Burt Reckles has taken the traditional Ships-in-Bottle art form to a new level and miniaturized it. His “GEMs” (Glass-Encapsulated Miniatures) art pieces are housed in bottles, light bulbs, vases, watch cases, etc. and have been featured in newspapers, magazines, on T.V. and are displayed in museums in Japan, Europe and the U.S. — including the Smithsonian. The State of Texas Commission on the Arts lists him as an Artist in Residence.
Today this 400 year old art form has only about 100 practitioners in the U.S. It is an excellent form of “making”, involving an exquisite balance of creativity, engineering and problem solving. Burt will demonstrate some of his building techniques and exhibit a variety of his outstanding models at the Houston Mini Maker Faire on Jan. 19, 2013. This is a rare opportunity to learn about this vanishing craft. (See more of Mr. Reckles’ work on his website, www.burtonreckles.com ).
