Not So Bad After All

After all my whining about the self-portrait project over on warmglass I finally completed mine and "turned in" my project. There is always something nice about completing a project after weeks of deliberation, rough drawings, tossing ideas, and finally the "eureka!" button goes off in my head and I actually start cutting glass.

Usually once I'm at this point I pretty much keep the glass looking like the drawing, but this time I found myself playing a bit more than usual and changed the "prominence" of some items and their position on my project. Curious? Cynthia Oliver is heading this project and is planning on an early March "gallery" opening. I'll post a link when it's open to the public.

I'll post a link to the portraits as soon as they're on display. Thanks for dropping in!

Excuses, Excuses

The closeup you see is one of a bowl I made late last year. Not easily seen is that this bowl is composed of thin strips of glass layed up on edge. I have always liked creating strip pieces and have started a series based upon the "windows" in the bowls.

The new year has brought some changes to my little studio. We've poured a new skim coat of concrete to cover the 100 year old cracked, rough one. Wow! I can actually use a broom on this now. My chief construction engineer (husband) ran some extra electrical outlets, added a fan above my work table, and a new door. This so improves how I work, but it has meant some down time. My hubby has always supported me in my art and it is always appreciated.

I'm one of those people that can work non-stop for weeks, but if I have something that throws me off my "groove" I have trouble getting back to work. That's where I'm at now. I've got some new things made, and have a few things "in my head." Unfortunately, February is tax month for farmers, so I've got that to deal with, plus February is usually when I apply to the few art shows I do. That means applications, taking new pictures of new work to submit, etc. On top of this I committed to a collaboration project again.

This project is a "self-portrait" to be done with fused glass as the main components. Not one to even like having my picture taken, I'm wishing I never said I'd participate, but I really enjoyed the glass quilt collaboration project from last year so here I am again! I've spent time on and off trying to come up with a way to express "who I am" without having to attempt to pencil an actual drawing of myself. I think I've got an idea nailed down, now I'm hoping I can get it out off the paper and into the glass before the fast-approaching March 1st deadline.

I'm running out of excuses.

I feel like I have already failed my blog. Between an end-of-show-season respite and the Christmas holidays fast approaching I've neglected to update my blog for almost a month. Never one to procrastinate, always on time, as I've grown older I find myself arriving 10 minutes late to the dentist and behind on my farm accounting. So it's no wonder the blog is floundering!

The shopping is finally completed and the packages all wrapped (if you can call throwing things in a pretty bag wrapped) and awaiting their trip back home for the holidays. Every year I swear I'm going to go back to pretty paper with fancy handmade bows and twirling ribbons but each time I receive so many gifts in bags that I feel obligated to reuse them the following year, which perpetuates the cycle. There is such fun in the anticipation of opening a wrapped gift, whether one rips the present bare with vigor or gently unwraps as if unswaddling a new babe.

With a few days to myself before the holidays I am now back working in my studio on new projects. I've got several new sushi/dessert sets in the works, a really nice coneflower bowl, and a new tuxedo cat bowl-all ready for their mold firing. Perhaps you'll see them on the blog next year!

Thanks for checking in with me. I wish everyone a very merry Christmas!

Winter has finally arrived in Ohio with brisk, chilly winds and our first inch of snow. I've decided to hibernate today and took a look through some of my favorite glass pieces I completed when the air was much warmer.

I really like exploring the process of pattern bars. If you're not familiar with them, they consist of a simple idea that finishes with a more complicated look. Strips of glass in varying widths are stacked and fused. Sometimes with a planned pattern but for me, usually quite freeform. This stack is built until it reaches 3/4-1 inch high. It is fully fused and sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch sections. These are layed side-by-side to create a repeating pattern. They can be quite beautiful. Above is one of my favorite pieces done in this technique.

When first conceived my mind was still on the pleasant memories of refreshing Belize breezes. Now looking at the piece with winter raising it's head I'm thinking of the brisk white snows & blue ice to come.

Great News!

Last time I wrote about the Glass Quilt Project. Toni Johnson, who headed the collaboration, has informed us that she has found a permanent home for the quilt blocks. They will be installed at the Sacred Heart Children's Hospital in Tacoma, Washington. She not only found a home for the quilt but also found someone to donate the fabrication work necessary to "sew" the blocks into a "quilt."



This is exciting for all of us. Installation could be late December. I hope to have a picture of the final installation or at least a link to the actual quilt once it's completed.

I've had a busy week with both my MIL spending a few days visiting and my last show of the season. I only do about 4-5 shows each year. While this last one's not the biggest it is nicely run and is "hometown" so it's always nice to see people you know and be able to show them what you've been working on the past year. People always want to know "What the heck I'm doing in that garage all year?" This is my chance to show my friends and neighbors.

One piece that got lots of attention was my contribution to the virtual warm glass quilt many of us worked on earlier this year. This was a collaboration of fused glass artists with each artist given the task of making a piece that would represent one of the four elements: earth, air, water, fire or you could also do all if you desired. Toni Johnson worked hard to make this a beautiful site for all of us to enjoy. Lots of fusing techniqures were used so take a few minutes to see all of the great blocks. There you can read about each piece by the artists, which included glassies from around the world. My entry is the "Dancing Inferno" piece pictured above.

A fellow fused glass artist, Cynthia Morgan, has a great listing of other fused glass blogs for you to check out. Such a wealth of talent all in one place! Also, if you are interested in learning more about fusing don't miss Brad Walker's site to learn everything you every wanted to know and more about fusing glass. He has by far the most comprehensive "warm glass" site with a great search feature and a group of fusers that aren't afraid to share their knowledge.

More Strips!

I can't help myself! I really enjoy making strips pieces. The biggest drawback is the amount of glass each bowl/plate takes. I've gotten pretty fast at cutting the strips but I usually underestimate how many strips each piece will need. This piece involves not only cutting the strips but inlaying the squares. I've also used a strip of a striped pattern bar along each edge. I had a hard time deciding whether to drop this into a mold or leave it as a stand alone piece in a iron stand. Obviously I finally chose the mold. Still unsure as to whether it was the right decision but for now this piece sits!