The 2009 American Glass Guild Conference
July 16-20, 2009
Buffalo, New York
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Joseph 2Bears
Hands-On Workshop:
Computer Aided Design – Glass Eye 2000
The use of Glass Eye as a drawing aid will be briefly covered along with the materials estimating and costing features and the pattern printing options. Some of the quirks encountered when drawing arcs, circles, and ellipses will be shown, and solutions to those difficulties will be presented.
Following this brief introduction in how to work with the tool, we will explore how to really use it to our advantage. What is specifically covered will be largely determined by the participants in the workshop, so be prepared to speak up about what you want out of this. We can cover topics such as importing elements from other designs, creating patterns from photographs, working with rebar, multi-layer plated designs, 3-Dimensional designs, etching and painting stencil design, bevel designs, casting mold design, quilting design, clothing design, silkscreen design, or just about anything else you can think of. This is where you get to have fun and see if you can stump and confound Joseph 2bears. But through this exchange we will learn some of the limitations of this simple drawing tool, how to work around these limitations, and create patterns that are really helpful to our work.
The course is presented in a lecture/demonstration format. It is more or less intended to build on the introduction provided by Ken Leap at the 2008 Conference in Philadelphia.
It is not necessary to have attended Ken Leap’s workshop in 2008 or to bring a computer to get value out of this workshop. However, you are welcome to bring a laptop and follow along if you already have and use Glass Eye. Unfortunately, there is not enough time allocated for hands-on training for specific topics. If you have not used Glass Eye and want to try it in this workshop, go to www.dfly.com where you can download a 30-day free trial. Time this so you are within the 30-day period for the workshop. Once the 30 days expires, you cannot renew it. The security features are smart to all known hacking strategies.
About Joseph 2bears
Lomita, CA
At age 3 Joseph started drawing horses, but the educational system suppressed all creativity and further development. Constantly in trouble in high school, he found an outlet playing with a rock & roll band. “Easiest money I ever made, and the girls were free!” Joseph wanted to be an artist, but that simply was “no way to make a living” and was totally unacceptable in his family.
Draft notice in hand in 1965, Joseph was sent off to the US Army. “3 years in the Army ought to straighten him out”, was his father’s farewell. In between military duties, and the frequent KP duty for minor soldiering infractions, Joseph had time to begin drawing again. From drawing he evolved into charcoal portraits, oil paintings, and even some lithography. None were particularly notable and all were very difficult to do without formal art training following years of creative suppression.
Following Military service, he succumbed to his father’s wishes and went to Engineering school. With graduate degrees in Engineering and Business he pursued a career as an electrical design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company, climbed the corporate ladder to the position of Senior Scientist, and culminated this career in the design of GM’s first electric car, the EV1. It was an honor and an achievement to be selected as a member of that small, exclusive, and elite design team.
Artistic endeavors were relegated to hobbies as a creative outlet to the boredom of the office for 32 years. In 1981 Joseph discovered stained glass, and that became his primary artistic outlet within 3 years. Aside from a few hobby-level courses, Joseph is primarily self-taught.
Two Cherokee brothers working with him one summer in the early 90’s gave Joseph Bremmer the name “2bears” in a mining camp. The name stuck and he has used it as his trade and business name.
Glass Eye was first introduced in 1996 and Joseph was one of the first adopters. Joseph suggested many of the current features in the program and volunteered to Beta-test many of them. In 2003 he took an early retirement from the Engineering career and started his own small business, Joseph 2bears Art Glass Studio. Not having to work for idiots and free to pursue his own desires, Joseph’s creativity has blossomed. He has taught courses at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas since 2001. He also taught at the former Art Glass Shows and at several studios in the Southern California area. He is currently trying to create a body of work to release all those years of suppression and denial. Joseph 2bears is a member of the Southern California Glass Guild, the American Glass Guild, and the Lomita Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit the website www.joseph2bears.com.
