Well, my dear Patrons, friends and followers, the time has finally arrived for me to transition to the next phase of my life. It feels like every week I hear about yet another of my contemporary artist friends calling it quits. Every time I hear about another glassblowing studio closing, I feel depressed. It is hard to believe that the first time I touched glass was way back in 1974. Can you believe it, 50 years ago? Here I am 200,000 pieces later and finally facing my own exit. The feelings and emotions run deep. While sad, the prospects for my future seem very bright. Please let me share and celebrate with me.

The good news

Even though December 23 will be our final day open as Stone and Glass, the good news is that our beloved studio will live on, albeit in a slightly different form and place. We have made a preliminary agreement to donate our entire operation to a North County Museum community. They will be rebirthing and rebranding Stone and Glass into a glass learning and education center, as part of their Nonprofit Museum operation. It is our hope that the new learning center will begin preliminary operation by the end of the first quarter 24. Stay tuned.

My deepest thanks

To all of the wonderful people who have supported my artistic career for so long, those who have been with our Stone and Glass family since our earliest days at the Bernardo Winery, my deepest thanks. I can’t even find words that express my gratitude. As word got out about our closing, so many of you have reached out and relived your Stone and Glass experiences and shared pictures of your James Stone art collections. I am so touched. Without your support, there would have been no Stone and Glass Studio and Gallery. My time creating art for you, your homes and families has been the absolute best part of my journey.  Thank you.

My memoir The Glass Thread

Speaking of my journey, one more item to be thankful to all of you. As you know, I tried to tell my personal story in a memoir, “The Glass Thread, One Artist’s Lonely Journey from Addiction to Enlightenment.” The book has been doing very well since it was published, just in time for my birthday. In fact, with all of the support I received from all of you, it made the Amazon Best Seller list. To those of you who purchased, read and wrote reviews, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

In January, I am off to the recording studio to read my memoir for an audio version. My publisher is already asking me to ink yet another literary work. I have agreed to put together a pictorial history of my artistic career. As it turns out I own about 15,000 pictures of the work I created over the years. Culling that massive collection down to a reasonable size has been very emotional, but with my publishers help, we are getting there. So, stay in tuned. I am hoping to have the next “picture” companion book available for my next birthday.

There is so much more to share, but Carol has limited me to only 500 words. So, for the moment, thank you all again from the very depths of my soul. I look forward to sharing my next life chapters soon.

God bless you all,