Polka Fest at Chilkoot Charlies!

Join us January 8th for a blow out

Polka Fest at

Chilkoot Charlies!

Main Squeeze

Polka Dan

Polka Chips

Button Box Gang

Come & dance your socks off!

  ~  Happy New Year  ~

The Between Time ~

I love the "between time."

The relative emptiness of the days between

Christmas (Solstice) & New Year's.

There's sort of a timeless space

were everything slows down.

Not much is happening.

I find time for a nap, reading a good book,

playing on the floor with my child,

nibbling & drinking wine during the day.

Things slow down...

but I feel the building of things to come.

There are forces gaining momentum for a new beginning.

I've so enjoyed the holiday but as

Stephen King says...

"Talent is cheaper than table salt.

What separates the talented individual from the

successful one is a lot of hard work."

Got a lot of hard work to do this next year

& time to sleep when I'm dead!

Solstice 2011 ~

Happy Solstice!

Today is the shortest day of the year

and we're gaining light every day.

We're celebrating tonight!

iKlip ~ Love it!

If you have a musician in the family & need a last minute gift

here's the perfect item!

The iklip!

We purchased one in December & it's really cool!

No more bulky binders & loose pages of music falling off the music stand.

Music stand?

Wait a minute...you don't need a music stand because

the iKlip attaches to your mic stand.

One less stand on the stage taking up space.

Here's the iKlip attached to my mic stand.

Sleek & low profile.

Now to get all my music loaded & organized

& then I can just flip through the music with the touch of a finger.

Happy holidays!

Inspiring!

I've been painting a lot lately.

I go in spurs of mediums (always glass)

but  ** spurs **

in other mediums:  fiber, sewing, painting, clay, metal, mixed media.

I'm not the neatest artist.

I thrive on organized chaos. 

Everything has it's place it's just not always in its place!

I work in my studio every day & in the wee hours of the morning ~

(that's when I call my Dad, wake him up & he says..."now, who is this??"

I aspire to having every tool & supply in its place ~ it just isn't very realistic for a

working artist who's actually making a living *  as an artist.

It's interesting to me when other artists show pictures

of their studio with every single pencil & piece of paper tucked away in bins & drawers.

How, how, how do you create anything??

(maybe they clean it up & then take pictures?  Yes!  That's it!!)

I'm very visual so I love to see all my materials & supplies.

Seeing everything inspires me to go where I probably wouldn't otherwise.

If it's tucked away I forget what I have... oh, that's probably where the

artist inventory & catalog card system come into play ~ :)

I'm usually working my my studio but when I'm painting there's

better light in my house and so....

all my supplies end up on counter & dinning table. 

This works to my advantage because then Will wants to paint
(or do whatever I'm doing).

He has a good eye for color & composition.

I had a blank & gesso'd canvas laying on the table thinking

he'd probably want to paint & ....bahhhhawahhhhh!!  my evil plan worked!!

This is a painting of  "a day" & "big foot has his BIG FOOT caught in a jail."

hmmm ?  Where did he hear about "big foot?"

 

I'm loving the sun & turquoise sky.

Correction...it's not big foot's "foot"  it is his "toe."

please make note of that....toe.  is.  caught.  in.  jail.

 

Happy Holidays Everyone!

 

* "making a living" for me is all about "life style."

An artist life style is a whole other post.

Poppies ~ 2nd in a Series

Here's a second painting of "Poppies."

I thought the composition of my first attempt wasn't quite right.

I have more canvas stretched & ready to go so I'll paint another

variation either tonight or tomorrow. 

 I'm in the groove now.

Multiple layers of watercolor, acrylic, metallic & oil pastels.

This may be my donation to the spring Gala fundraiser

at the museum...maybe.(?)

Detail image 1.

Detail image 2.

Camera paper technique.

I'm lovin'  this application and am thinking about doing some

larger digital canvases with this technique.

(finished canvas 18" X 24")

Thinking of Summer ~

I'm missing my garden,

the sun,

& even the weeds a little bit.

Painting some poppies for a little inspiration.

Glass Bathroom ~

Whew!  The bathroom project is completed.

Here's a shot of the vanity back splash.

This is a mix of tiles that were cut down from the

 larger tiles used for the tub surround. 

The counter top trivet was also made from small left over

glass pieces.  I put bumpons on the bottom just to keep

it from sliding on the counter top. 

Love the purple-blue counter top~ it picks up the

neo-lavendar glass & is a good neutral with the other colors.

This is the coordinating tub surround.  It's flanked with

6 inch white tiles for a high contrast look.

The blue strip (3mm) was added after the 6 inch tiles for a

three dimensional and finished effect.

This is the finished piece from the previous post. 

It's a very large piece with all the shapes hand cut, layered

and then tack fused with an extended annealing period.

It'll be mounted about 2" out from the wall on brushed

nickel mounts.  The brushed nickel mounts match the

bathroom fixtures.

The paint color in the bathroom is white and the lighting is halogen

but there's also a glass block window there's plenty of ambient light.

Mounting it away from the wall will allow the glass to transmit

light & color.  Can't wait to see it mounted!

Glass Puzzle ~

Often, when I'm working on a large glass piece for a home installation

I start with a couple of color palates & then make up sample pieces.

It gives the homeowner & myself an idea of how the glass colors will look

in the home.  Light, both artificial & natural, is of utmost importance.

There's lots of variables such the wall color  (which is easy to change),

the natural light (not so easy to change) &

artificial light within the space (a possible

option to change) & how all of these things interact

with the glass.

These are left over pieces from a bathroom tub & vanity surround.

They are all 2 layers of 3mm glass which after fusing are 1/4" thick.

Some of these were cut down into strips & other patterns to create a

variety of sizes, patterns & shapes.

The tub & vanity glass has a specific pattern

(photos on that to follow). 

                   

There's a base piece of 3mm Tetka glass (24" X 48")

& the beginning of the layout on top. 

It's a bit like putting a puzzle together ~ trying to fit

pieces together & coordinate colors for an abstract look. 

These are thin strips that were cut off the edge of larger tiles.

Here's the thin strips used as fillers for a more random feel.

Here's the beginning of a big project.

UAA Crafts Fair ~

Please join me for my last event of the year!

~ Another favorite event & only 1 day ~

Booth number 43 in the student union cafeteria!

Lots of sale items & close-outs for the holidays.

As a UAA Alumni I'm happy to support the University

& love being back on campus...minus the homework!

See you Saturday!