2007 Tucson Flame Off 1st Place Marble

Yes it's true, to my surprise, I won 1st Place in the marble category at the 2007 Sonoran Glass Art Academy Flame Off in Tucson, AZ.

This is the only picture I have of the winning marble (Photo: Brian Bowden).

I had never participated in a flame off before (observed two) and the most I was really hoping for was that I would make a round marble within the time limit and would not break anything, cause any bloodshed, or embarrass myself too badly. Oh yeah, and a few free beers. I was slightly nervous and a little startled to find myself torching next to Bandhu Dunham. Thank goodness he does not make marbles.

Thirty minutes before the flame off I had no idea what I was gonna make but somehow an idea came to me. And here it is. It's a variation of my air trap anemone design with a 3 color pinstriped vortex behind it. On the back was a simple three color pinwheel flower design. I finished with 8 minutes to spare. The marble sold for $275 in the silent auction. A record price for one of my marbles.

So anyway, I was quite happy with my 1st place finish but disappointed that I did not have the marble for my personal collection or even any good pics. So, I decided to repeat the design and several variations. And here they are. I will be doing a limited number of these and they'll be available for purchase soon.