Our biggest news is our brand new Website! Bernard has been working hard building this new site from the ground up! Leaner and cleaner, our new site has improved navigation, additional info about each piece, FAQ page, and incorporated blog for the latest news, events, inspirations, thoughts, and finds from our studio and friends.
Check it out and let us know what you think. The Link to the new improved website is Bernardkatz.com
Last month we had the pleasure of having Kara Angotti from KOA Design visit our studio, Bernard Katz Glass was featured in her wonderfully written blog. Kara did a fantastic job and I am proud to say that she is also a Moore College of Art & Design alumnae.
Be sure to check out her website and blog:
KO Angotti Interior Design
Shima is one of my personal favorite sculptures by my husband Bernard. Although the glass forms are rather simplistic, it describes the interaction of two humans communicating. “My inspiration comes from observing the interactions between my daughter and my wife. The Shima is an outcome of just that.”
The word Shima is from the Navajo language which translates to “my mother.” 
You Tube video created by my husband Bernard Katz. The video series covers many of the basic questions that people ask us about our hand blown glass. This is the 3rd tutorial video in a series of basic glass blowing and glass studio processes.
In this short tutorial video, Bernard Katz covers what the main components are that make up a simple glass formula. Bernard fills the furnace with the ‘batch’ along with some recycled glass. He throws in about 50 pounds or so every 1-2 hours until the furnace is full. Filling the furnace is a process called ‘charging’. Melting a full tank of glass takes about a day with the furnace at a high temperature of around 2400 degrees.
In videos from this series, we will show various processes involved in the making of our art glass sculpture. We hope that these and upcoming “how to videos” will help with some of the basic questions people asked about when visiting our studio or website.
Katie Katz in Navajo traditional clothes
My mind is always racing with non-stop thoughts, it is so hard to stop the constant chatter. Turning the voice off in my head is a difficult to control. I am working on quiet meditation for at least 20 minutes of stillness.
Living on the East Coast within a major city is a far cry from where my ancestors are from. I am from the Dine Nation, Navajo Tribe. The Dine Bikeya is a between the Four Sacred Mountains of New Mexico and Arizona. When I am on the Navajo Reservation, it takes me several days to unwind. I am told “to run on Indian time, no watches needed.”
How does one forget about time? Especially with cellphones and computers? What happens if I miss that important job lead? Once I free myself, I am able to enjoy the total freedom. I am soaking in the awesome landscape of canyons and mesas. This is inspiration to an artist!
While I live in Philadelphia, I try to take my mind on a mental trip to the Navajo Nation and for a brief moment “I am running on Indian time.”
At the end of a normal day of blowing glass, everyone cleans the studio and runs home. Not yesterday, why not a challenge? The guys were on a mission to create a beer glass. Now it may seem like a simplistic venture compared to Bernard’s organic sculptures. But, it still takes plenty of thought to think of the steps to blow the shape. What kind of handle and in what style? The challenge of something new and different rekindled their enthusiasum for blowing glass. It wasn’t just a job, but recapturing the spirit of just letting go and creating for fun.
This is the 1st tutorial video in a series of basic glass blowing and glass studio processes. These short videos cover some of the basic questions that we get from people about how we make our hand blown glass.
In this video, Bernard Katz shows examples of the color that we use to mix with our clear molten glass. He shows the various forms that the concentrated colored glass looks like before it is incorporated with our clear glass to give the glass color.
In other videos from this series, we will show various ways that we use color for our art glass sculpture. We hope that these and upcoming “how to videos” will help with some of the basic questions people asked about when visiting our studio or website.
6 year blowing glass
Interesting quote on happiness from the Daily OM email, it is yet so true! This week has been quite a hectic schedule with our 6 year old’s Spring Break and trying to manage a work schedule at our studio/gallery location. Both my husband and I have tried to have our daughter work with us in the studio, but that only leaves us frustrated.
So I have decided for this week, to devote my time to joy and learn to unwind with my daughter. I must go with the flow and accept that work can wait another week. I will embrace Spring Break!
Katie Katz of Bernard Katz Glass
My job in the studio involves many components of sales, marketing, web design, art glass design, and the list goes on. I am my own creator of what goes on within the glass studio. One aspect of my job, that I am spending more time learning about is glassblowing.
I have been surrounded by glassblowers for over 10 years and actually understand little about the glassblowing techniques. It has been a hands-on experience for the past month. Why haven’t I learned how to blow glass? Well it is incredibly hot at 2000 degree heat and fire is quite scary to me. So I am not a great candidate to blow glass.
As a co-owner of a glass blowing studio, it is important to better understand the process, to try my hand at it. I am fascinated at the unspoken language between the gaffers of knowing how to form each glass sculpture.
From start to finish, each sculpture takes 45 minutes to blow, no breaks are taken. It starts with the building of layers, called gathering. Forming and shaping the layers on the marve, until the base is ready to form the glass sculpture.
This past Christmas, I received a quote from my mother-in-law that stated, “enjoy the journey.” To what my husband replied, where are we going? Are we going on a trip? My mother-in-law laughed since she wanted to share her wisdom of owning a small business. She is my guru of wisdom, faith and inspiration of advice of maintaining a balanced life.
The challenges of owning a small business is definately difficult with the economic downturn. The life my husband and I once knew of attending wholesale trade and retail crafts shows has changed. It was alot of fun seeing colleagues in the industry several times during the year. We were able to sell alot of artwork without all the endless hours of marketing. The marketing end of business is an endless learning project, especially for a former art student.
Enjoying the journey, to me means, learning to accept the difficult challenges and go with the flow. I know for myself, it is a puzzle that needs to be solved and how to put the pieces together is a fantastic journey for my mind.
Corning Glass News