Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz, CA

Tuesday, 06. August 2013

 

1st Anniversary of Weiberwalz – Louise Lang and Franca Tasch on Tour for one year.

The 29th July was our first anniversary of the Weiberwalz, which we started a year ago. From Europe we’ve worked our way through the USA and today we fly to Hawaii, on and on we go and are really excited!

THANK YOU to all our friends, sponsors and our families who have helped up us get this far!!

The last few days on the American mainland went by really quickly. In Seattle we were reunited with Lydia and Jon who we got to know in the Czech Republic. We picked up Jack from Columbus, Ohio at the airport and together with him we visited nearly all the glass studios in Seattle. There are simply so many, that we would like to list them here:

Glassbaby – They sell two kinds of products; simple and in lots of colours. A drinking and a tea-light glass, each for approx. EUR 38.50. Both are blown in a wooden mould. Glassbaby employs many of the local glassmakers, it’s a secure employment.

Glass Eye – ‚We produce affordable glass‘, so says their Head of Production. Thirteen people work here at the furnace and in the sanding workshop. From a group of 50 glassmakers, they daily recruit a changing crew of 13. They produce many paperweights, vases and other decorative objects. It’s a large business which has been running successfully since 1985.

Olympic Color Rods – They sell exclusively glass makers tool by Jim Moor and colour rods by Reichenbach. Previously they also stocked Gaffer, however over time they decided to sell directly in America and they weren’t happy with the service from Kugler. We loved this shop, it’s just a shame we can’t fit it all into our rucksacks.

Martin Blank – His glass studio is directly behind Olympic Color Rods. Here he produces the craziest glass sculptures and installations nearly every day. We also visited his ‘cold shop’ where he assembles everything and welds his metal frames. Everything Martin Blank does, he does at full speed, ie. books made out of glass for Hilary Clinton, gigantic glass flowers, life-size sculptures and many more objects where most people would say, you are never going to make that! Because after two days’ work his cooling chamber is usually full, he lets out the working space to others for the rest of the time. Also, his work normally takes a week to cool down.

Seattle Glassblowing Studio, 5th Ave. – They produce a lot of joyful, colourful glass and offer practical courses for beginners and intermediates. Many of the local glass makers also work here; a high percentage of them being women.

Hot Glass Color – In the same building together with Seattle Glassblowing Studio, and sell exclusively tools by Jasen Johnsen and everything from Kugler Colors.

Vetri Gallery – A beautiful and regularly changing glass exhibition, showcasing artists from around the world. Not to be missed, if you’re in the area.

Alongside our extended glass tour, we also took part in a chocolate one! This was in one of the few chocolate factories in the USA and a sweet and welcome change on our trip. Afterwards we started the long way back to return the truck to Santa Cruz. At every petrol stop along the way on our 14 hour trip, we slowly worked on the truck so that it got cleaner and cleaner. Since the middle of May we have driven 12,472.80 km! A VERY BIG THANK YOU to our sponsor and owner of the truck, Hans Strack-Zimmerman and also to Michael Meirer.