Welcome to Glass Craftsman
Glass Craftsman Magazine brings the world of glass crafting to you. Whether you enjoy doing traditional stained glass, Tiffany style lampmaking, glass mosaics, sandblasting & etching, glass fusing, casting, bead making or torch work, or any of the latest hybrid hot/cold glass working techniques; whether you work in glass for your own enjoyment or as a professional artist or craftsperson, the information in Glass Craftsman has but one goal: to make you a better glass artist and craftsperson, and give you the information you need to get the most out of your glass working experience.
The Issue at Hand
No magazine is an island. It is profoundly connected to its readers, advertisers and the community it reflects in its efforts. Glass Craftsman magazine is no different. Since we became its publishers in 1993, it has been our goal to mirror the interests and passions of our readers in the type of material we choose to display in our pages. It has also been our goal to safeguard that approach by enlisting the best the glass community has to offer in the way of professional opinion, reporting and skill oriented writing.
A magazine is also inextricably tethered to the economy it must operate in. And our current economy has, and is, making no secrets about its current condition. Publishers can only respond and react as they see fit to protect their charter, so to speak, and continue to do their jobs the best they can in their professional landscape of choice.
With this issue Glass Craftsman will begin to publish as a quarterly magazine. With this new publishing schedule, we can safeguard our subscribers' investment in Glass Craftsman, i.e., the number of issues in your current subscription will not change, and guarantee that the quality of our editorial will not be altered or challenged. And while the economy does its thing, we and our advertisers, can go on doing what we do best…deliver to you the information and tools you need to exercise your passion for glass.
We will, as we always have, scour the glass community for those seeds of interest and innovation that drive your everyday interaction with glass. Our special interest inserts, Batch for kiln worked glass and Mosaics will remain unchanged, and the rich mix of glass oriented information you've come to expect from Glass Craftsman's writers and editors will continue to be delivered to you without interruption, although on a quarterly basis.
With that, let us all look forward to a stable, enriching and rewarding relationship that can adapt as necessary while remaining strong and fruitful.
Eat…Sleep…Do Glass
JOE PORCELLI
You've seen them; those folks jumping around at major intersections dancing, hip-hopping, and even yelling with 'shop here' signs. Some may wear chicken or gorilla suits, the wackier the better. Why? To get noticed and then draw your attention to the local chicken wing special or inventory close out.
While wacky advertising may work for some, it poses the question, what are you doing to get your glass work noticed?
Hopefully, it doesn't involve a chicken suit.
As many of you know, creative advertising can be just as important as the glass creation itself. In this edition of Glass Craftsman magazine, we are featuring several editorials that highlight some well recognized artists and designers who are making a living with their glass work. In these features, they will let you in on the secrets of getting noticed and staying noticed.
Janet Zambai in her article, 'Making a Living with Glass' updates us on her efforts to stay involved in her small community so that she is known as the glass 'go-to' person. Both artist/instructors Cathy Claycomb and Lisa Vogt, in each of their respective editorials, outline the importance of staying connected to your customers by being very creative and staying tuned to what your client wants.
On the other end of the spectrum, I spoke with an interior designer who is adding some pizzazz to her clients very stately home with glass mosaics and sculpture. We will find out what they are looking for in 'Through the Eyes of the Glass Collector.'
While the individual artist may have different needs and means than the glass retailer/wholesaler, lets not overlook the most obvious form of attention getting in our industry, advertising in this magazine. The pages of Glass Craftsman offer a prime-time glass audience to all who want to pro-mote in the industry. Speaking of advertisers, check out our test drives on No Days Pre-Glazed lead came strips and on the Paragon Express E12T kiln. Don't forget to peruse the Batch insert, this month concentrating on kiln work. Some very in-depth, 'how-to' articles on making your own tile, creating color samples, using glass powders and working with iridized glass in your kiln. So whether it's learning some new tricks to add excitement to your work or networking with excitement, attention comes in many forms. So read on and hopefully we can spark some creativity in the art of getting noticed without the furry suit.
DELYNN ELLIS
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