Each year, Genumark and Rightsleeve hand out staff awards – but, as a provider of awards to our many clients, it was important that we pushed the envelope and went above and beyond so we could demonstrate that a typical trophy doesn’t have to be the norm.
Handed out in April 2023, the awards were conceived months prior by a task force dedicated to designing our most boundary-pushing award trophies. Here, we look at the process involved from start to finish and how we can help you break the mould with your staff awards!
Task Force Team Members
- Mandy Blake
- Trisha Miller
- Eleanor Davidson
Award Criteria
Our team knew they wanted to make cool, funky, stand-out awards that recipients would love to display on their desks or at home. They also wanted each award to carry the “weight” of what it means to be acknowledged by your peers – a run-of-the-mill trophy simply wouldn’t do. They also needed to support a small business and a woman- or minority-owned company.
Design Concept
Rather than going with a one-size-fits-all approach, the team wanted each piece to be handmade and unique. After several brainstorming sessions, the team settled on three key themes:
- Unity
- Regrowth
- Rebirth
Building on these, the team did creative research and found themselves particularly inspired by glass painting, birch trees, and 3-D imagery of dragonflies. Each of these represented the ability to build something stronger out of many smaller pieces, and that strength comes from numbers. With this in mind, they knew exactly who to reach out to for building the awards.
The Maker
Jeweliyana Reece is the owner of Infused ArtWork, a Calgary-based small business. Building art pieces out of fused glass, Jeweliyana was all-in from the first conversation. Here, we chat with Jeweliyana about her process and how these awards came to life.
Your artwork is so unique! How did you discover the medium of infused artwork, and what drew you to work with it?
I’ve always loved depth and texture; a nice shiny finish brings everything to life.
I’d played with many mediums over the years, but when my mom transitioned in 1994, she wanted a stained glass urn. Walking into that little glass shop to commission her urn, I should’ve been sad, but I couldn’t contain my excitement seeing all the coloured sheets of glass. I used to smash beer bottles and 7up bottles to get the translucent colours I used in clay murals. The light bulb went off that day: I didn’t have to hunt and smash. I signed up for my first glass class and never looked back.
How long does a typical piece of artwork take to create?
After you get past the years of inventing your process and testing methods to figure out the best way to make each piece, no matter how fast you try to go, there is a limit. The fastest piece I’ve ever made, not counting the days of firing and framing/finishing, would be a full long day. Most pieces take weeks. I usually work on a theme batch rather than one at a time. Creating 8 – 10” x 8” farm scenes took an entire summer. It depends on how complex each piece is and how many pieces of glass I need to cut and grind.
Tell us about the process of creating these awards with Genumark.
For the pieces with cut coloured glass components, like the Abstracts and Spirit Awards, I cut every part from a 2’ x2’ sheet of glass and ground it so the edges were clean. The next step was to glue them to a clear base glass and then frit* them (*tiny particles of smashed glass that go in between the coloured glass pieces). Then, they were off to the kiln for firing.
The Tree Lover pieces were first painted with a liquid glass that is kind of like writing happy birthday on a cake. Each colour flows differently and lands oozy on the glass. When it dries, I carve it down to get lovely thin branches. Next, it is cleaned and then frit painted. This time it’s more like making a sand picture with different colours and particle sizes of glass. Then it was carefully cleaned with a paintbrush to get the glass off the trunks and border – this can take hours. Next, carefully, I carry them out to my kiln and lay them on the shelf for firing. During the firing, If a piece of coloured glass falls in the border zone, it can be written off.
The glass is heated to approximately 1350 degrees C. This takes about 24 hours. If I were to open the kiln before the glass cooled back to room temperature, it could crack.
The final step is to grind the edges clean again to fit the frames and sign my signature (with a Dremel underwater). Finally, they’re set in frames with silicone to allow the glass breathing room.
You don’t just create glass art; you also develop clothes and home décor items. How did this come about?
Like many, my life is a journey of following my heart. Sometimes, if we don’t walk through a door meant for us, life will find a way to kick our butt through it. I injured my knee years ago and couldn’t stand and glass all day for almost a year. Knowing fellow artists that were painters, I started bringing them into the studio to teach classes to help pay the rent. This turned me back onto painting, an exciting, intimidating and tremendously satisfying medium. When Covid shut down the world, I rebuilt my website to incorporate artwork. Then one thing led to another and took me back to an old childhood love of creating patterns for fabric and wallpaper. Mix that with a 20-year history of working in the promotional product industry, and here we are now.
How can people work with you?
My art can be a secret advantage in the promotional products industry! Just like with Genumark, you can commission me to create original paintings or glass art that can be used for commemorative awards. I also create digital design patterns from my original artwork that can be licensed for imprinting. If a client wants something unique, you can commission me to create an original for them. Then from their original, you can make a pattern for use on merchandise.
An example is The Red Golden Hour, a fused glass painting I did. It was used to make a pattern known as Aztec Tartan and Uptown Brown printed on bags, socks and swimming trunks. A corporate logo can be superimposed on the pattern with a neutral background so it doesn’t interfere with logo laws. It’s a unique and fun way to commemorate an occasion and promote goodwill, letting the community know they commissioned an artist to create it for them.
Connect with Jeweliyana
www.infusedartwork.com
www.facebook.com/infusedartwork
www.instagram.com/infusedartwork
info@infusedartwork.com
The Final Product
The awards were handed out in person in April 2023 at the Genumark All Hands event in Toronto.
Award Categories and Their Designs
Birch – The Millions Club
As the birch is a pioneer species, it symbolizes rebirth, new beginnings and growth. The ancient symbol of the birch tree has been found to represent physical and spiritual nourishment, transformation, liberation, and union. This is the perfect symbol of the pioneering spirit it takes to be able to sell in the “millions club.”
The different levels of sales are distinctly visible in the three colours, and the colours mature as the sales increase:
- Green (for $1M to $2M)
- Yellow (for $3 to $4M)
- Red ($5 to $6M)
Oak and Acorn – Growth Awards
The oak is considered a cosmic storehouse of wisdom embodied in its towering strength. It grows slowly but surely at its rate. Steady and slow, the Oak is grounded, but the growth journey is seen from the acorn to the mighty oak. The team was particularly inspired by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr’s The Oak Tree.
Bleeding Heart – Spirit Award
The Spirit Award is awarded to the employee that is a bleeding heart, always eager to help wherever possible. This abstract individual is much like the abstract heart; not cutesy but genuine and real.
Solo Bear and Ursa Major – Employee of the Year
Although the bear is alone in this design, it is never lonely as Ursa Major (“the Big Bear”) shines on from above. Just like the Genumarker of the Year, what this award represents, this piece of art symbolizes that you may be the one and only, but you are never really alone, as the big bear in the night sky is there to guide you.
