On
August 13, 2001, I drove down to Santa Cruz, California
to the Oceana Glass Company to visit two very special people,
Rod Craig, owner of Oceana Glass and John Triggs, owner
of Youghiogheny Glass.
John had come out from Pennsylvania to finalize arrangements
for the merging of the two glass companies and the transportation
of production equipment from California to back East.
Here
were two intelligent, knowledgeable, professional manufacturers
and purveyers of some of the finest glass in the world available
for stained glass, smiling and playing like kids in a sandbox
making experimental sheets of glass and discussing future
production and ideas.
John
showed me two sheets of glass that he and Rod had run that
morning, a white mottle and a white mottle with frit. The
components used were a combination of materials used in
the manufacture of both companies glasses. I thought, "Here
is something special." "Here is something unique,
original and probably two sheets of glass that have never
and will never exist again."
I
asked John if he had any plans for these two sheets of glass,
and he said no, so I grabbed both of them, ran to my car
and locked them inside, prepared to defend them with my
life.
Rod,
John and I chatted a bit more, then said our goodbyes. I
promised John an indian panel using Youghiogheny glass,
Oceana glass and the two hybrid sheets.
The
tufts on the ends of the headdress feathers is the white
mottled hybrid.
The
chest of the chief is the mottled frit hybird.
The
beading and forehead of the headdress and chevrons are Oceana
The
background, feathers, face, shirt are Youghiogheny.