by Ingrid the Studio Dog

Of course, this means he’s leaving me. From November 6th – November 9th, to be exact, he’ll be in Chicago with PISMO Fine Art Glass and Sandy Sardella. That’s nearly FOUR whole days.

He doesn’t seem to care. He’s all “SOFA this…” and “SOFA that…”, and “OMG, what am I going to wear to SOFA?!”

(I’m paraphrasing, of course, but I also don’t understand half of what he says. I’m a dog. What do you want from me?)

I have to admit, he has made some lovely pieces. He and Jenny have been oohing and aahing over them the past couple of weeks, and then he’s had visitors in who have oohed and aahed over them as well.

Even Sandy has fantastic things to say about him and his art.

“Gazing into one of Roger Thomas’s glass paintings is like stepping through the Looking Glass—entering the magical world of forest and trees—lush with leaves, glimmering in the pristine snow, sun or rain. A place to escape and enjoy. A place that evokes a sense of contentment and serenity. His works are three-dimensional glass masterpieces that metaphorically surround you with the inspiring wonder of nature.”

– Sandy Sardella, PISMO Fine Art Glass, Aspen • Denver • Vail

The praise is getting quite unbearable, but it’s not unjustified. He’s taken all of his traditional subject matter and made it…better. I don’t know how. It might be a different way of looking at his art, it might be that he’s excited about new colors from Bullseye, or it might be that he’s just looking at the world with a slightly different perspective.

The new cherry piece (Spring – Avium Trellis) looks almost like a watercolor, while still retaining that special glass surface and cherry blossoms that flutter down in space, like in a Japanese spring morning.

His winter piece (Weston’s Aspen) is nearly abstract, while his summer piece (Cottonwood Hedge) creates a whole new relationship between the clarity of background and the sharp edges of tree trunks as seen from a distance.

My favorite piece? Autumn (Gloaming Hollows).

Maybe it’s the time of year, but this piece is amazing. First of all, it’s over an inch thick, and although the trunk of the tree can be clearly seen if you look for it, it’s difficult to find–like a vision of a real tree on a fall afternoon. The wind moving through the branches, some of the leaves clinging on, some of them blowing and falling…

These are just the first four pieces he’s taking to SOFA. There are two more coming up.

But again. This all means he’s leaving me.

But whatever. I’ll rally.

I’ll have the lovely neighbor down the street to take care of me while I guard the studio, and I’m sure Jenny will come in to harass me on occasion and expect me to do cute things. Which I always do, because I’m cute.

Whatever.