Thursday, May 30, 2013

AAE Glass has New CBS Dichroic Glass Patterns at Wholesale Prices



Tanya hasn't been able to shed her smile since this last shipment of CBS dichroic glass arrived.  Now she wants to pass on her personal, dichroic glass color palette to you.  The glass fusing supplies sold at AAEGlass.com have all been used in unique ways by Tanya and she shares videos and tutorials all of the time.  Tanya has been able to incorporate these unique products in her work and more importantly into her glass fusing workshops.  Recently she has shared her thoughts on acid etching, sandblasting and engraving with CBS dichroic glass.  These brilliant new dichroic patterns are now available.  Choose from 1/4 sheet, 4x4 or 4x2 sizes and build your dichroic inventory with colors and designs that are sure to set your work apart.    


AAE Glass Art Studio CLOSED Saturday June 1 for Filming

CLOSED SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2013
The AAE Glass Art Studio will re-open Wednesday June 5th at 10am.  We thank you for your patience while we finish filming for a brand new webinar, as well as the first in a series of Tanya Veit instructional DVD's.  As you can see below, Tanya is having a blast filming these projects.  In the very near future, you will be able to get a "dose" of Tanya while learning new glass fusing techniques, anytime you want.  Again, thank you for your patience and if you need anything before Saturday, call Molly at 239-471-7724 or email us at info@aaeglass.com. 

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Brand New LIVE Webinar Scheduled for June

Take a "Dichroic Odyssey" with Tanya Veit of AAE Glass on June 27th with this brand new, live webinar.  This is the first time Tanya will be teaching these techniques LIVE and you have two times of day to choose from.  Glass Patterns Quarterly and Fire Lady Productions join Tanya in bringing you a brand new live webinar with never before seen content.  Choose from the 3pm est live webinar or the 8:30pm est live webinar on Thursday, June 27th and learn new techniques LIVE from Tanya in the comfort of your own home. 
Take a close look at these pieces and notice the intricate detail and the combination of techniques.  You will learn how to combine these techniques, step by step and because this is live, Tanya will be there to answer your questions.
Click HERE for a description of the material covered in this brand new, live webinar.  Seats are limited, so be sure to reserve your spot today. 




Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Cape Coral, Florida has a Bright Future

Lee county and Cape Coral, Florida specifically, have had an up and down economic roller coaster ride over the past decade.  The dramatic fluctuations were directly tied to the housing boom and bust over the last several years. SW Florida was not alone in this bubble, but it was one of the hardest hit areas in the country when the bubble burst.  It has been a long road back to recovery for many small businesses and citizens of Cape Coral. I have had the pleasure of working with local business owners as well as the city of Cape Coral and I am encouraged at the positive outlooks I encounter on both sides.  There is still a long way to go, but with a positive outlook and energetic small business base, Cape Coral is ready to put in the work to get this city thriving again.  Housing values are increasing and the inventory of houses for sale is decreasing.  This is creating a great atmosphere for growth and potential investment.
I recently had the pleasure of participating as a business coach in the Goodwill sponsored, SW Florida MicroEnterprise program. I have included information about the program below as well as a link to their website.  The most recent class to graduate from the Cape Coral class was busting with ideas and motivation.  The types of businesses being launched range from home day care and home health care to small engine repair and bio-hazard cleanup.  The MicroEnterprise  program is creating jobs for our local economy one business at a time.  It is this dedication and determination of future business owners that is going to bring more people and more businesses to Cape Coral, Florida.

The MicroEnterprise Institute was founded in 2010 to help aspiring entrepreneurs who have low-to-moderate income levels, disadvantaged, and/or unemployed, and who live in Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee counties of Florida. The Institute provides a six week training program to develop a Feasibility Plan so that the participates can evaluate their idea and see if it, in fact, can become a viable business. After graduation they are eligible to apply to Goodwill for a micro-loan collateral guarantee that, if approved, will enable them to receive a micro-loan of between $2,000-$5,000 from a local community bank to help them kick start their new enterprise. We now have 138 graduates and 42 of them have started new businesses creating over 55 new jobs in the area. It is our projection that by 2015 the graduates of the MicroEnterprise Institute will have created over 500 new jobs and added significantly to the economic improvement of the area. Information and applications can be found HERE or by calling (239) 995-2106 Ext. 2219. 

Thank you for your continued support and the AAE Glass Art Studio will be doing its part to help develop and support small businesses of all kinds in Cape Coral, Florida.  

Mark Veit


Thursday, May 23, 2013

AAE Glass Featured Artist Brenda Nicklas of Laughing Dog Mosaics

AAE Glass is happy to share some beautiful glass art with you.  Our featured artist is Brenda Nicklas of Laughing Dog Mosaics.  Brenda has a wide range of works on display at her website, from mosaic glass panels to fused glass jewelry. I will let Brenda tell us about her work in her own words. 
My name is Brenda Nicklas and I am Laughing Dog Mosaics. I have a small studio/shop in the Allegheny National Forest of Pennsylvania. Mosaics became my full time job about ten years ago and three years after that I began fusing glass to include in my mosaics. The fusing evolved to include jewelry and small fused gifts that I sell at my shop, at shows and online. Both mediums were self-taught until I saw Tanya Veit’s webinar for her Picasso style fusing. I am usually able to figure projects out without instructions, but I could not figure out how this amazing technique was done. I gave in and watched the webinar and am I ever glad that I did! Not only did I learn her Picasso style of fusing, but I’ve learned so much more. 
I used to etch my jewelry with acid and it was difficult to get detail with the thick cream. Tanya’s video helped me tighten up my etchings and finish my pendants so that they look more professional. When I compare my old pendants to my new ones, I am surprised at how much better my work looks now (before and after pictures below). That confidence flows into the rest of my work, making me an all around better artist. I strongly encourage others to learn from Tanya’s classes, I’m so thankful that she’s willing to share!
You can check me out on Facebook or at my website at www.laughingdogmosaics.com.



Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Art A Whirl 2013 is this weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The AAE Glass Art Studio hosts dozens of glass artists from the Minneapolis area each winter here in Cape Coral, Florida.  Minneapolis is a hotbed of not only glass art, but art of all mediums.  Now that many of our friends have retreated back north for the summer, Minneapolis is treated to the 18th annual Art-A-Whirl, presented by the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association.  Thank you to Ria Neilson, owner of Glass Transitions, who is actively promoting this event.  Art-A-Whirl is going on its 18th year and to me, that means it is a very quality event. 

Art-A-Whirl offers you a chance to tour 70+ studios and galleries this weekend.  You can read more about the event HERE, but a couple highlights include this event as the largest open studio tour in the country!  Even better, the event is FREE and open to the public!  The event is scheduled for this Friday, May 17th through Sunday May 19th.  It is the perfect opportunity to mingle with artists from all walks of life and view several working studios and galleries.  Several of the artists we worked with this season have built on techniques they learned from Tanya Veit and have created some spectacular and unique fused glass art that will be on display this weekend. 

If you are anywhere near Minneapolis this weekend, this event will be well worth your time.  We would love to hear your thoughts if you can attend.

Have a great week.  

Thursday, May 9, 2013

New Findings Available at AAE Glass, Silver, Copper, Gold and Brass

AAEGlass.com has released several new bail designs in copper, silver, brass and gold.  We also have tube top bails in gold, silver and copper.  These items will be in our hands any day and we will ship immediately!  We wanted to give our blog and social media followers a heads up before we announce to the public tomorrow.  Thank you all for your continued support.
 
We have added both gold rings and silver rings to our line as well. 
If you are looking for gold or silver neck wires, we have those in packs of 5 as well.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Tanya Veit Profiled in Glass Art Magazine

The AAE Glass family would like to thank Leslie Gibbs for writing such a fantastic article on "The Revolution of Tanya Veit" in the latest edition of Glass Art Magazine.  We would also like to extend thanks to the publisher of Glass Art Magazine, Maureen James, as she has been instrumental in helping Tanya and AAE Glass spread the word about fused glass to glass lovers across the globe.

Tanya is currently putting together content for some brand new, live, webinars that will be hosted by Glass Patterns Quarterly magazine.  This article has inspired Tanya to work even harder to bring new techniques and ideas to the glass fusing world.  Stay tuned to AAE Glass for the newest things in fused glass art.

There is also a great article written by Peter McGrain in this issue about how easy his painting on glass can be learned.  Peter will be teaching at the AAE Glass Art Studio this November and we look forward to hosting him.  
You can subscribe to Glass Art Magazine several ways.  Click HERE to learn how.

Thank you again to all of the glass artists who share info with and support both Tanya Veit and AAE Glass, we are just getting started.  

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Tanya's Tips Using CBS Dichroic Extract

New by CBS -  Dichroic Extract Powder
This new breakthrough in fused glass can be found at the lowest price at AAE Glass.
Ok, cool....But what do I do with it?
Hi everyone, Tanya here.  I thought I would make some quick notes on my experimentation thus far with CBS Dichroic Extract. Being an instructor for CBS and now a distributor, I plan to really put this stuff to the test. I am not much of a writer, so here are some quick points:
1. When you first get the jar, it will seem like a very small amount, but a little (and I mean a little!) goes a LONG way. At the price of the extract, this is not an element you just throw on a bunch of fused glass. You need to plan it out.
2. I have had excellent results using Klyr-fire as a medium and mixing it with the dichroic extract. I use the etching resist stickers available at AAEGlass.com and paint in the stickers (thus the butterfly pendant). But you need a very small amount so plan to paint a bunch of pendants at once in order not to waste a drop. The stickers are fantastic for this product.
3. Most examples on CBS show that you have to cap the powder. I did several test pieces without capping and most of it will stay stable. If you have too much on, it will not fuse all the way WITHOUT a clear cap. You can simply use a dry brush and brush it back into the jar. I really like the look of this. Rinse off your pendants and the remainder is very vibrant. Don't forget to brush the excess back off into the jar!!!!
 
4. I used the dichroic extract and mixed it with Glassline paints. Loved it. Gave the paint a nice sparkle. Great for water, sky, clouds etc. if you are doing a scenic piece. I did not cap the pieces that I mixed with paint.
 
5. I used the splinter extract and mixed it with blue paint and made "sparkling waters" in a scenic paint. LOOKED AWESOME. I used only a few shards so this powder will last for a long time with that kind of use.
 
6. I mixed a dash of powder with Bullseye Powder, nice sparkle.
 
7. Biggest question I am getting: Why not just use Mica?  Well, lots of reasons in my opinion. Mica just does not sparkle like dichroic - at all. Mica does not come in a rainbow of colors. Mica has to be capped generally. You can mix it with a medium and then not cap it but you lose most of it and its luster is gone when you wash it off. When capped, Mica generally spreads and lastly...I just love CBS dichroic and there is no substitute.
 
This is all from one day of experimentation. I have only just begun...now off to New York & Ohio for my teaching gigs. See you all real soon.
 
Tanya Veit

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

AAE Glass Releases Metal Glass Art Display Stands


AAE Glass has been selling  Glass Art Display Stands in the studio for awhile now and they have been a huge hit.  We have now added them to the AAE Glass website. These ornate stands are a great way to display your glass art pieces at home, at a show or in your studio.  Choose from several different designs.  Combine this stand with your glass art for a very high end item you can add to your inventory or booth.  The addition of these stands will increase the value of any piece of glass art you choose to combine it with. It is a nice additional piece to offer your customersand will set your work apart for sure! Ready to ship today!