n 2010, Thomas was contacted by longtime friend and fellow glass worker Denis Eckstein about purchasing the business Neon Lab, which had been established in 1999. Putting his life savings on the line, Tom did not hesitate to take on this opportunity. 

Along with running Neon Lab, Thomas also teaches a course called  “Neon: Light as Sculpture” at the University of Wisconsin Madison.  A fine art based neon program that puts emphasis on the creative side of glass blowing and neon being used as sculpture.  Tom has facilitated and curated many shows through the university for students and professional artists alike.

Thomas currently has original artwork in the Milwaukee Art Museum, as well as shown work at MOMA New York City, MOMA San Francisco, and the Schaulager (sh’ow-la-gur) Art Museum - Basil, Switzerland.  Tom was fortunate to be included as one of three current glass benders to work with contemporary American artist, Bruce Nauman.

Neon Lab is going strong, it is a small operation with a big heart.  Thomas is dedicated to the craft of neon and is working to ensure it's future is bright and colorful.
​
Welcome to the Podcast Tom!

I hope you enjoyed the podcast. As mentioned at the start of this episode, Tom Zickuhr has been a recommendation for quite awhile. And like many of our guests there’s a interesting story with each and every person. Sometimes what your passionate about is is given as gift or opportunity, other times you bear all the effort, at least from a limited perspective its seems to be one or the other, but here we have an example showing both, luck, effort, and determination! I’m happy to see that things have been improving for Tom. Both our situation with the Pandemic and it’s effects worldwide, and I’m historian, mirror what the ladies at Neon Nonsense, have spoke about, as noted in 60’s Henry Eccles, regarding the highs and lows of the prevalence of neon. Which you can check out on Neon Nonsense Podcast hosted by Alleson Buchanon and Danielle James aka DJ in episode 4 featuring Robert Haus, aka the Neon Archeologist.
Thank you Thomas Zickuhr for your time on the podcast, and love seeing your recent experiments  and troubleshooting on the Neon and Plasma Art for Beginner Facebook Group!
I recommend checking out the facebook  group, Neon and Plasma Art for Beginners, there’s always a dozen hands to help, and you may find some equipment for sale as well.

 I'd like to thank Pittsburgh Glass Center for supporting me as a place of research and inspiration. Plasma Art Alliance where I have access to the well of knowledge and connects me to some amazing and supportive people, and lastly both sponsors in this episode The Glass Art Society and Garrett Churchill from Fluxeon.

Feel free to share, comment, and subscribe. As always Be Safe, Be Informed, and Be Curious, and I’ll See you next time. 

Percy Echols II, Taming Lightning

​But I've discovered a different term, Atupa, meaning "lamp" or "lantern", as I move into the next stages of my career (I'll talk about this in a future post or podcast, a lot has happened for me during the last few years) the work was transformed for me, as a object of light, a lantern a lamp in similar representation of say the DC comic superhero Green Lantern. An object of power, and a Battery of Will.

I want to shift my work into these objects after I finish a few more of my Inspire Pieces. Below you can see some images staged in my apartment and my Instagram post showing my progression for this peice over the last 2 years, as well as livestream links on my design process, utilizing my latest acquisition of a methodology for glass solder, which Ed Kirshner and I discuss for an upcoming workshop at the Pittsburg Glass Center this summer.

Feel free to share, comment, and subscribe.

As always Be Safe, Be Informed, and Be Curious, and I’ll See you next time. 

Percy Echols II

Plasma Design

Ben Orozco is a Colombian-American artist and designer based in Madison, WI. His practice re-constructs images and re-encodes spaces, working in optical patterns, grids, illustrations, cut paper, and neon. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2019 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts with concentrations in Neon/Glass, Graphic Design, and Sculpture. In 2020, he completed a 9-month Fulbright-Hays fellowship in Småland, Sweden, researching Swedish glass and neon design and techniques. His work can be found in New Glass Review 41 (Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY) and has been exhibited at the Imagine Museum (St. Petersburg, FL), Hunterdom Museum of Art (Hunterdom, NJ), Glass Factory Museum (Boda, Sweden), and Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (Madison, WI). He is currently participating in the Bridge Work: Madison 2021-23 program, hosted by Arts + Literature Laboratory (Madison, WI).

Welcome to the podcast Ben Orozco!

I hope you enjoyed the podcast. 
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Thank you Ben for your time and conversation. it’s true, I frequent Ben in order work through things both related to and divergent from neon, his work with GEEX and non-profits enhance my perspectives and insight when working on my own mission. And have been the help I needed to level up my studio as well my podcast production through the Intro to Plasma Series.
I found the subject of Systems Building to be as an important tool for artists and neon bender to be just as applicable beyond the focus of the this podcast. I do find it valuable to check out  the episode on Story Points from the podcast Two Scrums up, which helps you to quantify an estimate of the effort and time required to complete a task or piece of work. So be sure to check out the show notes on Taming lightning dot net for podcast, books, and resources mentioned in this episode.
As additional thank I want to thank my contemporaries in the podcast realm Max of Mondo Neon, which inspired the topics for this episode and Alleson Buchanon and Danielle James of Neon Nonsense. Let’s not forget Camron Clow and Holiday Easterbrook of internet acclaimed The Neon Trenches a Reality based Neon Lifestyle network, haha, the highs and lows and to and fros of daily efforts of neon bender;many insights and much entertainment.

 I'd like to thank Pittsburgh Glass Center for supporting me as a place of research and inspiration. Plasma Art Alliance where I have access to the well of knowledge and connects me to some amazing and supportive people, and both sponsors in this episode The Glass Art Society and Garrett Churchill from Fluxeon.

Feel free to share, comment, and subscribe. As always Be Safe, Be Healthy, and Be Strong, and I’ll See you next time. 

-Percy Echols II, Taming Lightning

Amy Lemaire is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. An explorer at heart, her work reveals an interest in currency systems, material language poetics and the production of histories. Lemaire studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA) and Pratt Institute (MFA). She has taught at UrbanGlass (NY), Pilchuck Glass School (WA), Penland School of Crafts (NC) and Salem Community College (NJ). As a visiting artist and instructor, Lemaire has worked with students at Pratt Institute, NYU, Tyler School of Art, Alfred University, and University of Montana. Recent residencies include Tyler School of Art, UrbanGlass, Museum of Art and Design, WheatonArts, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Her essay "Flame Grows Up" was published in Glass Quarterly magazine in 2018. She is an artistic member of the American Scientific Glassblowers Society and a member of the Glass Art Society. Lemaire has exhibited at galleries across the US , including Traver Gallery in Seattle and is currently represented by Heller Gallery in NYC.

• And for those both interested in and working with illuminated glass be it neon, plasma or otherwise I’m here to inform you that the Plasma Art Alliance will be hosting a Plasma Pop-Up Social during the 2022 Glass Art society Conference. Updates will be found in the Taming Lightning Blog, and more details will be released as we get closer to the Conference.
  

hope you enjoyed the podcast!

Thank you Amy Lemaire for joining me and sharing with us your inspirations and the work you do inspire both creative and scientific education of plasma illumination through Salem Community College. You’re approach is an evolution to the interest in plasma, and I appreciate you.

 I'd like to thank Pittsburgh Glass Center for supporting me as a place of research and inspiration. Plasma Art Alliance where I have access to the well of knowledge and connects me to some amazing and supportive people, and both sponsors in this episode The Glass Art Society and Garrett Churchill from Fluxeon.

If you like to support Taming Lightning, subscribe to the newsletter on www.taminglightning.net, or follow on instagram @taminglightning, other options for support are one-time donations through Ko-Fi on ko-fi.com/taminglightning, or you join me on Patreon for additional perks and benefits. 

Feel free to share, comment, and subscribe.

As always Be Safe, Be Healthy, and Be Strong, and I’ll See you next time. 

-Percy Echols II, Taming Lightning