Snooooooowwing

It is snooowing big time.

I was talking to momma, in VA, and thanking her for thinking of me sending such a generous gift fund for supplies...She is a big fan of my art. when it began to snow. Just about the time Jen called to say the children were up.
Off to present time.

Everyone had a nice morning and enjoyed their presents.

I received the best present of all though.

A gorgeous shawl presented from Jr and Jen(my good daughter) that Jen had knitted.
This is so very much appreciated and I will enjoy this so much.
I do not know where she found the time to knit it for me. With 2 small children and beginning her accounting business.
Plus, I do not know HOW she hid it from me!

Love it!!
and her....

Merry Christmas

It is Christmas eve.

This is the time that we enjoy spending time with friends and family.
Although that should take place all year.

It is a time for cleaning up our act and making the new year plans for resolution.
Although we should stay focused all the year.

It is a time for giving thanks and appreciation for all we have and remember those special to us.
Although we should be appreciative all through the year.

I think it is time for everyone to take notice and get back to the basics of enjoying family and making them the focus of life.

I noticed this season how so many people coming into the gallery were glum and bah humbuggy.
Feeling so pressured to be giving the "right" gift. Feeling rushed and exhausted.
To exhausted to go to the Christmas pageant at school and watch the children perform for us. Begrudgingly getting the tree and feeling resentful to have to decorate it.

I am saddened that people have forgotten to enjoy their lives.

I can recognize the symptoms.

I have been just like them in my not so distant past self.
And it is struggle to move past the rut of being this kind of despondent, grouchy, gnarly person that no one wants to be around.
Especially when we are supposed to be rejoicing and giving thanks and being appreciative.

Times are rough and I think it is only going to be getting rougher.
We (as a nation, a population, whatever...) need to make what is available satisfying.
Make it work, even if it isn't so grand and posh.
Learn to enjoy each other, not things.

I sound as if I live in a fantasy world, this will never happen. Well I know it won't never happen for everyone.

Only for the smart ones.

Have a safe season.
Best to all in the New Year.

ArtCamp

A client (whom shall not be named in case I spoil the surprise) bought 3 gift certificates to ArtCamp!!!!!

How exciting that they are selling.

2 of the recipients she wasn't sure they would want class.

There is the beauty of gift certificates from Emerald Artworks...the denomination can go towards artwork too.

:-)

ATC size

I have gotten to know and enjoy the stories of Cindy, my Gallery buddy from Mitchell. In another life and definitely another world, she gave tours. Her touring ground were the swamps and watering holes of the Florida alligators.

Floridians pretty much do not fear an alligator. I am not from Florida, I am from Virginia. I respect an alligator.

Living and working with the alligator Cindy befriended the beasts. On off time she and her girl pals would get the raft and cooler and hang out with the critters. Chillin and enjoying the musics beat, talking to the alligator.

The most foreboding alligator of the pack in the day was "Pappa". He would snort and huff and everyone pretty much gave him his due, but Cindy.

Our girl would tell him what for and hold her ground, and sip her beer or margarita and call him down to reckon with the little spitfire slip of female...and win.

Pappa, would give her the berth and she would chill down and relax.

Being out of the "meadows" of the salt ponds and currently residing up here among the cows and pheasants she gives us a glimpse of days gone by, wistfully sighing on the memory.

I did this card for her in honor of her favorite story to tell. I didn't eliminate the glare very well from the hand reaching for her glass, you can see Pappa up to the top of the piece.

I NEED to get back to "doing" art...here is the beginning to that effort.

tis the season...

here is our Christmas tree. During the snow it looked really pretty with the lights blinking their colors.

Thursday

Me and my friend the wind blew over to Mitchell today.

Went to The Prairie Breeze Gallery to take Cindy some pieces of glass I worked up, cause she asked me too!
LOVE that!

Seems like anytime I go there it is windy as all get out. It can be calm for weeks, months probably years! but just as soon as it is time for me to go, the wind will force a puff...just for me.

I don't suppose I would know how to drive the distance not clutching the steering wheel to make sure I don't blow into the other lane, or the ditch.

Cindy was having an incredible day of sales, I hope her marathon continued after I left.
I will find out tomorrow, she had called, but I missed it and when I rang back ...she must have still been celebrating and didn't pick up.
I hope she called to say she sold some of my stuff too.
:-)

SooooooCute

My granddaughter Hannah is loving kitties, but she can't have an inside cat.

She refers to the outside cat, the friendly one that comes up on the porch, as sooo cute.

She says soooo cute when she likes something...a LOT

I spied this kitty and thought she might like him for Christmas.

He has been overseeing the sketching jobs in the studio.

Sketches

Saint Anthony had his hand re-placed in the sketch to bring the lily details into the glass panels measurment allowance.

St. James is so dark around the image they gave me of him. I left a trace of where his hair might be, so Fr. Bill can give me the direction he wants to have shown on the final sketch.

This is a different job than from the previous post showing the alter unit, job two

These are the sketches that I am taking to Fr. Bill in Chamberlain.

Once these are finalized and approved then I begin the process of staining the portrait, using the Old Masters techniques for stained glass. This technique uses crushed glass pigments and flux, that is fired into the glass substrate, permanently becoming a new sheet of glass. High temperatures of 1400 degrees F. achieved using a kiln, fuses the mixture into the substrate. The permanent fusing process is centuries old.

The process is interesting to watch. As a skilled technician, I use special brushes and brush strokes in the process to give the "drawing" depth.

Once I begin, I will takes progress photos and describe what is going on.

This is the first stage.

The sketch will be used extensively, so I must have all the details correct.

Winter

Yesterday December 1 arrived SNOW! It has begun, the cycle of shovel shovel and more shovel.

Friday I met with a lady who would like me to do the portraits of two of the patrons in the panels being created for her church.
I won't be fabricating the panels, an artist from Custer has the task.

She asked if I can replicate the style...no problem.

So yesterday I sketched 1 of the 2 men. Today I will do the second fella and call her to set up the appointment with Father Bill. Fr. Bill has the final say of the artist to paint the portraits.
:-)
I'll post these later.

The other church in Wagner, where we are replicating the alter unit around the room with medallion centers. The sample glass arrived.
I think these will harmonize just fine.

So I need to find out if everyone on the church committees involved in financing and so forth, are in agreement that I proceed onward with this project.

The window man will have a lot of impact on their decision.

Sketches later.