Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2001 11:37 AM
Subject: Exceeding expectations!

Hi Butch,

Your website is really starting to take shape. Sarah is doing a great job here. I just want to say that I'm sure that you have certain expectations of what this website will do for you and your business, but it can do more than you expected. I'm the type of person that relies heavily on frequent visual inspiration to keep my creative juices flowing. Your website provides plenty of photos in your student galleries that help keep me fired-up during the time that I'm away from your classes. I just wanted you to know how privileged I feel to be one of your "Blasted" students. I look forward to the day (Graduation Day) when I can call myself a Butchette or Butchling whichever best applies. Thank you for sharing your art skills with me and for providing me another outlet to use my creative ideas.

Thank you very much!

Tim Burkhardt

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"It's great to be taught by someone who obviously has total mastery of her medium and gives lessons with creativity and humor."

Ken Koch

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To my mentor & all-around marvelous human being, Butch Young:

I am SO glad that I invested the time and money to take your wonderful series of sandblasting classes! Not just because it was fabulous to be with such a beautiful, talented, wise, clever, and amusing person as yourself, but also because the skills you have endeavored to teach me are enabling me to expand my glass horizons from primarily stained glass, and produce beautiful, saleable blasted art as well. Besides all that, it's fun (Dare I say a "BLAST"? Of course I do!) to take an inexpensive piece of glass, such as a vase or platter, and by using the techniques I learned from you, turn it into a work of art that people not only admire, but also purchase.

Thanks for sharing your extensive knowledge of this exciting medium. I love my newly learned skills & talent and look forward to future lessons with you so I can improve them! Until then, I shall PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.

Your ever grateful student and nozzle jockey,
Jodie

P.S. Here's a list of items I've sold since taking your classes:

12 small vases; initial cost: $1. With flowers blasted with sophisticated surface blast. Time involved: 1 to 1.5 hours. Sold @ $35 to $40.

8" glass block vase; initial cost: $8. With Indian pot design blasted with sophisticated surface blast; class project. Time involved: 2 to 2.5 hours. Sold @ $65.

"Girl with Bangs" on scrap 1/4" plate glass. Private lesson project. Carved, painted (lips), & leafed with 23 K gold, 16 K gold, silver, copper, aluminum, & red variegated leafs. Backed with black glass & framed. Time involved: 4 to 4.5 hours. Sold @ $145

Candle shelter (metal with 4 glass side panels); initial cost: $6. Each side panel with flower & dragonfly blasted with sophisticated surface blast. Time involved: 2.5 to 3 hours. Sold @ $75.

"Calla Lilies" on 12" clear glass platter; initial cost: $4. Gold leaf class project. Carved & leafed with 23 K gold and silver powder, 23 K gold, 16 K gold & silver leafs. Time involved 5.5 to 6 hours. Sold @ $225.

"Goddess" on 12' clear glass platter; initial cost: $4. Private lesson project. Carved & leafed with 23 K gold, 16 K gold, copper, red variegated leafs. Time involved: 5 to 5.5 hours. Sold @ $225.

Candle shelter (metal with 4 glass side panels); initial cost: $6. Each side panel with hummingbird blasted with sophisticated surface blast. Time involved: 2.5 to 3 hours. Sold @ $75

Valance; 9"x36" on 1/4" plate glass. Custom order through contractor. Border design (sophisticated surface blast) with solid frost background. Time involved: 4.5 to 5 hours. Sold @ $200.

"Iris" on 12' clear glass platter; initial cost: $4. Gold leaf class project. Carved & leafed with 23 K gold, 16 K gold, copper, blue variegated, silver, & aluminum leafs. Time involved: 5 to 5.5 hours. Sold @ $250. Won 1st place Sandblast/Pattern, New Mexico Glass Artists Assoc. 2001; Glastar Corp. March 2001 Sandblast category ($25 in Glastar products); Glastar Corp. 2001 1st Place Sandblast ($300 cash & Glastar trophy).
http://www.glastar.com/gallery/2001/mar2001_sb-b.html

4 Polish hand-blown crystal bud vases; initial cost: $10 each. With dragonfly design (sophisticated surface blast). Sold @ $75 each.

5 small vases; initial cost: $1. With flowers blasted with sophisticated surface blast. Time involved: 1 to 1.5 hours. Sold @ $35 to $40.

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Butch:

Jeff & I want to let you know how much we enjoyed our private 6 days of learning lots of stuff from a great teacher and even greater person! We are back home in Orlando, Florida raring to go. Our last piece of equiptment, the compressor, will be connected by the weekend. We have been practicing patterns, cutting, piling up projects to blast (wish you were here with your ruler). Hope we retained at least a little bit of all the great information you crammed in. We'll stay in touch. I saw a couple of your classes I'd like to take.
Regards to the little furry guys. Oh yeah, if you can send plans for cabinet or booth, we'd appreciate.

Linda & Jeff Gavere

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Student comment to come

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