Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Gone.....

At 10:15 am June 30th the windows left my studio
to travel to their new destination.

After educating the handlers how to pick them up
store them
and travel with them...
AND
to make 2 trips...!!

  • they signed off
  • they left
  • they arrived safe (with number 1)
  • they came back collected the second panel
and templates to take to the cabinet maker...
and after finally convincing them the panels were NOT needed at the cabinet makers
  • they took them and placed them in a safe storage space...i hope

my babies are gone...

they will call me when they have been installed so i can get a final picture..

the studio is almost back to order (well as ordered as this studio gets)

so
  • i am going to begin teaching sessions again..
  • and working on the classes i have started for my own growth...
  • back to business in other words
:)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Saturday @ 3:15 pm

This is IT...the second panel of the restoration project for the Hospital Chapel...YAY!!!

Monday I will deliver the two panels and they can begin their installation plans.
then I will go get a completed picture.

But,
For my part, I am DONE!!!!!!!!!

Probably my last restoration commission.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Fire...



In the sky!! Last night was the most lightening activity I have seen in a couple of years. The one picture here and I can't tell which one it is right this second...I think the middle one,
looks like the strike is echoing.




The storm was actually happening in Nebraska...which is directly South of us. Our place attracts storms and a lot of them start in our field and move off.






Storms are intense on the plains. I saw flashing under the shades,
eeearyyy looking flashes
and heard nothing, so I assumed there was a fire..panicked I ran to the door.

Of course lightening like this could start a fire if things were dryer. But since it is wet and green still
I could relax and just watch the amazing show...then too I needed to worry about a tornado, but it didn't 'feel' like that.



I have been busy finishing up this 2 panel restoration project, (story somewhere in past post)
very close to done! When I flip the panel today soldering side 2 and clean up...then delivery hopefully Monday.
Then
I can get back to my Layer Love lessons...Everyone I think is on the last lesson, I am still on lesson 5...but I will get caught up quick!

Thanks for stopping in... :)

Friday, June 12, 2009

Lady Bug Box


Finished the little feet box birth announcement.

The decorative effect on the solder is little lady bugs.

Aren't they cute!


the bevels added along the sides of a box allow light to enter and illuminate the lid.

Layer Lesson 4


Layer Love directed by Julia Prichard lesson 4 in gray tones and introducing crackle paste.

She used Tim Holtz crackle paste and that stuff looked a lot easier to produce good results than from what I used being the Golden crackle paste.

I had lot of problems with my crackle cracking. It has been determined (we think) that the paste had begun drying out as it sat on my shelf waiting to be tried.

I did the best I could with this lesson.
I am behind by 3 probably 4 lessons now so I done with this one.
Here is the example.

I learned that in using crackle the project must be immobile (so tape down the paper).
Should have a creamy consistency.
And crackle doesn't chalk flake.

I probably never would have experimented with the stuff so in doing the exercise I gained that practice.

yay!


Sunday, June 7, 2009

Flipped..


See how cool the rock is now!...
i had to flip it over
the birds are on their own for a little bath.

i need to make one of those little doors for it...
a faery door!
the big metal jaw looking things
are called
tongs
when we worked the water...a bazillion years ago
these are what were on the boat that craig caught clams with
they dropped over the side
grabbed a chunk of bottom
raised up back onto the boat
opened on the culling board
where the clams were dug from the bottom catch and kept
then the rest was swept back overboard
and another grab made back up...open...back over
craig typically worked on 60 feet of water draw
and the tongs were set/dropped/back up every 30 seconds
fast work
needed to be alert...if the hydraulics messed up
you were looking at 300 pounds of metal trying to whack at you
it could hurt...
for inquiring minds...
:)

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Been Doing Lots


First of all I want to show you the coolest rock! You can see it there in the center it holds water...for the birds but
it also looks like door turned the other way and i might put it that way...not sure yet, i found it walking through the trees looking for antlers.


Here I am setting up to stain glass for a birth announcement box.
Everything is ready.
Palette for grinding the glass and mixing up the stain
and glass substrate to make my marks.










Here the feet are applied and ready to fire in the kiln.









This is the piece I prepared to place the feet over to fuse to creating the desired ordered border...ladybugs.










Here is the finished top. a few bubbles appeared but they are kinda cute so i am thinking this is a keeper. Next i make the box part.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Layer Love Lesson3


Lesson 3 from Julie's Layer Love seminar took a lot of drying in between times. I think I got too dark...again. She called for a hot pink for contrast
that I didn't have
so I improvised with a purple...mmmhh I don't think it did it a lot of good.
We were after an old world page. I hit it on texture, I am not sure you can see but it is there. I can use it just the same and I enjoyed the process. The next lesson if I achieve the look, will be lovely...in gray...
This lesson I did on the acrylic paper again, which I am liking a bit more, I definitely like the size.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Invite!

Dakotah Prairie Museum in Aberdeen, SD's curator, just got off the phone with me, with an invite to participate in a workshop they sponsor through a really cool place. The Grainery, located in rural Groton, SD.

The invitation extends to 4 artist to put forth a workshop to all of the invited high school artists for, a 2 day event.
What an HONOR!!

At the end of the event is a judged art show with the high school art work... they are given an experience of a "professional" show level event.

The workshops are to hopefully inspire the budding young artists to explore mediums they haven't been exposed to, such as 'glass'.

My workshops are only given an hour long so, I will be more of a lecture seminar experience than a hands on shop...and that was fine...so
hey
next April I am going to Groton!

Since i have never been, this should be something!!
Barring snow of course.
:)

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Lesson Two



Top picture is the final outcome of the exercise.
The other image is a barley there glimpse of an image added as ephemera.
Lots of scratches throughout the MANY layers of paints and washes.
Great exercise.

This is done on gesso cardboard recycled from a box, (ie. pizza box, cookie box, cereal box...)


Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Layer Lesson One



The red page...and it is RED! I achieved lots of layers, lots of scratches...that I am not sure you can see but, they are there. Not sure I did the lesson according to plan...but I did gain some confidence in the lesson...so I achieved some of what i am after in the class... Julie is a terrific instructor, so don't let my results leave you with different opinion!



Believe it or not this is the same project different photo view.

Finished Sample


Here is the finished sample of the kaleidoscope. The standing example shows the layers possible for decorating. the laying example is the one for the class I will teach the children. A simple flat sleeve made from construction paper or something similar they can decorate easily.
I can't remember all the questions that have been asked of me for this project.
It is all constructed of paper, and plastic, no glass. Child safe!
I am teaching the construction so IF they choose they can adapt the lesson to stronger materials...brass tubing and mirrors for example, and construct a "true scope".
This one will work though.
The class will be given through the local library.
I am not sure about the cost yet.
I think $15.00 is a fair price per person though. It will be a 2 day class approximately 3 hours each session.
They supply the paper tube...I will provide the rest.
So, IF this sells...I will have a picture up of the projects they complete.
:)

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Promo For Children's Class



I am building a cardboard kaleidoscope called a teleidoscope...it uses only mirrors and nothing at the end but the view to bounce around the inside.




Here is a close up view of the inside...it isn't much but you get the 'picture'.







This is a children's class promo...so far the basic structure is built..I plan to decorate in just 1 version there are too many ways to go into.
Basically my plan is to do an altered technique on the outside.
The construction itself is using a paper towel center plastic sheeting on white cardboard for the mirrors
and plastic wrap for ends..lots of masking tape to hold it all together.
Right now I have heavy glue over the masked endings to seal it all up fairly well and tomorrow I will begin altering.
Everything is kid safe...but will be adult gorgeous.
This much has taken me 2 hours..so, this much is a 3 hour version of the class.
I figure a week of class, 2 hours each visit.