• TROPICSLLIFESTYLE

    ART a profile

    MEET THE GLASS OCTOPUS WHISPERER

    OCEANIC ARTIST MARILYN URE CREATES WHIMSICAL, TINY OCTOPI COLLECTIBLES WITH HER EXCEPTIONAL GLASS-BLOWING SKILLS AND VIVID IMAGINATION. LEGIONS OF FANS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF HER JEWELRY AND SCULPTURES
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    OCTOPI LOVE (L to R): These four boro-glass kraken pendants and ballpoint pen adorned with a baby octopus are just some of the hundreds of treasures sold in the artist's two online stores.
    THROUGHOUT HISTORY, many talented artists have tapped into a muse, that special someone who provides high-octane levels of inspiration.

    For glassblowing artist Marilyn Ure of Utah, her beloved muse is not human, but rather a sea creature that is just as powerfully influential on her work: the octopus.

    Over the years, she has created thousands of unique and colorful art pieces that delight people of all ages worldwide.

    Marilyn is genuinely in awe of this blue-blooded, aquatic invertebrae powered by three hearts that is basically a mollusk without a shell.

    Among the top attractive attributes of the octopus, she relates, is its intelligence, human-like curiosity, “and even its very sad, short lifespan. It’s interesting that such a fascinating critter only lives two to three years, yet other not-so-smart sea animals can live 20 years. People are just beginning to understand the octopus, and to realize it’s just too smart to be eaten.”

    l"PEOPLE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND THE OCTOPUS IS JUST TOO SMART TO BE EATEN"l

    To avoid predators, some octopus change their shape and color to resemble other sea inhabitants such as a feather star, snake eel, stingray or crab, or use their long arms to mimic the look of a floating jellyfish (source: Smithsonian).

    Moreover, almost every octopus sports about 2,240 suckers on its eight arms, used to grip things and taste their environment.

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    ANCIENT OCTOPUS IMAGES (above): Artifacts dating back thousands of years from ancient cultures depict this intelligent sea animal using paint, metal, clay, glass and more. (Left to right): Greek coin from Eretria, a Greek city-state, 500-465 B.C.; Minoan Palace-style vessel from the island of Crete, 1500-1400 B.C. (Athens National Museum; jar from Crete's Knossos Palace, 1500 B.C.; encircled octopus mosaic tile floor buried 78 A.D. (Pompeii, Italy); mosaic tile detail of octopus with other ocean creatures (Pompeii).

    CFL IN ACTION (below):See Marilyn's "Angry Purple CFL" color-changing octopus glass necklace in action! In first photo, he shines a brilliant purple under normal lighting. But as seen in the second photo, under CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light) he morphs to a transparent grey with truly amazing dichroic sparkle.
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    Not surprisingly, over the centuries the octopus has become known as a symbol of grace, agility, cleverness and flexibility. Its image appeared on ancient earthen pots and wall paintings, and was made into jewelry for the elites.

    Today, that same desire to celebrate the octopus is easily satisfied by buying Marilyn’s well-priced, whimsical and Pinterest-worthy collection of glass art pieces.

    Knitting Jumpstarts New Career

    This American artist unintentionally began her career shaping hot glass about eight years ago in 2013. She only meant to solve a knitting problem, not start a full-time, global business.

    For many decades, Marilyn made a living as a management consultant helping turn around failing companies. And in her free time away from that high-stress career, she enjoyed wood carving by creating walking sticks, figures, and other projects for her own pleasure. Later, she began to share her love of wood carving by teaching others this primal craft at a local store. Life was humming along.

    Then one day, while knitting socks, a fateful mishap happened that shook up her world. She broke her beloved stitchmarker fashioned of glass in the shape of a little lamb.

    l"ONE DAY, WHILE KNITTING SOCKS, A FATEFUL MISHAP SHOOK HER WORLD"l

    Unable to replace it, Marilyn decided to attempt to make a duplicate glass ewe herself. To that end, she bought a $100 glass-blowing kit, and taught herself how to use it.

    Weeks later, she had triumphantly made the glass replacement marker. She also was hooked on a new hobby. Each month she found herself spending more and more of her spare hours experimenting with glass-blowing techniques, and less time with the wood.

    Eventually, Marilyn became consumed with the joy of this nascent endeavor. About a year after her knitting mishap, Marilyn opened both an Etsy online shop (LakeCityGlass) and a website (www.MarilynUreGlass.com) to sell her art made to look as good around a neck as it is sitting on a shelf.

    If You make It, Will They buy?

    With this new career up and running, the workshop she had organized in her basement for wood carving now had to share at least half of its space with all kinds of new equipment, tools and supplies.

    When she started this new online selling enterprise, Marilyn didn’t have a clue if anyone else would enjoy owning her pieces as much as she did making them.

    After all, she had a very narrow design niche since the vast majority of her offerings (then and now) are versions of the octopus; that soft-bodied, eight-limbed sea creature of the order Octopoda, consisting of some 300+ species.

    But basing a serious business on just one ocean animal couldn’t possibly be a wise business move….or could it?

    l"MARILYN IS THE KIND OF GLASSBLOWER KNOWN AS A LAMPWORKER"l

    Fortunately, Marilyn’s optimistic gamble paid off, as orders slowly but steadily began to flow in from in and outside of the United States. Early success meant selling over 100 pieces a year, and a bit more each successive year.

    That solid sales progression gave Marilyn the encouragement she needed to continue on this entrepreneurial path. However, it wasn’t too much later that she finally quit that consultancy job to leap into full-time glassblowing.

    "I think there's a somewhat magical link between glass and water," shares Marilyn. "Glass is a nonsolid but still moves in a way like very hard water. I’ve always liked thinking of glass as water, as it reminds me of being on vacation in the Bahamas, even if I'm in hot and sunny Utah."

    Perhaps that's why most of the critters she currently sells are oceanic-themed. Besides the aforementioned octopi, she makes creatures in the images of mermaids, fish, turtles, whales, etc.

    Marilyn estimates that in the past eight years she has sold about 8,000 octopus-themed products in addition to thousands of her other designs.

    Last year alone in 2020, she filled nearly 2,000 online orders; many were repeat customers. “Rarely do people buy just one piece; usually they’ll order three or four at a time,” she notes. "It seems some of them actually have became addicted to collecting my work!"

    A small octopus tattoo on Marilyn’s arm reminds her daily of her muse, and of how it gives joy to her life as well as brings in a livable wage.

    "The business is certainly taking up every minute of every day, but I’m really enjoying it,” she confesses. “I didn’t think it would continue to be this much fun. Now that I quit my other job, and I’m over 50, it’s what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

    Old AND New Fan Favorites

    A perennial customer favorite is the 2.5" (length) x 2" (width) octopus pendant selling between $55 to $75, on average. The price varies due to the type of glass used, its size, and other design considerations. Marilyn guesses she has created well over 350 iterations of her popular octopus pendant.

    While the majority of her catalog pieces are born of her imagination, a fair number have come to life due to collaborations with customers seeking custom work. Marilyn enjoys these special orders—especially those that push her orginal designs to their creative limits, and beyond. 

    l"UV JEWELRY IS A GREAT LOOK FOR YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THE CLUBS SINCE IT GLOWS LIKE CRAZY!"l

    S    o what can be seen in her etsy store? Here you'll find cute baby octos, each the size of a quarter, hanging jauntily on French hooks and leverback earrings, or perched atop rings that can swap out glass pieces to suit the wearer's fashion mood.

    Even more tiny octos cling to Marilyn's glass "forever" straws (promoted as an alternative to single-use plastic tubes), or cutely curl the sides of her artsy ballpoint pens. Larger octopi are enjoyed as stand-alone desk sculptures, brooches, pendants, stash jar toppers, bottle adornments, and much more.

    Upon request, Marilyn will even make a conversation-starter martini glass featuring a (possibly tipsy?) octo wrapped around its stem.

    In the near near future, she is considering adding more tropical and rainforest designs to her line, such as palm trees and palm fronds, hibiscus flowers, parrots, or possibly butterflies.

    From time to time, a customer will ask Marilyn to  make cremation jewelry. This endearing memorial incorporates a Loved One's ashes into the glass to help keep that departed person's memories close to the wearer.

    To many buyers, Marilyn is not just a seller; she's a friend who "gets" their glass obsession and really "delivers the goods." It's not uncommon for them to publicly share their enthusiasm online, or in emails to the artist. Just read a few esty.com testimonials:

    • "This octopus is an absolute masterpiece and I am so stoked to add it to my collection....This shop has my business indefinitely. Not only are the artistry and quality top notch, but Marilyn is...lightening fast at replying to questions, and has a witty sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this process from beginning to end...I love my little Kraken so much!"
    • "WOW!! Just....WOW!!! I knew this piece was going to be amazing, but it's WAY beyond amazing in person!...I'm not only blown away by the wonderful cutomer service but also by the quality of craftmanship and attention to detail....even the careful packaging in a nice metal tin to protect this jaw-dropping piece of art! Now I have to force myself to let go of this piece and give it away as a birthday gift!"

    But it's not just adults who give her shop five-star ratings. Recently a four-year-old girl in Germany received octopus jewelry as a gift. The tot was so taken by it that she now calls Marilyn her "Octopus Grandma" and communicates regularly with the artist via a  family member.

    It's these type of accolates and fan connections that add layers of sweet satisfaction to Marilyn's work, and encourage her to keep the glass torch burning bright every day.

    Taking Lampworking to Artistic Heights

    On average, it takes at least 30 to 45 minutes to make just one glass item. She stamps her maker’s mark—the capitol letter M—on the underside of every piece (size permitting).

    Most creations are made from a "hard" glass known as borosilicate, or boro. It’s in the same materials family as the strong, almost unbreakable clear glass used for decades to make scientific lab supplies and bake ware (think Pyrex).

    All other glass other is identified as “soft” glass. That is the material of choice for many of her beadwork pieces, one of which is a colorful aquarium pendant delightfully depicting a mini-ecosystem of sealife.

    Technically, Marilyn is the kind of specialized glassblower known in the industry as a "lampworker."

    The roots of this fairly new method of glassblowing—lampworking—go back to the late 19th century, and requires a high-temperature hand torch to make glass conform to the will of the artist. During the centuries prior (reaching back to the fifth century B.C.), lampworking was done with oil-fueled lamps. 

    After heat makes the glass pliable, Marilyn forms it into the desired shape (without molds) by rolling or twirling with experienced hand movements and specialized tools.     Intricate details, such as octopus eyes and arm suckers, are carefully added to the main glass body with other instruments.

    When the design phase is complete, Marilyn anneals (slowly cools) each item in a digital kiln to increase its durability.

    Raw borosilicate glass is bought as a glass rod or tube. It’s only been in the last 15 years or so that this material could be offered in different colors other than transparent clear.

    “I can easily choose about 150 different colors for my projects,” says Marilyn. “Typically I use the same 10 to 12 colors every single day, but I’m always into buying the newest glass and amazing colors to experiment with it.”

    Every color developed by her suppliers has a distinctive chemical composition unique to that shade. That means each color behaves somewhat differently than the others, and so must be carefully manipulated accordingly to Nature’s laws.

    In other words, Marilyn has to be     part artist and part scientist to create her little lampworked masterpieces. 

    FUN COLOR-CHANGING GLASS

    The majority of glass rods sold today are transparent or opaque. Beyond the “basic” options are those made with metal to give exceptional color, gleam and durability, or they have the ability to switch between two different hues.

    A newer and increasingly popular option is glass with ultraviolet (UV) properties, meaning it looks one color in daylight and then glows in the dark as another color. Most rods come in a single hue, but a few are comprised of two, three or even more colors.

    “Ultraviolet glass is becoming a more popular choice every year,” notes Marilyn. “It’s a great look for younger people who enjoy the clubs since their jewelry will glow like crazy!"

    Another exciting material Marilyn uses is "Compact Florescent Light" (CFL) glass, which  changes color under florescent light. For example, her "Angry Purple CFL Kraken" shines a brilliant purple under normal lighting, but under CFL looks transparent grey with an amazing dichroic sparkle.

    Until about the 1940s, major manufacturers of glassware made home products using “Vaseline” or “uranium” glass which glowed under UV light thanks to the addition of real uranium (uranium dioxide) into the glass mix.

    About the middle of the 20th century this glass variety fell out of favor due to the price of uranium increasing and other factors. (And no, contrary to rumors, Vaseline glass is safe and doesn’t give off a near-lethal radioactive dose.)

    In its place are newly formulated UV glass (made without uranium) illuminating in the dark in shades of green, blue, pink, yellow, red, violet and orange.

    Her company's pricing model reflects her use of “good” glass, her time and special materials, and the difficulty of making them. For example, rods made with glow-in-the-dark glass or that contain real gold will be more expensive, as will models with pearl, gemstone or other dangle enhancements.

    Since she tries to buy glass supplies when only on sale, Marilyn says she can offer “surprisingly reasonable pricing” for her high-quality, crack-resistant art.

    Pandemic and Thieves Can’t Stop Her

    When asked this summer how the COVID-19 pandemic affected sales in 2021, the artist shares that she was shocked at how “outrageously successful” her etsy shop sales have been, especially over the last two years. Somehow, and she’s not sure why, the crisis “had to play into the growth and why people are buying more from me.” 

    Marilyn recalls that December 2020 marked the month that “all hell broke loose! So many more people began buying from me via word of mouth; it just went crazy."

    Part of the uptick in sales was due to a post in a Facebook octopus group where someone said they wanted to buy one of my octopus rings for their engagement jewelry instead of a diamond ring. It got lots of likes and attention, and sent people to my etsy store.”

    l"THERE IS FIRE, DRIPPING GLASS, AND CRAZY TOOLS! WHAT MORE COULD A GIRL WANT?"l

    Halfway through 2021, sales are up 144 percent when compared to the prior 12 months. And the year before that, which included a few months in 2019 before the pandemic, sales were up 140 percent. Marilyn knows those stats all indicate her business is definitely doing well.

    However, with a bit of light-hearted sarcasm, she shares there's one indicator that she has “made it” as an online seller in today’s Wild West e-ecommerce world: the sad fact that multiple people in China stole her online product photos and now sell low-quality counterfeits of her designs.

    Speaking about her two creative outlets which keep her sane and makes her smile, Marilyn says: “I’ve been carving wood for over 17 years and really enjoy it. While a little messy, you can do it almost anywhere….As for the glass? Well, what can I say….There is fire, dripping glass, and crazy tools! What more could a girl want?”    b
    SURPRISE!Marilyn is partnering with Tropics Lifestyle to give our readers an exclusive discount. Enjoy a generous 20%off your order from her etsy shop LakeCityGlass by entering Coupon Code TROPIC20 at checkout.
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    VARIETY OF ART PIECES (L to R):Marilyn's oceanic-themed glassworks, available in hundreds of differnt color/style options, include a "forever" glass straw with an octo cuddling the top, a bright mermaid-tale pendant, mini octos to change out on an octo ring or pendant,, an ever-watchful octo on top of a "stash" jar, baby octo matching earrings, and a Killer Whale pendant (a memorial piece to honor Tilikum of Blackfish fame; 25 percent of all sales going to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society).
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    THE CLASSIC OCTO PENDANT (L to R): Here are just a few of the hundreds of pendant designs available....Queen Bee Kracken, New Little Storm Octo, Silver Pine Kraken, UV Kraken (with suckers) glowing under Black light, Cool Waters Kraken.

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  • TROPICSLLIFESTYLE

    MUSIC

    JIMMY BUFFETT: 'COME MONDAY' BACKSTORY

    A FLORIDA BROADCASTING VETERAN & PARROTHEAD WROTE A NEW BOOK ABOUT 50 OF BUFFETT'S MOST ICONIC SONGS. STARTING WITH THIS ISSUE, WE'RE SHARING EXCERPTS FROM THAT WORK
    By Scott Atwell


    JANE SLAGSVOL GREW UP    in an affluent South Carolina family. In the 1940s, her father founded the Greater South Agency, an insurance company with expertise in animal agriculture—especially the poultry industry—according to a 2015 press release that announced the company's sale.

    Like her parents and siblings, Jane enrolled at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she found a roommate named Larry "Groovy" Gray, who would eventually leave school and make his way to Key West.

    In Slagsvol's junior year, she planned a spring break trip to visit her old friend, who had taken up work as a bartender at the Pier House Chart Room. The University of South Carolina bulletin indicates the 1972 spring recess was scheduled for the last week in March.

    Understandably, the Chart Room was a home base of sorts for the visiting Slagsvol.

    It also had become the professional and social hangout for Jimmy Buffett, who returned to the island after enjoying the extended hospitality of Jerry Jeff Walker in Coconut Grove. 

    A AS SHE SAID "GOODBYE," BUFFETT WAS THERE TO SAY "HELLO." HE HAD JUST CONNECTED WITH "THE RIGHT GIRL." A

    The Chart Room was a construction afterthought at the Pier House, cobbled together from a poolside guest suite by owner David Wolkowsky. In the hallway, behind the bar, was a pair of restrooms and a pay phone.

    One night, Jane stepped away from the bar to make a phone call, and as soon as she said "goodbye," Buffett was there to say "hello." He had just connected with "the right girl."

    SAVING POWER of true love

    Once Slagsvol relocated to Key West, she quickly became the inspiration for the songwriter's new music, if not his luck.

    Buffett had fled to the end of the road in part to escape the personal and professional rejection that had haunted him in Nashville. By November 1972, his divorce from Margie was official, and his relationship with Jane was blossoming.

    In March 1973, one year after meeting Jane, Buffett landed his first major recording contract with ABC Dunhill. Three months later, he released his White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean album, which included a song titled "My Lovely Lady."

    In the early days of his recording career, Buffett was required to produce two albums per year—no easy task given the demands of the road.

    The ample backing of ABC Dunhill landed the singer a six-night run at the famed Troubadour on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, but all the while, the burden of the fast-approaching second album weighed heavily on his writing.

    Holed up in smog-filled southern California and pining for Jane, who was in Aspen on vacation, Buffett began to distill his feelings into song.

    After the Troubador shows, Buffett headed north to the San Francisco area where he was pencilled in for a three-night gig at the Lion's Share in San Anselmo. (Janis Joplin so loved the venue that she left money in her will for a 1970 funeral party to be staged there, in her honor, headlined by the Grateful Dead.)

    E IN THE SHADOW OF MT. TAMALPAIS, HE POLISHED OFF THE LYRICS OF HIS HEARTFELT LONGING FOR JANE E

    It was Labor Day weekend, and Buffett opened for Country Joe McDonald, a psychedelic rocker who had gained notoriety at Woodstock.

    Appearing on Late Night With David Letterman in 1983, Buffett recalled the cathartic power of "Come Monday" as a "song that kept me from killing myself in the Howard Johnson in Marin County."

    Buffett said he was "deathly depressed" at the time, a result of the "size of the rooms and the food next door as well," and in the shadow of Mt. Tamalpais, he polished off the lyrics of his heartfelt longing for Jane. 

    Buffett's last show at the Lion's Share was on Sunday. He made his way back to Jane in Aspen on Labor Day, September 3, 1973.     Monday had come.

    song skyrockets career

    One month later, Buffett was in the recording studio recording album number two, with Mike Utley and Doyle Grisham reprising their roles from the first session.

    Utley remembers Grisham turning to him in the studio and predicting the song to be a hit.

    "At the time that was written there wasn't chord progressions like Jimmy put in that song," Grisham said on an episode of At Home With the Coral Reefer Band(a limited-edition video series on YouTube).

    "People weren't saying things exactly the way he said 'em, and the melody is just great on it. It's one of my favorite all-time songs."

    "Come Monday" was slated as one of 11 songs on the album Living and Dying in 3/4 Time, and ABC Dunhill ramped up promotion of Buffett following the tragic and untimely death of Jim Croce, a fellow artist on the label.

    In advance of the release, executives sent a film crew to Key West to promote their up-and-coming aritst, and Buffett assembled an audience of friends for a film session at the Lantern Inn on Stock Island. 

    "Come Monday" was the featured tune in the promotion, shown prior to feature films at ABC-owned movie theatres around the country, and later found on YouTube where it has been viewed more than six million times.

    N THE SONG'S PROFITS "PAID THE RENT" AND GOT BUFFETT'S DOG OUT OF THE POUND N

    Buffett was in London when he recognized the impact of "Come Monday" on his career arc.

    Halfway across the globe he heard the song played on the radio and knew instantly, as he often has said, that he would be able to keep his "phony-baloney job for a while."

    "Come Monday" peaked at number three on the Adult Contemporary charts. For Jane Slagsvol, its success resulted in something her father could appreciate: an insurance policy, and validation of the decision to hitch her wagon to a man whose profession was less than stable or predictable.

    As Buffett said to Letterman, "Come Monday" paid the rent "and got my dog out of the pound."

    The Howard Johnson's where Buffett finished the song was located at 160 Shoreline Highway in Mill Valley, near Sausalito, and remains there today as a Holiday Inn Express. The Lantern Inn burned down in April of 1980, and the site was rebuilt for a popular Mexican restaurant called Chico's Cantina.  

    As for the Lion's Share, the venue that brought Buffett to the San Francisco area of that Labor Day weekend show, it held on as a popular music stage through much of the 1970s, but today fronts a rather pedestrian optical office.

    It was never meant for glitter rock and roll. b

    VIDEO: Commentary by Buffett before presenting his "Come Monday" music video. Published on YouTube by Margaritaville.tv
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    Buffett's "Come Monday" was first released on his 1977 album Living and Dying in 3/4 Time. The song was his first Top 40 hit single. It took spot No. 30 on the Billboard "Hot 100," No. 3 on the "Adult Contemporary" (Billboard) chart, and No. 58 on the "Hot Country Songs" (Billboard) chart.
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    Buffett did not make happy memories during his stay at the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge in Sausalito, CA, his temporary home while performing at a local club. It was this very place that the depressed songwriter polished off the lyrics to his love ballad "Come Monday," written about how much he missed his sweetheart, Jane (who later became his wife in 1977).
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    When not resting at the Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, Buffett played a three-night gig at The Lion's Share. The tiny club (capacity: 200), located at 60 Red Hill in San Anselmo, CA, was known as a local hangout for musicians. 
    About the Author: Scott "Flash" Atwell

    In Key West, FL, grown men can live their entire lives answering to names like Mockingbird, Jungle Rat and Bow Wow. Stroll the city’s venerable cemetery, perched on the island’s highest peak—Solaris Hill—at 17 feet above sea level, and you will note that many have carried nicknames to their graves, a small slice of the town’s culture etched in granite. The southernmost city is a city of nicknames—or least it was.
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    Scott Atwell earned his moniker as a teenager in the mid-1970’s after volunteering to work for a sports news program on hometown radio station WKWF (call letters stood for Wonderful Key West Florida). The young lad’s penchant for efficiently gathering final scores along the little league baseball circuit impressed one of the official score keepers, who likened him to a “news flash.” Presto, the “Flash” was fixed into the Key West vernacular.

    Atwell continued to pursue sportscasting and eventually became an anchor for Tallahassee, Florida’s CBS affiliate, where he covered many of the legendary Florida State athletes and served as a fill-in co-host of the Bobby Bowden TV show. Later, Atwell went to work for Florida State University in public relations and then served a decade as chief alumni officer.

    He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami (where he was pulled from the sports information office in 1980 to suit up for three games as the junior varsity’s back-up quarterback) and a Master’s from FSU (where he was not asked to suit up).

    After a 35-year hiatus the “Key West Flash” returned to his island home and the local radio airwaves, hosting a program of exclusive Jimmy Buffett music where each week he illuminates the origins of one song. Atwell gathered those stories in book form, and on the 50th anniversary of the singer’s arrival in Key West, self-published     Buffett Backstories—Fifty Years, Fifty Songs, available through Amazon.com.

    One day Atwell will be buried in his family’s cemetery plot where you will find him listed under the nickname “Flash."

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