WarmGlass.com

Hi,
My name is Jon and I work for the Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside, IL. I have been working for the Higgins Studio for over 12 years (but grew up in the Studio from the age of two)and love it. I look forward from hearing from all of you and I hope I can Help in anyway.
Thanks, Jon
P.S. Frances is doing fine and at 90 years old she still works everyday. If you are not familiar with Michael and Frances Higgins feel free to check out our website http://www.higginsglass.com and read there history.

Welcome to the WarmGlass Board Jon.

It must be inspiring to work with (and be related to?) a living legend.

Tony Smith

Hi,
It is very inspiring Tony, to say the least. I am not blood related ( Frances and Michael never had children) but I am as close as it gets , they have always been like my Grandparents.
I have been making my own pieces for many years now and hope to post some photos soon ( if I can only figure out how).
Thanks, Jon

Hi Jon, great to see you posting here. Thanks for the slides, I show them in every class Avery and I teach, and just showed them at Arrowmont School in Tennessee.

Brock

I have a great hard back coffee table type book of theirs. Wasn't most of their early work done with float glass?

Your welcome Brock it was my pleasure, I'm glad you are sharing Frances and Michaels story with everyone. I'm sure we will be talking more.

Jon

I have only seen images of Higgins glass. I too have the "Adventures in Glass" coffe table book. It was a gift and inspires me to always work harder, especially through the difficult times. That Frances is still working is an amazing thing. Perhaps glass will help keep some of us young, even in our advanced years.

How fabulous it must be to be surrounded by such longevity and knowlege. Welcome to the board. I'm looking forward to seeing images of your work as well.

What kind of glass are you working with?

Jon-HigginsGlass wrote:Hi,
My name is Jon and I work for the Higgins Glass Studio

Hi Jon:

It's good to see you on the board. Our visit to the Higgins studio over a year ago was a highlight for our Chicago class. It was such a pleasure seeing the studio, the wonderful work and meeting Frances, and you, in person. Please extend our best wishes to Frances and the Higgins staff.

Best wishes,
Avery

Ross wrote:I have a great hard back coffee table type book of theirs. Wasn't most of their early work done with float glass?

This is an interesting historical question. It would be great if Jon could answer it. I've always thought that the Higgins' started enameling/fusing their clear glass before float glass was even on the market. I thought that they would have used plate glass. But it's so close in time (early 1950's) that it might have been either?

Jon, what was the source of the first glasses that the Higgins's used?

-Lani

PS One of the highlights of our 2001 SOFA exhibition was a visit to our booth by Frances.... who was touring the entire football field-sized show....at 90?! Truly an inspiring woman.

Welcome Jon! I came to visit with Brock and Avery and their class.

Everyone, if you ever get a chance to visit them do so! Truely an amazing treat to see!

Amy

Jon-HigginsGlass wrote:Hi,
My name is Jon and I work for the Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside, IL. I have been working for the Higgins Studio for over 12 years (but grew up in the Studio from the age of two)and love it. I look forward from hearing from all of you and I hope I can Help in anyway.
Thanks, Jon
P.S. Frances is doing fine and at 90 years old she still works everyday. If you are not familiar with Michael and Frances Higgins feel free to check out our website http://www.higginsglass.com and read there history.

Jon,

It sounds like all of us today owe Michael & Frances Higgins a lot! Please extend a great thanks to Frances. She is certainly an inspiration! Big gratitude goes out to her and to you for joining us with your offer to share.

Jo

Lani McGregor wrote:

Ross wrote:I have a great hard back coffee table type book of theirs. Wasn't most of their early work done with float glass?

This is an interesting historical question. It would be great if Jon could answer it. I've always thought that the Higgins' started enameling/fusing their clear glass before float glass was even on the market. I thought that they would have used plate glass. But it's so close in time (early 1950's) that it might have been either?

Jon, what was the source of the first glasses that the Higgins's used?

-Lani

PS One of the highlights of our 2001 SOFA exhibition was a visit to our booth by Frances.... who was touring the entire football field-sized show....at 90?! Truly an inspiring woman.

Lani

Up here in New England, Sidenstricker (sp?) was the pioneer of fusing. I believe that they used drawn glass not float. Drawn glass is gettting very difficult if not impossible to get a hold of in the flat smooth variety (as opposed to GNA which is drawn glass with texture.) A few years ago there were a few cases sitting around at Karas & Karas in South Boston, that were made in Belguim. They had been ordered for a fuser and never actually bought.

Jon--Great to see you accessing the Warm Glass Board. I want to thank you again for your help when I called last year asking if the Brock/Avery class could visit the Higgins Studio. Meeting and talking with Frances was a great pleasure: please extend to her, again, our thanks for generously spending time with us.

Looking forward to your contributions to the board, especially in light of your unique experience of working for so many years with the Higgins'.

Pat Zmuda

Jon-HigginsGlass wrote:Hi,
My name is Jon and I work for the Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside, IL. I have been working for the Higgins Studio for over 12 years (but grew up in the Studio from the age of two)and love it. I look forward from hearing from all of you and I hope I can Help in anyway.
Thanks, Jon
P.S. Frances is doing fine and at 90 years old she still works everyday. If you are not familiar with Michael and Frances Higgins feel free to check out our website http://www.higginsglass.com and read there history.

Maybe glass is a Higgins family thing...

http://www.cecilhigginsartgallery.org/

Well worth a visit if you get the chance, they have some very nice samples of glass; blown, kilned & engraved.

Jon, Was very interesting reading your comments. Can you ask lovely Lady Higgins if she is related to Carolene Doss in Las Vegas. Thanks.

Beautiful work!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 2636373179

Welcome,
BobB

Jon-HigginsGlass wrote:Hi,
My name is Jon and I work for the Higgins Glass Studio in Riverside, IL. I have been working for the Higgins Studio for over 12 years (but grew up in the Studio from the age of two)and love it. I look forward from hearing from all of you and I hope I can Help in anyway.
Thanks, Jon
P.S. Frances is doing fine and at 90 years old she still works everyday. If you are not familiar with Michael and Frances Higgins feel free to check out our website http://www.higginsglass.com and read there history.

Hi Jon

Nice 2 have a link with one of the early fuzers

Bert U could possibly buy drawn glass from a glass suppliers it might B called horticultural glass 4 green houses

Sometimes used in old houses as a match 4 the old stuff

Sorry I have not been able to reply, Very busy lately. I will say Thank You for your great response!!!
I will get to your questions soon but for now I just posted some Pieces on Ebay and I thought you might like to take a look.
Talk To All Of You Soon!!
Thanks, Jon

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V ... nce=-1[url][/url]