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While trying to decide who should be the next featured victim, one of our members walked into my office and said "Hello, my name is Alan and I'm a Glassaholic."  Since we were both bored, we decided to do an interview.

TAGF:  Where are you located?
Alan:  Greater Phoenix valley, Arizona  The land of cacti, tumbleweeds, coyotes and javelinas

TAGF:  Are you married?
Alan:  Yes, going on 41 years

kathyarquetterightTAGF:  Children?  Pets count as children too!
Alan:  One son Philip, three grandkids - one of each (Vincent teenager, Heather tween and Cheyenne 3), 2 Cats Merlin (13) and Samantha (3) and 1 dog a Red Aussie Shepherd - Cinnamon (6), one cat - Merlin - is the cat from he!! - has no front claws but makes up for that by being the nastiest biter in the southwest - has caused us to have multiple trips to the ER to sew up the opening left by his teeth and his annual visits to the vet are a sight to behold – takes me, the vet's aide and the vet to get him vaccinated – sounds like we're strangling him (not that I wouldn't mind). One year the vet had us stay out of the examination room, but they had made the mistake of putting him in a room normally used for dogs – it had cabinets with doors – his favorite thing to do is to get into cabinets, and he got away from the aide (bit her and drew blood through thick leather gloves). They had to use fishing net to capture him and the sounds coming out of that room where memorable to say the least.
 
TAGF:  How did you get started working with glass?
Alan:  Stopped by a stained glass store on the way home from a very trying day at work. Was talking to the owners and they said - "you know you can do this too, it's not that hard", so I signed up for a class - that was more than 10 years ago - I've been hooked since then.
 
TAGF:  Who inspires you the most?SWSuncatcher
Alan:  That is really a hard one, I like the work of the old masters, but then too I like some of the stuff that is really modern. I guess I like to take inspiration from just about anything.
 
TAGF:  Where do you find your inspiration?
Alan:  In seeing what others have created out of seemingly nothing and that gets me thinking out of the box when it comes to designs. I actually made my SW suncatcher design based on a similar design on some dinnerware.
 
TAGF:  Do you use your own patterns or patterns done by others?
Alan:  I have used patterns done by others, but I prefer to design my own stuff.

TAGF:  If you design your own patterns, do you use pad and pencil, software or both?
Alan:  Mostly use Glasseye software, but have been know to use pad and pencil.

panel1TAGF:  What kind of glass do you prefer to work with?
Alan:  I have not worked with too many kinds yet - nothing like drapery glass or even the more heavily textured reed glasses. I really like the semi-transparent glass, and I also seem to be drawn to the waterglass and English muffle. But there is nothing like the colors of some of the Youghiogheny or Uroboros glass. So far I have not ventured into the warm or hot side of glass – strictly a cold glasser at this time.

TAGF:  What is the most memorable piece you've done?
Alan:  I made a pair of 6"x9" candle holders for the Chapel at Little Portion Hermitage, John Michael Talbot's community, The Brothers and Sisters of Charity – that had the community symbol on the front and stylized wheat on one side with stylized grapes on the other. Sadly last year the entire Chapel, common center, library and offices burnt to the ground. Just about everything was lost. I have been looking for the right glass to re-make the candleholders, but have not had a lot of luck yet.

TAGF:  What is the most disastrous piece?project1-002
Alan:  My first attempt at a 3-D star - was not the worst I've seen, but it ran a very close second. None of the points lined up, the soldering job was terrible. I have since recycled the glass into other projects.
 
TAGF:  Is working with glass a hobby or a business?
Alan:  Up until the first part of May 2009, it was more of a hobby, but since my former day job no longer requires my services, I'm going for a full blown business. I plan on using the severance from my former job to get things finalized and the business going.
 
TAGF:  If you weren't working with glass, what would you do?
Alan:  Well, for the last 40 plus years, I've been playing with computers - not the desktop kind, the real big mainframe monsters - but I'm really getting tired of that - so as a keep busy activity, I like gardening - vegetables and flowers. I have even been known to grind a rock or two into something wearable (lapidary), but I did not like the trips into the hinterlands to find suitable material (I'm too cheap to buy the stuff), and actually since moving to Arizona have not touched anything resembling lapidary.
 
TAGF:  No really, why glass?
Alan:  Where else can you build something that is totally unique? Oh the candleholders all use the same pattern, but it is the glass that makes it unique - no two will ever be the same (unless you use plain float glass).

You can see more of Alan's work at
www.dreamweaverglassworks.com
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