May13

Whadda weekend!

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A weekend that will always be remembered as outstanding, awesome, joyful, filled with love. 

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The reception for Windows 2.013 was Friday evening.    Yes, it was a success in so many ways! The night just sparkled with happiness and joy as old friends and family arrived.  The biggest surprise of the evening was Lisa flying in all the way from Virginia.  I was so surprised, and happy to see my dear SIL along with so many others that I hadn’t seen in a long time.  My nephew Ben drove across the state to attend, Erin and Charlie brought baby Lia.  Friends, neighbors and many new friends came too.  And my family..they were all there, including my littles…Colton and Codi Lynn.  That meant so much to me.

I sold several pieces too!

Here’s my good buddies Patrice, Lisa, (me), and Kelly. 

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Jeff and Kevin–

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Jackie’s good friends, Alicia and Alison attended. 

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We had a coralled  corner of little ones towards the end of the evening:

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As our friend Charlene said…seeing all the happy, beautiful mom’s, grandmother’s, aunts and babies was the best artwork of all.  I agree, along with the father’s and grandfathers, and uncles that were there too!   Nothing could have made me happier than having my family’s support! 

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And there is our support team for the evening, enjoying a moment’s break:  Meaghan, Gaines, Margie and Holly along with artist Stacey Harper.  The food and refreshments were generously supplied by 212, and were delicious!  One support person missing is Kat, she helped me in so many ways…encouraging, planning, hanging, baking brownies, to name a just a few. 

The only sad thing about the evening is lack of photos of people!  I forgot to ask Derek and Kevin to be my photographers for the evening.  Maybe Lisa will dig up a few more I can share.  But I do have photos of the art work that I will share with you over the next week or so. 

Have some catching up on the blob to do…Mother’s Day, the garden, and the art photos.  Thanks for stopping in….

May6

Showtime!

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212 Art Center made us a beautiful postcard, that I’ve mailed and handed to many people…maybe even you! 

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Hope can come to the reception this Friday, May 10, from 7-9PM.

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I will post more later…having computer problems again.  My Acer computer is still on warranty but is useless right now because of a malfunctioning monitor.  Patiently (not) waiting for customer service to respond.

Apr29

Windows up

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This was a nice spring weekend.  Friday and Saturday were beautiful, warm and sunny.  Sunday was full of spring showers.  Not a snowflake in sight! 

Last week was a beehive of activity here.  We framed and wired hangers. Jeff made boxes from discards we’ve been saving. We packed everything up and filled the kitchen with all the boxes:

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This little pile filled my car to the roof, and weighed a ton! 

On Friday, the show was hung….and all I can say is that we feel accomplishment.  It all came together. 

So now I am looking forward to a little rest, some time gardening, and giving the house a little TLC. 

But of course, I also started a new mosaic, just for fun…a glowing heart:

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Apr22

Grouting, grouting, grouting….

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I finished the pile of mosaics.  And doing a happy dance!

Another window is completely finished, including backlighting by Jeff:

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This is another salvaged window, complete with peeling paint that I find quite charming.  Its filled with opaque, clear and mirrored glass and beads.  I’m not sure what these flowers are.  Maybe poppies, maybe scabiosa?  But regardless, they were definitely inspired by this piece of fabric:

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You can see I’m using my fabric stash, though not in the intended way!

Also, we previewed the school of fish swimming on the wall…this is just a quick hanging, not an “official” layout for the installation:

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Never mind the electric plug!   Seeing them hanging, I decided they needed a plant to congregate around.  Yesterday, Jeff went into the garage and constructed one for me:

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When done, it will hang on the wall with the fish.

I quickly got to work placing the glass:

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Well, I am not done grouting after all!

These delightful miniature daffodils are brought to you in honor of Earth Day!

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They are growing along Stephanie’s front walk….

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Enjoy your day!

Apr15

Weekend delights…

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Our little’s came over with their dad for a visit on Saturday.  Their momma was having a well deserved rest.  They were just as precious as could be.  “She” is 3 months old already, and is a smiling sweetheart.  Colton loves to experiment with his camera smile, and wrestle with Gramps.  He is a sweet, kind, funny and lively boy!  Whenever they come over, it turns into a impromptu family event.  Steph, Derek, Jackie and Kevin came over, we grilled burgers, and had a afternoon that was just perfect!   

But, the weekend involved much focused work too….

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The porch has turned into a temporary work area.  Above are frames made by Jeff’s brother, John.  Jeff cut all the glass for them and they’ll receive paint and stain.  Next I’ll clear away all the frames and turn the sawhorse table into a grouting work space….giving up on warm outdoor weather for grouting. 

But I did observe some hopeful signs that spring really has arrived:

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We also went to a play on Friday night. The first ever performance of “Clutter”, written by local playwright Brian Cox.  It was an introspective and retrospective look at a marriage…Jeff and I loved it! 

Did you find yourself doing your taxes this weekend, or something better? 

Apr10

Back lighting

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Several of my mosaics for the show are glass on glass, they are translucent….wonderful, right?  Well, it presents a problem.  Whatever is behind helps color and illuminate the artwork.  Sky, foliage, daylight…or in the case of a gallery setting…the wall color. Without any backlighting, the effect is somewhat dull.  I want my glass pieces to sparkle and shine, as in this quote:

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” –Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

I hung my mosaic titled “9 Gifts” on my dining room wall that’s painted the color Bee’s Wax.  It definitely needed a “light from within”.

And of course, Jeff had a set of LED lights with a sticky back.  That man always has a trick up his sleeve!  He is quite amazing, I must say!  Here they are on the back of the window, temporarily wired:

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Here is the mosaic, glowing from within:

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Note the peeling paint, and lack of grout!  My final answer.  I love the patina of the old paint and the crackily effect of the clear glass without grout. 

And with the lights dimmed:

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The show…”Windows 2.013” is getting very close.  Jeff and I keep coming up with new ideas….the only thing holding us back is the ticking clock!  Why does it always happen this way…guess we work best under pressure. 

Apr8

Looking into the goldfish bowl….

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I’ve finished my school of comet goldfish.  This was a project Jeff and I worked together on.  He made the metal frames, and I filled the frames with glass mosaic.  The smallest one is 17 inches, with the longest measuring almost 24 inches.  I wanted a large piece to hang in my show at 212 Arts Center.    I do hope they look impressive on the wall.  Each is one of a kind, and each one has slightly different coloring.  Goldfish are happy and hardy, they always bring a smile to whoever they encounter…

Still waiting for a good grouting day outdoors….the pile of mosaics to grout is getting out of control!