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A wonderful article about Michael Schunke appears in today's
Philadelphia Inquirer at<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.philly.com/inquirer/real_estate/33911454.html">http://www.philly.com/inquirer/real_estate/33911454.html</a><br>
<br>
Tony Patti<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.glassblower.info">www.glassblower.info</a><br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:gaffer@glassblower.info">gaffer@glassblower.info</a><br>
<br>
<h1>A fire within and splendor in the glass</h1>
<p class="byline">By Christine Bahls </p>
<p class="byline lastline">For The Inquirer</p>
<img src="cid:part1.08090409.07020804@glassblower.info" alt=""> <img
src="cid:part2.02090809.03010204@glassblower.info" alt=""> <br>
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<img src="cid:part3.00060805.09090500@glassblower.info" alt=""> <img
src="cid:part4.08040806.04040707@glassblower.info" alt=""><br>
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<br>
In Michael and Amy Schunke's home in Chester County, the everyday
drinking glasses are an original design. So is the round,
raspberry-colored fruit platter that sits on the kitchen table. And the
elegantly simple wine goblets placed on a cabinet.
<p> In their Victorian in West Grove, Michael Schunke, 39, an
internationally known glass artist, harbors his own creations. These
pieces have emotional meaning, like the tulip-shaped wine glass Amy
calls her own, clear save for the copper-ruby lip wrap.</p>
<p> "It is simplicity itself," says Michael.</p>
<p> The hardest things for glassmakers to craft are the most simple, he
says - the ones with no distracting extraneous elements. "There is no
place to hide your mistakes."</p>
<p> Amy Schunke's favorite piece - "It has this quiet strength," she
says - is from a series Michael created while teaching at the Toyama
Institute of Glass Art in Japan about a decade ago. Called <i>Impression</i>,
the yellow piece stands 2 feet tall. It has no discernible lines; its
rounded shape suggests a human form, and the top folds a bit over
itself, like a ballerina's head bending into her chest. </p>
<p> The piece has a place of honor on the fireplace mantel. As Amy, 41,
who is also an artist, talks about it, the couple's son, 10-year-old
Ben, reads a book on the sofa nearby. Living in a house filled with
breakable art is normal for Ben and sister Sarah, 6.</p>
<p> Her husband sold the series' other members, Amy Schunke says, but
adds, "There are certain pieces that he makes that either I or he
refuse to sell."</p>
<p> Michael Schunke likes his art and his life uncomplicated. About 25
feet from the house is his studio. "I wanted to be close to the kids
while they are little," he says. "I didn't want to be off at a studio
somewhere else."</p>
<p> Originally a creamery, the building that houses the studio was
retrofitted to accommodate two furnaces on the first floor and a design
area on the second. </p>
<p> At ground level, glass Christmas ornaments - ready for sale at
Schunke's forthcoming studio sale - sit in a box near the door, waiting
to be bubble-wrapped. On a nearby countertop are wine decanters
destined for the Philadelphia Craft Show, which begins Thursday.
They'll be wrapped in foam.</p>
<p> The decanters, like his other work, don't come from molds, but are
made by hand. Neck and stopper are accented with gold leaf. Schunke
signs the decanters, which sell for $300, on the bottom.</p>
<p> "It takes 20 years to make something like this," says Schunke, a
student of master Italian glass artist Lino Tagliapietra. In those 20
years, he says, he acquired the know-how and experience to get to the
point where he is now. </p>
<p> "I get my ideas by listening to that place in my brain that isn't
rational." Yes, he thinks his thoughts through. "But there is a part in
my head where ideas come from, where I don't want an explanation." </p>
<p> "He's definitely amazing," says Nancy O'Meara, manager of the
Philadelphia Craft Show. "He just continues to be innovative."</p>
<p> O'Meara, who's been with the show for 19 years, says Schunke has
been a frequent participant over the last 10. Artists are not
grandfathered in, she says - the selection committee reviews each one's
work every year. "Everybody must start from scratch." </p>
<p> In Schunke's studio, blueprints for lighting for a favorite client
cover a drawing table. Cardboard molds of the nearly 3-foot light
fixtures, which will hang above an 18-foot dining table, occupy a
corner. Above the drafting tables is a shelf lined with jewel-hued wine
glasses. </p>
<p> A similar shelf sits above the double doors leading to the patio.
The house also showcases other artists' work, such as the goblets
displayed there.</p>
<p> At craft shows, the Schunkes explain, artists often trade their
pieces. One goblet is by Roger Parramore of North Carolina, who
designed his lamp-worked piece with a torch, connecting bowl to stem
with a glass rose.</p>
<p> Since buying their century-old house 10 years ago, the Schunkes
have been adding to their collection, and restoring the house itself.
The heartwood floors are refinished, and thanks to Amy Schunke's
mother, the original doors and their hardware have been painstakingly
restored. </p>
<p> But what Michael Schunke most wants restored, like many of us, is
the economy. For an artist who caters to those with disposable income,
the financial downturn is especially troubling.</p>
<p> As business has slowed, he's turned his talents to the more
practical, like the lighting system he's making. But an original
Schunke still costs: Each bowl and fixture runs about $8,000. That
covers expenses and a bit more.</p>
<p> This downturn is troubling, but nothing compares to the post-9/11
slump, which Schunke says was awful.</p>
<p> There are two differences between then and now, he says: He saw
this one coming, and "I'm calmer. I know I will get through this." </p>
<p> The cost of college for the kids, he knows, "is staring me in the
face."</p>
<p> </p>
<hr>
<h4> All About the Glass </h4>
<!--StartText-->
<p> See more of Michael Schunke's creations at <a
href="http://www.nineironstudios.com">www.nineironstudios.com</a>.
His next studio sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 28-30
and Dec. 6-7, 13-14 and 19-20; visit the Web site for details.</p>
The Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show will be at the Convention
Center, 1101 Arch St., Thursday to next Sunday. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9
p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. Ticket
information: <span fn_index="0" isdynflag="1"
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