Nordic Tug Fused Glass Window

My parents lost their Nordic Tug in Super Storm Sandy.  They are very lucky to be safe and still have their home, but I know it upsets them to lose their boat.  The boat was eventually found sunk and destroyed, the interior coated with fuel and mold.

I decided to create a fused glass panel of Tuggen, their tugboat.  This window measures about 10 inches wide by 8 inches tall and is suspended by 2 metal rings fused into the glass.

Nordic Tug Fused Glass Window Panel

Here is a picture of their boat motoring out of Canyon Club in New Jersey.  I tried to reproduce the details that made their boat unique while maintaining clean lines.  The background is created in transparent shades of blue and turquoise to make the picture feel cooler rather than warm like the sunset in the original.  I thought driving off into the sunset would be too cliche after losing your boat.

Tuggen, their boat

To create this panel, I first cut and pieced the background sky and ocean taking it to a full fuse.  This ensured that the rings were an integral part of the panel and I now had a smooth surface to start building the tugboat on.  Stiff white was used for the foreground of the boat and a more opaque white for the boat parts in a different plane.  For a little sparkle and glitz,  the windows were cut from an iridescent violet and the open door and portholes are adventurine blue.

Nordic Tug Stages of Construction

My parents are tough customers, so I hope they like their gift.  I wonder if my dad will point out the lack of a swim platform or the missing antenna, we'll see.