Making Technicolor Glass Art From Upcycled Junk

Season 12 Episode 9 | 5m 28sVideo has Closed Captions

Amy Vail grew up in a family of glass artists and continues the family legacy in Alaska.

Aired 12/28/2023

From

Making Technicolor Glass Art From Upcycled Junk

Season 12 Episode 9 | 5m 28sVideo has Closed Captions

Amy Vail grew up in a family of glass artists and continues the family legacy in Alaska.

Amy Vail grew up in a family of stained glass artists but didn't start working on her craft until after retirement. As a cyclist in Alaska, Vail often has a surplus of bike parts that she now repurposes in her art. Join in on the creativity as she discusses her process and where she finds inspiration.

Aired 12/28/2023

From

Making Technicolor Glass Art From Upcycled Junk

Season 12 Episode 9 | 5m 28sVideo has Closed Captions

Aired 12/28/2023

From

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Indie Films

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I always say that I give a little bit of my DNA with each piece. Because I don't know that I have actually finished a piece without nicking a little bit, I keep the liquid Band-Aids and Band-Aids in my studio but a lot of times I'll be so engrossed that I just I don't want to stop to take care of it. So I'm like wiping the blood off and then working on glass, wiping the blood, working on glass. But I do give away a little bit of myself and maybe not just DNA, but just a little bit of me. Everyone, when you retire, everyone says you have to have a plan. I did not have a plan. I did not plan to do stained glass. But once I got into it, I find it really difficult to pull myself out of my studio during the day and do something else.

My father did stained glass. Several of my nephews have done stained glass. My son has picked it up. Also, that's my middle so My older son worked with my dad a little bit. Anyone who visited my dad as far as grandkids, were invited out to work in the garage with him. And he would give them a simple and let them make something and, direct them on how to do it. So he really, I feel, wanted to pass this on. I'm the only one who does it I guess full time. But I'm retired now so I can do anything I want full time. My husband and I are both big cyclists. I feel like Alaska is an awesome place to be a cyclist. Not only can you do it year-round but so many people use the trails here and we have great trails. (Oh!

Yeah.

) And so I really like using that, you know, as my palate rather than just making a straight piece. And I'm not seeing anyone else do it like what I do. I love finding something that's out there that's Alaskan that I can put on my wheels. You know, I'll go on Facebook and I do find them in the woods sometimes and drag them home. If we get a bike, which we get fairly ofte I'll get my- My neighbor last year gave me her kids' two old bikes, and they were perfect. You know, so we take them apart and then we recycle everything that we can. If there's aluminum, it goes in one pile.

It's metal, it goes in another pile. So, yeah, we do a lot of recycling. When I decide to make something the first thing I have to do is clean the wheel. Which, thankfully, my husband doesn't care if I use the kitchen sink because that's the only sink that I have. And I have special sponges and toothbrushes that are kinda off to the side that he knows. don't use those for anything because they've been used on bike rims. And then once I get it clean, I will take a piece of cardboard like this old poster board and draw out the outside rim so that I know exactly how much space I have. A lot of times that then becomes the pattern. So this one I'm doing is going to be a little bit different in that the only pattern that I really have is for the swans. And then I just get to pick out the glass and that's when I really have fun. And then I just trace it on the glass and start cutting and sanding. I use an old cork, a wine cork to press the edges down and on the sides and on the back side. Then I solder it. If you look at my socks, I have multiple pairs of socks that have little dots of solder on the top because I wear socks and sandals in my studio and then I patina them. Depending on the piece. I may go back over it with car wax, then glue it onto the wheel. I 100% enjoy what I'm doing. I love what I'm doing. It's the first job I've had that's not really a job. And when someone buys a piece and they are excited, as excited as I was when I made it, that makes me feel really good because it's really hard to give away something you've made. But that makes me feel good knowing that someone else is going to enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.