Hello Lightning Tamers! Hello Lightning Tamers! This is not an episode. So in today's podcast, I’m going to give a little announcement about Taming Lightning going on a hiatus. YES, you heard that right a hiatus. I’ve officially planned to start July and to end in October, 2022. The reason for this hiatus is well, I need to take time to stop adapt to my most recent life events and changes: NEW job at Swagelok Pittsburgh, Moving into a new place, and teaching and assisting in summer workshops. ​I need some time to adapt before putting out more episodes. That means cutting back on things to focus on what’s important. Whether that's restructuring my time for research and art making. Maybe it’s just an excuse to get ahead on things, I’m never really good at doing absolutely nothing, so we’ll see how I’ll improve on that. Before I go, I need to ask a favor. If you could, I’d like you leave a comment about what you’d like to hear about on the podcast, it could be something from a previous guest or something new. I’d love to hear it, so I can help share it. 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

Hello Lightning Tamers! This is episode 47, and I’m here with Thomas Zickuhr of Neon Lab and Neon instructor at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Thomas Zickuhr is a neon glass/mixed media artist based out of Madison Wisconsin and has been a neon glassblower for nearly 20 years, though has been an active artist his entire life. After finishing his degree in Fine Art/Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Tom moved to Boulder Colorado and took on an intensive 4 year apprenticeship in neon. After the foundation for neon had been laid, he, his wife Kristine, and their dogs moved to Madison, WI where Tom continued to learn and grow in the craft of neon. Thomas also studied and practiced design and animation, and continues to work and create in all three fields.

Hello Lightning Tamers! This is episode number 45. In today's podcast, I'll be joined by Amy Lemaire. The reason why I want to talk to Amy has been many fold. I see my journey in hers, the multiple disciples and curiosities, to her involvement with pioneering plasma at Urban Glass, and her current development of plasma education at the Salem Community College Glass Program where she is surrounded by skilled and educated students and faculty, in which she dives into plasma illumination from an emphasis on research within the Arts.

Hello lightning Tamers this is episode number 44. In today's podcast, recorded June 22, 2020, I'll be joined by David Svenson David Svenson was born in 1953 in Upland, California. He graduated from Pitzer College in 1980, and has been incorporating neon in his work since the mid 80s. Often using glass and neon as his dominant medium, hiis works are known to express the subtle glow of colored light in combination with carved wood or other sculptural materials. Growing up in the rural citrus country of Southern California, just miles away from classic examples of State Route 66 neon signage, he was left with an early impression of multi-colored light easily seen in the darkness of the night. This childhood juxtaposition, combined with witnessing breathtaking displays of the Aurora Borealis in mid teens where he studied Alaskan Tlingit art and culture, set David on the path of light. Learning, teaching, sharing skills and knowledge about glass, neon, art and the Pacific rim cultures are important aspects of David’s life today. Aside from working in his studio, David teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and has taught classes at the Pilchuck Glass School, WA, Corning Museum of Glass,, Urban Glass, NY, and has given workshops internationally. He has served as Board President of MONA (The Museum of Neon Art) and works periodically with a team of Alaska Native totem carvers on large commissions.

This is episode number 43In today's podcast, recorded July 13, 2020, I'll be joined by Marta Beltowska “in the form of neon.” Marta Beltowska lives in Stockholm, Sweden and works as a Video and Streaming Producer at a non-profit foundation called TRR. She graduated with a bachelors in photography in 2014 at the University of Southampton in England, and started her career as photography assistant before moving to Sweden. After a creative block post university, Marta found that local neon signs had become her subject of curiosity. And what began as a hobby has now turned into an almost obsessive passion. Since 2018 she has made short documentaries called In the Form of Neon, about the artists who create neon signs.