Hello!

May is arriving faster than I thought!
All the little details are coming together. I've been polishing the book title, intro, acknowledgments, afterword, author bio, and back cover. The last piece of information is to organize the index and send it to the press!

I am starting to collect for the first print run!
​Pre-order the book here!

The following is an example of the chapter art!
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Thanks for all the support!
Steve

Hi glass peeps,

The illustrations are finished!!

​Over many years and primarily in life drawing classes, charcoal on toned paper became my favorite medium to draw with. ​The fifteen full page charcoal illustrations scattered throughout the text are dedicated to only a few of the many people who have inspired my glass life in some way. The following are my favorite moments of a few. Each is accompanied by a hand written calligraphy caption.

Have a good one!
Steve

Heyyy!

I recently contacted many of the major glass suppliers for permission of their inclusion in the book.

More full page illustrations are underway as well as continued tweaking of information. I am finalizing the intro, acknowledgments, and index.
I am excited to present a new standard for glassblowing technique books! Everything is still on track for a book release in May. 

Don't forget to flash your glass,

Steve

Hey everyone!

Coming at you from the wonderful city of Louisville!!

Brandon, SaraBeth, and I completed nine successful days of filming at Pablo Soto's studio in North Carolina. Life on the Rails: The Video will directly coincide with the chapters laid out in my intermediate glassblowing technique book. I learned a lot about my own technical abilities throughout the filming. I am also coming away with a number of additions and edits to the book. This was an important and necessary experience to personally run through all of the information I will soon share with the glass world.

Pablo's studio was the perfect atmosphere that enhanced an inspirational mindset for shooting this video. Teaser videos are coming soon!

I am taking my time on the road headed back to Cal City, IL. I spent a day in Asheville checking out the glass scene, a day in Knoxville with Matt Cummings at the Pretentious Glass and Beer Co. and now a couple days in Louisville to reconnect with old friends. Soon, I'll be back at my desk to tie up all the loose ends of the book and FINALLY get it released in May!!!!

Thank you for all the continued support,
Don't forget to wet your newspaper!
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Steve

Good morning!

Day one of filming starts today!

I got the chance to take some long exposure photos of the studio the other day on a warm night.

Steve

Good afternoon,

Today I got Pablo's furnace lit with the help of Nick up at Penland. If all goes as planned, we will be filming in four to five days!

We got a couple inches of snow here. It's quite wonderful.

Have a great day!
Steve

Good evening,

As promised, here's the table of contents as it currently stands. I still have to do some fidgeting, but would love feedback on the order and organization. 

Thanks,
​Steve

Hey friends!

Today was dedicated to illustration edits of trimming a vessel. The following is a sample page.

The end of the month I am headed to North Carolina for three weeks to film a downloadable video that coincides with the book!

I will throw together a table of contents soon to give everyone a better idea of the entire scope of the book.

Goodnight,
​Steve

Good afternoon,

Image edits are coming along slow and steady. I really want to make sure the process illustrations come across as clear and accurate as possible. It is quite the undertaking of re-editing each individual illustration, but I've been having fun working through explanations with three different views at the bench as well as translating motion in the images.

I am predicting about 750 process illustrations upon completion. 

The past few days have been dedicated to the different techniques of making holes in blown glass objects. Of course, there are many aesthetic, functional, sculptural, and problem solving reasons to make holes. The following are select example images of a few processes: the jack line and bonk, tweezer spring, and spot heat and blow. Next, I will be editing the tungsten section.

From my own experience, I learned these techniques during my second semester of glassblowing at Illinois State. Even though I didn't full comprehend some of the techniques at the time (because of my skill level), the knowledge stuck with me and made much more sense with practice and experience. This section will be another invaluable tool in the back pocket of the next generation of aspiring glassblowers.

Follow me on Instagram: @ciezkiglass
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I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Happy New Year,
Steve