Kaleidoscope Solarium (Part II)
A Tiny Home Is Now Home
Home At Last!
As if dropped from the sky by a Kansas tornado, on April 17, 2022, this project arrived at its ‘Forever Home’. As most of you already know, I build these structures at my studio, dismantle and then move them to their intended location, which typically takes about four to five hours to complete the move. Each piece is cut to a precise size and shape, numbered with coordinated location and fit into my pickup truck. It all lies flat as there are no bulky walls, only components that interlock with every surrounding piece. By using a tongue and groove technique, there is no need for a frame as everything relies upon the crystalline strength of glass for structural component integrity. This allows me to produce them with as open a feel as possible and minimal material usage. This one was built as a greenhouse, but has quickly been turned into a reading room…!
The sun decided to take a powder during picture time, but the homeowner said she would send me photos as soon as she gets the time, The wide array of glass used in this project has an interesting story, but briefly, Kathie and I went on a very difficult excavation project from under a collapsed barn in order to retrieve these treasures, risking our safety in the process. You can’t stop glass junkies!
Kory Dollar of Marvelous Mosaic and I bartered for glass. Some pieces, such as this cobalt blue, I just HAD to have. There are also reds, greens and assorted colors such as purple and yellow-brown.
Kory Dollar of Marvelous Mosaic gave me a sweet deal on these sheets of green from the Bullseye Glass Company. These are hand rolled with gold flecks that dazzle in the sun. Unfortunately, the sun was decidedly shy the day I took these pictures. I shot some video of the place too but haven’t had time to process it.
I love deep blue, it reminds me of my childhood. As I longed to escape from Sunday church service to go play, I would gaze into a beautiful stained glass window with particular focus on the deep and mysterious blue component of the window we usually sat by. I know, I know, its purgatory for me.
What a great setting for this one. It gets sun for almost the entire day, I always build for the environs and this corner was perfect. I had only one request to Shea, and that was it really should be placed diagonally in this corner. She agreed and as you can see, it worked! Side note: A couple days after assembly, the area endured some very high wind, sleet and snow which had me concerned, but it withstood the ravages of nature just fine.
Unlike me, Shea loves to toil in the yard, grow plants and keep a lush and welcoming appearance to her property. I love a nice yard too, but I have this all consuming and boiling hatred of yard work. It must be from my days of forced labor of the lawn when I was growing up. Well hell, my dad was a former M.P. so there was no escaping the work detail. So as far as I’m concerned, I would pave over it all and paint it green. There, I fixed it!
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I’m very much enjoying your writings, Dave.
Brother those are a masterpiece no doubt.