I Still Play With Blocks, You Should Join Me!
Radiant Glass Block Art, A Cat Castle & Fresh Frames!
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Yes, yes, I know, I’m late. Please try not to be mad at me.
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Indeed, it has been a good long spell since I last dished up a generous heapin’ helpin’ of delicious artisan delicacies, June 5 to be precise. Sorry, but dagnabbit, I got me an ironclad excuse this time, and it ain’t pathetic and lame like my last one!
I’ll ‘splain below. But let’s not stand on vain formalities and ceremony, pull up a chair, belly up to the buffet and let us dig right into it!
First, please enjoy this eye candy!
In this post I serve up three main entrees for artists, conservationists and recyclers to digest:
Feed your mind on how you can make art from demolished buildings!
Sink your eyes into a tenderly prepared outdoor cat run (important for those living near wild predators or irksome HOA’s)
I just made a fresh batch of 12” X 12” frames and delivered them to The Manor, so grab some while they’re hot!
Art From The Ruins
The beautiful and ubiquitous glass block. For over a century they have been used in every corner of the world as an aesthetically pleasing construction material that provides passive sunlight and dazzling night-time displays in colorful patterns.
Throughout the first half of the 1900’s, glass block was abundantly used in US office buildings and homes, especially when the “Art Deco” era was at its zenith. That all changed as the 1970’s saw different modes of construction and materials come to the fore. This made glass block unfashionable when compared to the new gleaming featureless monoliths and their steely reflective glass exteriors that we have come to know and loathe.
Aaaaaand, they’re gone.
So, how do we Americans act when something is outmoded and under foot? We destroy it, silly, what else? We tear the old down and bury it in toxic landfills, that’s what all those empty fields are for. You might remember them as quaint places where we once had farms and grew food?
We had to make room for another vinyl-clad subdivision of medium-density fiberboard, formaldehyde infused strand-board and gypsum walls held together with staples, caulk and glue. At least we surround them with nicely manicured glyphosate lawns.
The good news is, some people had an eye for these singularly classy old blocks and began to salvage them. At first they turned them into vases and bookshelves. Then came night-lights to great effect. We take it a step further and cover them with stained glass and grout to make exquisite artworks backlit with several options of illumination from within.
To accomplish this, below is a series of pictures which show the methods and stages for making the hole for inserting lights. Click on any image to enlarge.
To bore a hole, a readily available carbide-tipped hole-saw can be had for around $25 which includes a water reservoir (essential to keep it from overheating) and seals to retain said water. A drill press (not shown) really helps but it can be done with a steady hand and PATIENCE! You must go - slow - or it WILL shatter.
Select the area you want to bore, the ‘face’ side is easier as the glass is thinner and the seal holds water much longer, but the edges are possible. (Pro tip - Find some spongy material, a pool noodle works perfect, and slice off about a quarter inch from the end. Slide this under the reservoir and hold with a firm grip, add water and start boring at a low R.P.M.)
There is a powder coating on new block to help mortar adhere to the glass. I use a wire wheel and drill to burnish it off. Yes, it IS a lot of elbow sweat, but worth it. (Pro tip - WEAR A DUST MASK as that stuff ain’t vape material!)
What mosaic artists do next is where things get interesting. The pictures below are of my elegant bride cutting stained glass that she will arrange and glue onto the block. Here she is making her latest called ‘Fire Breathing Dragon”. Rosie, one of our cats, is ever present as usual to occupy her lap.
Here are examples of other glass block mosaics Kathie has made, albeit most have either been sold or given away as gifts. They do make wonderful gifts, especially when converted into a night light! Pretty cool, don’t you think? Give her some love in the comments!
Starting from top left to right and down, she calls them the following;
Mr. Pumpkin (ungrouted)
Mr. Pumpkin
Flower Child (ungrouted)
Spring Flower (clear epoxy)
Mr. & Mrs. Cardinal
Poinsettia & Bird
Sailboat At Sunset (ungrouted)
Blazing Sun
Kite Show (illuminated)
Cat Castle
Look at THIS homemade cat house! Not a store-bought, the man who made this has the skills! Great job.
Really cool reader and gifted writer (check out her funny and interesting stories) Lois Thomson Bowersock submitted this for us to admire. They live in an area that has critters with the potential to harm cats, so her husband built this for her. Sadly, one of her precious kittens disappeared without a trace when it was not in the house.
I have been asked to build these in the past but usually I don’t have the time as it requires going off-site, but this one is brilliant! It gave me the idea that I could make prefabricated panels in my shop then assemble them on-site, just like I do with my glass enclosures.
This is why we are here, to learn and grow!
12” X 12” Frames
Whenever we mention a frame size, what this actually means is the size of the pane of glass embedded into the frame. In the case of the 12” X 12”, there is a ½” groove cut into the wood where the glass is inserted, the frame wood is generally 1½” giving the frame an actual size of 14” X 14” with an 11½” X 11½” surface area in which to mosaic.
They are waiting for you, hook up with Kory at Marvelous Mosaic and take a class. She sells tools and glass. They also do a lot of glass fusing.
I do hope this left you feeling satisfied and stuffed full of useful information, but most of all, that you enjoyed reading this post and may have learned something about what goes on at Neoteric Wood Art. If you would like to learn more, please comment or message me as I will be more than happy to answer any comment or question you may have. I intend to post more often, but this time I definitely had a reason for the delay - and my excuse is: I hate going to hospitals! I’ll leave it at that.
Take care.
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I am thrilled you like the cathouse! Unfortunately, our beautiful cat Stanley is still missing after 2.5 weeks. There is a reason why he had his own custom-made house. However, he was a feral before we rescued him and one evening he zipped out the door faster than I could catch him. He was a very happy domestic cat and loved dearly. But the call of the wild took him out to the forest that night. We are still hoping and praying he will return. For other cat owners, I hope the cat house design will help to keep your cat safe. Blessings to all.
You are my favorite subject!