Western Columbine
Evening Primrose
Rhodie
Blue Lupine
Red Lupine
Aster and Friend
Foxglove and Friend
Bleeding Heart
Veined Wonder
Japanese Iris
Green Oddity
Lady Stratheden Geum]]>
Closer view main garden 
Even a bit closer
Right side looking toward main garden
Left side again towards studio
Closer view toward studio
Apple trees and vegetable garden (Japanese style)
From cold shop towards house
Wisteria and arbor
Left side rear towards main garden
Right side rear towards main garden
Main garden from deck
For over a year I have been thinking of and dabbling with the idea of creating some kind of "glass" wallpaper
or linen or fabric to use as a background for floral designs. So, throwing caution to the wind, I finally just sat down at my torch and worked on this until I got, what I think, is a pretty unique and excellent result.
I tried several different ways of trying to create the background and ultimately I settled on the following procedure. After pulling out about 150 small diameter rods of pink and purple glass encased in clear, I sized and grouped the rods in sets of two. The longer ones to use for crossing the center of the paperweight and decreasingly shorter ones for use on either side of the center rods. Then I fused each set of two rods together at both ends and pulled a bit of a tip on each end. After all the rods were done in groups of two I started from the center with two rods of purple and started adding groups of two pink rods on both sides. The groups of two are fused to the next two with a very small dot of clear between the points of each end. So working from the center to each side I fused all the tips of the rods together, creating the 'circle' of wallpaper background. Then the lampwork flowers were fashioned, the design created and fused together and then all was placed right on top of the "wallpaper" rods. My major concern was that after all the work was done, when I encased the design, that the "wallpaper" rods would not allow the vacuum system to properly draw the air out of the design. I had visions of bubbles trapped all along the rods. But, low and behold, the result was flawless!
I would greatly appreciate any comments on this new direction, be they positive or negative. Any comments submitted to the blog will be published and that would allow readers some insight into what others collectors might think. There is a "Add Comment" link right below the image of the paperweight.
Sincerely,
Chris
"I can literally feel my heart muscle tighten," says the artisan, who re-creates nature in botanical paperweights. "The results are made or lost in the blink of an eye."
It is this do-or-die outcome that makes glass an irresistible medium for Buzzini, a solitary and spiritual artist.
"I try to take my vision of flowers and put it back into the glass," Buzzini says in his 500-square-foot workshop just beyond the garden of his Oregon City home.
Every paperweight is a miniature marvel. His artistry and technical skill shine through the crystalline spheres that cover his molded-glass bouquets of lady's slippers, lilacs, peonies and numerous other blooms.
Buzzini, 57, says he feels the pull of nature and art as a spiritual calling. "My talent is God-given. . . . I've asked for more talent and it's been given."
The work is tedious; the material temperamental.
Turning a slender rod of glass in the torch's flame until it softens into a green teardrop, Buzzini touches the tip with another glass rod, pulling it into an elliptical shape. He flattens it with tongs and returns it to the torch.
The technique is known as lampwork, and every petal and leaf is formed this way.
The behavior of glass under flame is predictable only within a narrow range of temperatures. It can't be touched by hand while it's being shaped. Everything, Buzzini explains, must be manipulated with a tool.
Buzzini began working in glass in art school and worked professionally at several highly regarded California art glass studios, including Orient & Flume, Lundberg Studios and Correia Art Glass. After 13 years as a studio artist, Buzzini launched his own studio in 1986. It was a step that both excited and frightened him. But he had strong encouragement from colleagues and fans.
"What I needed was a 16-hour day in my own studio, not eight hours in someone else's," says Buzzini. In 1991 he moved to Oregon, settling on a half acre on the outskirts of Oregon City.
Today, Buzzini works his own schedule, selling his paperweights through his Web site, www.buzzinipaperweights.com.
His floral creations shine as expressions of beauty and light.
By: Nanine Alexander: 503-221-8340; nalexander@news.oregonian.com
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Pittock Mansion in Portland Oregon
One of the greatest rewards of gardening is to watch the flowers as they go through their different stages of growth. On my last post, I chose a close-up of a Raspberry Wine Bee Balm blossom. I was out in the garden this morning and to my surprise, the Bee Balm is blooming again right up through the first set of blossoms! Also included are some close-ups of other flowers that have just started blooming in the last few days.
Raspberry Wine Bee Balm
Bee Balm with double blossom
Frilly Shasta Daisy
Black-eyed Susan's
Red Gladiola
One of the main reasons that there is not always a steady stream of Buzzini paperweights on my website is that I am often sidetracked on the way to my studio. The path to my studio is a very short one, maybe 125 feet, and on a rainy Oregon day it is easy to walk straight out to the studio to avoid getting drenched. But, the same does not hold true on a lovely spring or summer day. It is so easy for me to be taken in by a new blossom spotted from the path or a Golden Finch satisfying his hunger at one of my bird feeders. And once I leave the path...anything can happen! I might find myself weeding the flower beds or hunting for the most evasive moles I have known, or just sitting on one of my benches or chairs enjoying the fruits of my labor and the beauty that God bestows on all of us. It is so peaceful. It replenishes the spirit and offers great artistic inspiration. Gardening is truly another passion of mine. The first seven photos takes you up the path and to the studio, next a photo of a metal sculpture I made, then there are photos taken from other vantage points mixed in with some close-ups of flowers. I hope that you enjoy these photos!
Garden-1 Renee's Garden
Garden-2
Garden-3
Garden-4
Garden-5
Garden-6 Bowling Green
Garden-7 The Charles 'that would be me' Patio
Nakazono Garden
Buzzini metal sculpture
Coneflower 'Magnus'
Garden-West 1
Garden-West 2
Shasta Daisies
Stickseed
PITA Corner
Hosta Haven
Rasberry Wine Bee Balm
Garden-East
Sunwheel
Speedwell.jpg)
Mystery Flower (I lost the tag)
Gayfeather
Calla-Lily-Cove
Well, let's see what kind of mess I can make out of this! This is an attempt at the first entry for the newly created "Buzz Blog" and it is obvious to me that there is a learning curve to be able to use and manage a blog. I must apologize for the somewhat lengthy delay in uploading my PCA Convention update, however, since returning from the convention I have been dealing with some quite severe issues of an upper respiratory infection and asthma that landed me in the Emergency Room of my local hospital last week. Medication and some much needed rest seem to be helping and just in the nick of time as I have a paperweight class to teach, starting on Monday.
