You’ve been heard!

This Sunday we’re doing it again, Never Heard’s 2nd multi location shopping shuffle! Come out and quarantine with the rest of your long forgotten friends! The weather will be just fine! After your delicious brunch stroll the ave shopping for gifts and fashions like only Tacoma can serve up! 

Now I love the energy on 6th ave I always have a good time. I will be at Jazzbones from 12 – 7 pm with my eclectic brand of unique glassware. Baby Head Cups, Diamond Facet Wine Bulbs, the exquisite GlassEarth  I’ll be presenting a new batch of Tacoma Tumblers along with some Venetian inspired aperitif cups. Always something new, come by and see!

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The Flea 1 Year Anniversary Art Market

The Flea is celebrating one year as your local plug for Tacoma art and style. To celebrate this milestone they are taking over the block with a multi location art fair of local artists and vendors. In addition to the humble store front on 6th Ave artists will be featured in Jazz Bones and Alley Cat and Scorpio Rising paired with your favorite local DJ’s to keep the vibe going into the night. I’ll be at Jazz Bones with my usual selection of oddities and arts along with some new products Ill be testing out on an unsuspecting audience. I’ve got a Baby Head tribute cup to the late MF DOOM for those that know also a new line of Decal Cups with familiar slogans of Tacoma. Mask up and come on out!

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A New World, GlassEarth

I have produced two runs of the “GlassEarth” this year. Just like any hand crafted product there is a substantial prep-work and development that goes into each piece. Since this line is still in it’s infancy every time I go into the studio there is growth. I learn a little bit more about my process, shapes, timing, detail. After grinding and polished my most recent run, and I must admit I am very happy with the direction things are going. Also during this last run I took the time to document the steps involved in the creation of these pieces. You too can check out the process here on the GlassEarth page.

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Aqua Alto

Although the water has receded, the damage has been done. Aqua Alto meaning The High Tide is a seasonal occurrence that grows worse every year. As a young glass worker I was lucky enough to have been indoctrinated into the Venetian tradition. One of my mentors and friend Maestro Davidé Fuin is a native of the small island of Murano just located off of Venice Italy. It is on this very Island where modern glassblowing has taken shape. Through my years of working and teaching with Davidé in Italy I have developed many friends and family that live and work in the Venetian Lagoon.

This years the Aqua Alto flooded the Venetian Islands 5ft. above the normal level. Many of the local businesses and shops were affected. I reached out to Davidé to see how his furnace faired through the flooding.


“No problem for me fortunately, but all Murano is on the knees, so I started a “gofundme” to support the glassblower community.” -Fuin

Support local Murano glassblowers to rebuild furnaces and studios after high water flood damage. The collected funds will be shared with those who have suffered severe damage and lost weeks of production. Please help us stand again!!
Read more – https://gf.me/u/wrmngw
Donate directly here: https://gf.me/u/wrmngy

If you can help financially great! Also these funds will go directly to the glassblowing community ,side stepping any parasitic political bureaucracy. Please forward this message to help us reach this campaign goal! -Oliver

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Fruits of the Hot Shop

If you have ever met me in person you know I entertain a certain degree of ridiculousness in my life. My new “Pumpkin Heads” are no exception. I’m not sure exactly how the idea came about, but none the less here it is. On a recent production day I committed some time to experiment with this odd design. As I loaded the first one into the box my assistant and I could not contain ourselves. We spent the remainder of the day laughing and joking about how silly this truly was. Fruits of the hot shop As an untested product 

The  “Pumpkin Head”, a silly and festive addition to your Baby Head Cup© collection. With the timeless tradition of glass pumpkin making and the tenacious creativity of the Baby Head Cup this cross pollination seemed inevitable. These silly little gourds are picked ripe from the vine resulting in a variety of stem like “hairstyles” and with nature on your side you can be sure each one is it’s own unique masterpiece.

Pumpkin Head is available here at the Fulcrum Gallery online store.

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Kelsey

The Trophy series is my most recent artistic endeavor. It all started when my friend Patrick Calhill and I were creating some glass pieces at his studio Area 253 Glassblowing in Tacoma. At the request of a patron we created a rudimentary deer skull. It came out so cool and interesting that I went into the studio myself to explore this concept. My goal was to create a variety of  deer, elk & steer skulls in exceptionally blingy colors and decorations then re-imagine them as a Mod Pop hunting trophy.  

Kelsey is a lovely marriage of aesthetics. The Heavy Metal look of this particular skull paired with a smashed audio receiving board became the perfect “Rock n’ Roll” statement. The decision to showcase the warped lines of the destroyed plate gives a humble nod to the varied history these items have had. Kelsey measures 8 x 11 x 6 inches and is currently available for purchase.

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Glass Break

A conversation with artist Oliver Doriss

Glass Break is an informal conversation series that lasts about 30 minutes and brings interesting people and ideas to the stage in the Museum Theater — free to the public.

MARCH 21: LOCAL ARTIST OLIVER DORISS
Hear from Artist and Fulcrum Gallery Director, Oliver Doriss. A local artist and ‘Maker of Objects’, Doriss will share his experience and its impact on the Tacoma art scene. Topics will include his long history blowing glass, including with Dale Chihuly and Venetian Master Davide Fuin. We’ll also talk about the business of art, including production glassblowing, gallery ownership, and selling works of art.

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Trophys

I wanted to produce an intimate sculptural piece that resonates with the cultural of the Pacific Northwest. Additionally I want this piece to be approachable to young collectors, keeping in line with today’s smaller more minimal aesthetic. This piece must be contemporary as well as timeless. Expertly crafted while embodying my personal design sensibility. Allow me to introduce your new Trophy. These are small intimate works that honors you the hunter, the hunter of style, the hunter of glam. No camo no guns no hiding in the brush in the rain waiting to kill something. This is a Trophy you can have for your own. Just unholster your checkbook and pull the trigger. -Oliver

Each of my Trophy skulls are approximately 8 inches in the largest dimension and are produced in an array of colors and designs. I employ silver leaf and striking powders on some and others I let the transparency of the class speak for itself. Each piece is available as a stand alone object or mounted on a stand or wall piece. Please contact me for pricing and availability.

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COAL

Temporary Holiday Boutique at Vermillion Gallery

Saturday December 16th 5:00-9:00 pm

1508 11th Ave Seattle WA

Join me and my fellow creatives for an evening of locally crafted gifts, peculiarities and refreshments. Vermillion Gallery graciously hosts COAL a unique pop-up sale for this one night event. I will be offering my unique creations at amazing prices. The perfect gifts for those who have it all!

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SkyPonds

Oliver-May18th44The SkyPonds installation was part of the 2008 Centennial Celebration of the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory. This collaboration between artists Joseph Miller and Oliver Doriss was a response to the unique aesthetic of this historic structure. The installation is a marriage of botanical properties and Tacoma’s tradition of glass making. The cloud forms balance each other symbolizing the delicate interaction of our own ecosystems. They participate in the daily cycles of the conservatory life, gentile condensations, rusting, growing, and evaporating. A closed little loop of life that mimics our own.

Of the original 8 mobiles 5 remain and are presently available for purchase if you’re that type. -Oliver & Joe

For more information on pricing contact Fulcrum Gallery.

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