mosaics!

Jess has been working with glass for the past 10 years, becoming an expert in fused glass.  Lately, however, he has created glass mosaics on discarded widow frames.  This is a piece he was commission to create by a customer in Portland.

These are two pieces that are hanging at Dirty Finger Bike Shop in Hood River, Oregon.

Dia de Los Muertos skull in progress.  This was part of a show at the Columbia Gorge Art Center.

Jess has also been commissioned by local businesses to create their logo in glass.  This one is hanging at Waterfront Enodontics in Hood River. 

As a thank you for all his hard work, the Gorge Roller Girls gave this to our coach.   Notice the wheels, mouth guard and skate tool that were added to this piece.

This skull mosaic is hanging in the upstairs window of Discover Bikes in Hood River.  Jess incorporated bikes chains and gears throughout this piece.

A repeat customer commissioned this skull for his business.    I believe it was intended for the Portland location of Nella Cutlery.  Jess was given a handful of knives to add to the mosaic.  Can you find them within the flames?

These two skulls were part of the Dia de Los Muertos show at The Remains art gallery in Hood River.

The Modelo beer bottles were cut in half and added a three dimensional aspect to this piece.

Jess Caudill

caudillglassworks@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/caudillglassworks

Labyrinths

Another successful Art Week at May Street Elementary has come and gone.  This year the week-long lesson was about labyrinths and mazes.  I first taught the students the difference between a labyrinth and a maze. (A labyrinth has one path leading to the center with no tricks, dead-ends or false paths.  A maze is meant to be a puzzle to figure out.)

The students spent the week creating labyrinths with the idea of using them to help focus, slow down, solve problems and center themselves.

The students made books filled with many examples of labyrinths to use as finger labyrinths.

I taught them how to create their own labyrinth by starting with drawing a seed.  Students used recycled book pages, and watercolor crayons on their labyrinths.  They outlined their labyrinths with white glue to create a raised line and barrier for their finger when they use their finger labyrinths.  Their creations were added to the cover of their books.

Students also decorated bean bags with a finger labyrinth.  Each student worked with me to sew the bean bags with my sewing machine.  I bring my sewing machine into as many lessons as possible and am always amazed at how many students have not had the experience to seeing a sewing machine in action.

We used the bean bags to create a walking labyrinth.  The student worked together to figure out how to create the labyrinth on the classroom floor and then took turns walking through it with a focused intention.

The younger group of kids created a simple spiral labyrinth, but also enjoyed walking through it.

On our final day together, the students collaborated on a walking labyrinth made on the backside of a reclaimed billboard.  I gave the students metallic markers to use on the black vinyl billboard.  These labyrinths were given to the school for classes to use whenever they desired.

Doggy Days of Summer Camp

For the last two summers, I was asked to be part of a new summer camp program that was created at Home at Last, the Humane Society, in The Dalles, Oregon.  We wanted to offer a week long day camp for kids in the community to learn about and work with the animals at the shelter.  What an amazing week we had.

Each day the campers walked the dogs along the Riverfront Trail.  Finding 8-9 dogs a day that were kid friendly and were able to walk together in a group proved to be a challenge, but the staff at Home At Last rose to the challenge each day.

The campers learned about animal behavior, created animal themed art projects, made animal beds and dog/cat toys and read to the animals each day.  They also collaborated on painting a dog house that is now sitting in front of the building, greeting the guests each day.

Here are some of the projects the kids created during the week.

Recycled packaging sillouttes

Magazine Mosaics

Painting the dog house

cap nip toys

Zentangles

Animal Silhouettes.  We used this technique on t-shirts.

Dog toys