Glass Paradise ™ profile picture

Glass Paradise ™

I am here for Friends and Networking

About Me

Mark Black: Lampwork Artist (glassblower) currently based in California, right outside Joshua Tree National Park. I'm a self-taught glass artisan open to sharing, learning, and networking with the worldwide community. Everyday I'm grateful for this wonderful life of freedom & creativity, and I sincerely wish you success in all your endeavors.
If you're thinking; "Hey, I know this guy from somewhere"! It's quite posssible that we've crossed paths before. I grew up in Laguna Beach, then headed for the Sierras as soon as I graduated from school. I've been a vendor at countless pow wows & music festivals over the years, lived in Yosemite, South Lake Tahoe, Kirkwood, Santa Cruz, traveled throughout Western Europe, Tahiti / French Polynesia & Brazil. Never found a reason to stay in one place for too long. I guess I'm just the restless adventurous type.
I've always enjoyed rock climbing in Joshua Tree so I decided to set up shop here & experience living in the high desert for a while. I also reside seasonally in Brazil, which makes for a wild contrast of landscape/climate.
When I'm not manipulating borosilicate glass I enjoy outdoor adventures: surfing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, climbing, or just hanging out...
Vertical Camping: Eagles Way - El Capitan, Yosemite National Park
I also love road trips & camping with my good friend Bella the Bulldog.
You can see more of my flamework creations at: www.GlassParadise.com

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

"Strangers stopping strangers just to shake their hand, everybody's playing in the heart of gold band". ~Scarlet Begonias - Garcia,Hunter
I've always lived & worked in National Parks and resort communities. What a great lifestyle. So many awesome people, experiences and adventures. Unfortunately, it's been nearly impossible to keep in touch with all of my friends & acquaintances. So I'm checking out MySpace... excited to see if I can find some familiar faces, and of course it's always great to make new friends too!
Fellow artists, world travelers, tour heads, nature lovers. I have great admiration for anyone who's inspired and enjoying life to the fullest!

My Blog

Glassblowers: whatcha runnin? (confessions of a torchmonger)

Here's the progression of torches I've worked with over the years: Victor (welders torch) Nortel - Minor National - 8M GTT Lynx Carlisle CC GTT Phantom GTT Mirage GTT Delta Elite Due to...
Posted by on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 02:10:00 GMT

Overwhelming crush of humanity

I signed up with MySpace hoping to track down a few old friends (which has been an awesome experience so far). What I never anticipated is the amazing volume of friend request...
Posted by on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 09:03:00 GMT

Much love for the handcrafters / artists

I have the utmost respect for anyone who finds joy in creating with their own two hands. It truly is a wonderful feeling to focus your energy into the creative process and see...
Posted by on Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:31:00 GMT

<--- New Pics!

The workload has been intense lately (we received about forty custom orders over the weekend) but I was able to spend a couple hours organizing my pics & getting them into fold...
Posted by on Tue, 21 Aug 2007 03:14:00 GMT

Scarier driving in the US or Brazil?

Last night I pulled onto US Hwy 247 headed for town. Suddenly, a car came rushing up behind me at alarming speed. I proceeded down the grade at the posted 55 mph speed limit (ever mindful of the...
Posted by on Thu, 16 Aug 2007 19:26:00 GMT

My Pretty Pony

No doubt there's a lot of Stephen King fans out there... One of my favorites is an early short story titled "My Pretty Pony". It touches upon a subject which has always intrigued me. In a nutshel...
Posted by on Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Why I'm here...

Well, I've been meaning to start a blog for quite awhile now & I suppose MySpace is a good a place as any to give it a try. I also came to MySpace for much the same reason I bought ...
Posted by on Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:32:00 GMT