Longtime friend, Jennifer Chamberlain, brought an interesting project to me in the fall of ’22. She wanted a gift for her parents who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. Jennifer brought me the four glass coasters with silver-plated jackets that her parents received as a wedding gift… 50 years ago!
With full artistic freedom to create something in shades of blue and green (and maybe a bit of yellow), I designed a series of overlapping rings around the coasters and made a deep pocket tray out of cardboard and styrofoam to hold them and support the surrounding glass.
My plan was to make each ring a distinct color and the crossover areas a blend of two colors. I found glass in my inventory that served this plan quite well.
There was lots of deep grinding on this project with all those circle shapes. During those long moments at the grinder, my mind drifted back to days of past when Jennifer and I (and Shova) worked and drove together from Saint John to Black’s Harbour. We would have all the world’s problems solved each day before 8am.
The panel came together nicely. I was concerned that the lead solder would adhere to the silver plate… and it did (a little) in a spot here and there, but not too badly. I patinaed everything black except the coasters and painted the frame. It looks lovely in the light.
What a wonderfully sentimental gift for Jennifer to give her parents. I want to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain for their 50 years of marriage and send a big Thank You to Jennifer for trusting me with these precious gems from the past.
I am pleased to present Coasting Along At 50.
nellyglass studio 