The Delphi Blog

Each month at Delphi Glass, we’d like to put the spotlight on one of the many talented artists we see daily in our Artist Gallery. For the month of February, we’re delighted to introduce Stephanie Murphy, who goes by the name aMosaicist in our gallery. Stephanie was born and raised in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, and now lives just south of there in a town called Schnecksville. After earning her nursing degree in college, she became a critical care nurse for 10 years. But in order to care for her autistic son, Patrick, she had to leave her career behind. Throughout college and beyond, Stephanie began using art as a coping mechanism for the stresses in her life, especially when it came to raising her autistic son. “In college, I filled my electives with art classes, drawing and ceramics, to give my brain a respite from the vigorous nursing courses. Creating art gives my left brain some rest and my right brain some much needed exercise. I can go on vacation without ever leaving home. Creating mosaic and fused glass art is something I do for me.” Stephanie has been creating mosaics for 13 years and fused glass for about 4 years. She got her start by

The art of assembling small fragments of glass, stone and other materials to form a larger image is known as mosaics. What is much less known is that this practice is about 4,000 years old or so. Some of the most famous pieces of the world’s artistic history were mosaics, like this Roman piece found in Turkey of a gypsy girl, estimated to be from the 2nd Century CE. If you’re looking to make your own bigger picture, you’ll need to choose your mosaic pattern and round up your mosaic supplies, which will include making sure you have enough mosaic tiles to get the job done. That might seem obvious, but if you’re new to the artful world of mosaics, here are some little tips that will help you create a mosaic you’ll be able to brag about:   1. Start small and simple Don’t even think about trying to tackle a mosaic wall or flooring project first! Start with something small and simple so you can get your technique worked out. Coasters or picture frames make for great practice mosaic projects!   2. Get sketchy Choose a mosaic template you like from an image you find in a book, online or even from a photo you’ve

Frit Molds are becoming increasingly more popular, especially with all the new styles of jewelry molds coming out. Getting a beautiful finished project can be tricky at times. Issue #1: Glass tends to stick; and create sharp daggers on the sides of the glass project. This can happen when the glass separator is getting thin or worn away. Boron Nitride MR-97 is the answer. It is a versatile product that can also be used on stainless steel molds as well. Think of it like teflon on your frying pan. It will not allow the glass to stick to the mold. Projects pop right out and are ready to wear. You do have to follow the instructions and reapply as directed. Watch a video on how to use Boron Nitride MR-97. However if you do get spurs on the sides of your project, simply use a wet hand sanding pad to clean up the edges. Issue#2: The frit is trapping a lot of air bubbles that you can see in the finished project. Thats frit for you. Air bubbles will happen, however if you change the soak or hold time based on the size frit you used, you may have better luck. For example, if the mold calls for a 10-minute hold for fine frit, then it might be 25-3

Winter is a wonderful time for projects that warm us up. Whether we’re making something that depicts the chilly winter weather or creating something sunny and tropical to help us think warm thoughts, any of the winter variety glass packs are a fabulous choice.   When it comes to stained glass supplies, these sets of eight sheets of 8”x8” glass in assorted color schemes including blue and white hues as well as creamy whites with touches of warm color will bring your next stained glass project to life. Whether you use it to create lamps, panels, doors, or décor, there are no limits to what your imagination can dream up.   These winter glass packs of stained glass are a lot like how we look at life. It all depends on how we look at life. Some of us will look at these sets of colors and instantly think of windy, blustery snow-filled days. Some will look at that cold and depict it in a positive way, embracing the art that winter burns into us with her frigid blasts of air to create stained glass projects that celebrate winter. Meanwhile, others will feel inspired to lament the colder temperatures and endless snow, and perhaps showcase this in

Late Summer and Fall 2015 provides an opportunity to expand your artistic horizons. Delphi's Creativity Center in Lansing, MI presents new techniques introduced by Guest Instructors on the cutting edge of art glass innovation. This season renowned glass artists Wesley Wong, Margaret Zinser and Tim Drier impart their innovative new ideas and techniques to student glassworkers at Delphi. Get to know each artist and their work, then see which class is right for you! Class sizes are limited so register now to ensure your opportunity to work with these amazing artists. Wesley Wong Wesley Wong is an award-winning artist who designs and produces custom glass art from his studio in San Jose, California. His passion for glass started in 1981 with stained glass, which eventually lead him into mosaics and fused glass. His work features lots of bright colors and intricate patterns and has been exhibited in many juried glass and mosaic shows throughout the United States. Receive a 10% discount on any 2 of Wesleys September classes. Receive a 20% discount on all 3 of Wesleys September classes. Please call Delphi Creativity C

The Summer 2015 session of art glass classes at Delphi's Creativity Center in Lansing, MI is gearing up to start soon. This season renowned glass artists Peter McGrain and Deb Crowley impart their innovative new ideas and techniques to student glassworkers at Delphi. Get to know each artist and their work, then see which class is right for you! Class sizes are limited so register now to ensure your opportunity to work with these amazing artists. Peter McGrain Award winning artist/designer Peter McGrain has been working with stained glass for over 30 years. During this time he has handled every type of stained glass project imaginable; ranging in scope from intimate experimental panels to large-scale architectural installations. In all, it is his attention to composition and technique that make his imagery so successful. Check out Peter's work on his website or our Pinterest board. Class: Introduction to Traditional Glass Painting Friday, June 5, 2015 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Register Now Description Painting on glass is by far the

The Spring 2015 session of art glass classes at Delphi's Creativity Center in Lansing, MI is all set to start. This season renowned glass artists Cathy Claycomb and Margaret Zinser join Tim Drier and Carol Shelkin to help expand the scope of your glassworking skills. Get to know each artist and their work, then see which class is right for you! Class sizes are limited so register now to ensure your opportunity to work with these amazing artists. Tim Drier Tim Drier has been a glassblower for 25 years, and applies his scientific glassblowing expertise to artistic flameworking. He concentrates on creating decanters, goblets, vases, and human sculptural forms. Drier has taught flameworking courses at The Studio and the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and has demonstrated at the International Flameworkers Conference at Salem Community College. Check out Tim's work on his Corning Museum of Glass page or his Pinterest Board . Class: Introduction to Hollow Forms Friday-Saturday, April 17-18, 2015 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Register Now! Description Tims two day c

Glass artists have the unique opportunity to celebrate holidays by creating art to honor traditions. Passover is no exception. This eight day festival is celebrated in spring, commemorating the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The highlight of celebration is the Seder, a 15-step family tradition and ritual-infused feast that is served on a special Seder Plate. Designing a custom Seder Plate is a perfect way to honor the tradition. Incorporate favorite colors, create a modern square version, or add dazzling dichroic accents to dress up your design. Shop Seder Plate Molds to get started creating your own. Below are some beautiful variations on Seder Plates from glass artists that are fantastic examples of some of the ways you can personalize projects. This modern take on the Seder Plate features iridized glass and hand painted gold lettering, by Art Glass. Glassdesign dresses up the traditional round Seder Plate shape with dichroic accents. Yafit Glass brings a lively color pallet to this Seder Plate with vibrant transparent glass and gold hand-lettering. Artist Kerry Silver of Silver Fusion Art Glass uses vibrant color a

If you've ever stumbled across a project you love on DelphiGlass.com or read an Artist Spotlight in our catalog and wondered where we get all the project images the answer is simple. Most of them come from people like you - our customers - and at Delphi we love to show off your work. We regularly browse the Delphi Online Artist Gallery for projects and artists that inspire us to share. Open your own Delphi Artist Gallery and upload your projects . You could find your art features in a Delphi email, on our Pinterest boards or in an upcoming Delphi catalog. Delphi's Pinterest boards are a great place to find inspiration and get fresh ideas for your next project. If you want to get creative promote your studio or gallery or just show off your art - let Delphi help. Follow us on Pinterest to keep up on the latest trends, find beautiful projects and favorite supplies organized by season, theme or color to make it easy to browse. Get inspired to be creative this year. Have a look back at Delphi's most popular Pinterest boards, as well as our most liked and re-pinned pins from 2014: In 201

We are gearing up for the Winter/Spring 2015 session of art glass classes at Delphi's Creativity Center in Lansing, MI. This year accomplished glass artists Tim Drier and Carol Shelkin will bring their talent and expertise to Delphi to help students upgrade their skills. Get to know each artist and their work, then see which class is right for you! Class sizes are limited so register now to ensure your opportunity to work with these amazing artists. Tim Drier Tim Drier has been a glassblower for 25 years, and applies his scientific glassblowing expertise to artistic flameworking. He concentrates on creating decanters, goblets, vases, and human sculptural forms. Drier has taught flameworking courses at The Studio and the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and has demonstrated at the International Flameworkers Conference at Salem Community College. Check out Tim's work on his Corning Museum of Glass page or his Pinterest Board . Class: Introduction to Hollow Forms Friday-Saturday, April 17-18, 2015 10:00am-4:00pm Register Now! Description Tims two day

This Spring Delphi is excited to host two amazing glass artists at the Delphi Creativity Center in Lansing, MI. Mosaic artist Carol Shelkin and master of beveling, Kent Lauer, will both be teaching this Spring at Delphi. Each artist brings their own unique skill set and techniques that any student from beginner to professional artist would enjoy. Get to know each artist and their work, then see which class is right for you! Class sizes are limited so register now to ensure your opportunity to work with these amazing artists. Carol Shelkin Carol Shelkin creates contemporary fine art and intricate mosaic designs that feature eminent care and attention to detail using hand-cut, high-quality stained glass. Her life-long passion for art has been honed through studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and under the tutelage of mosaic masters in Italy. Her one-of-a-kind works can be found in galleries, community centers, libraries and private collections. Explore Carol's work on our Pinterest board or on her website .