ginchy news

SO proud!

2012-01-24T08:37:00.001-08:00

It seems like I have been underground lately, but geez, I have been busy. For the past two weeks, I have been doing another artist-in-residence thing at Juniata High School. In short, that means that I worked with 76 kids and their teacher to create a 3 foot x 7 foot glass mosaic in 10 fast days. Of the 4 hours we worked each day, at least a half hour was spent getting things out and putting them away!

The vision was for the work to say "pride." Each student got a 6 inch by 6 inch square to do whatever they wanted as long as they incorporated their portion of the letter into the design. Half of the students made a fused glass tile while the rest used traditional mosaic methods. For a week and a half we worked blind to what our end results would be. We had no idea if the kids would match their letter patterns close enough to produce a legible word. With 76 kids and many absences, there was no guarantee of how many squares would get lost. I made a map of the kids' squares so that they could see who was adjacent to them in case they wanted to collaborate with one another to create a work larger than 6 x 6 inches within the entire mosaic. We had as many as four working on one section that features a mermaid.

We had butterflies and flowers, buildings and guitars, landscapes and eyes, sports and a cheerleader, PIZZA, a gold cross, and a family crest. I mean, what didn't we have? It was cool that themes that were duplicated were done so- quite unknowingly. Interestingly, the results were that each repeat was so different than the other that it just emphasized our diversity, something we are awfully proud of. So the day before we had to adhere the tiles, the last section was fit in 8 minutes before the bell rang. Nothing needed cut or ground to fit (a feat by itself) and you could read the word loud and clear. These kids have pride in what they are as well they SHOULD. They also have pride in what they have created as do I. So after getting paid to play with kids all day for two weeks, I have to get back to work. Oh wait... that is playing all day too! May the rest of 2012 be this wonderful!

ArtFlow has been brought to the school by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Perry County Council of the Arts and the Juniata County Cultural Arts Committee.

yeah, my kids are weird

2011-12-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

So about three weeks before Christmas, Shaundi says to me that she would like a purple and green fairy coat. What 25 year old woman asks for this? Are you kidding me? Three weeks before Christmas? Like that can happen. I'll just go down to the purple and green fairy coat store because I bet they have a large selection. Obviously, it is a safe bet to say that I cannot find those colors in a fairy coat even on Etsy and I doubt I could order and have it shipped in time. I told her there was no way it could happen but two weeks later I was still trying to figure out if I could work out her only Christmas request. A week before D Day, I start buying the sweaters and jackets to cut up and reassemble on a machine that is two breaths away from a sewing machine graveyard. This machine was not built to sew these heavy, stretchy fabrics even when it was new. In the end, I got it done about a day before Christmas Eve, complete with sparkly glass star on the tip of the pointy fairy hood. When I added the buttons, my husband says, "You know there is a point where it is too much." I say, "Not when it comes to Shaundi!" THAT'S my daughter.

finally!

2011-12-09T13:17:00.000-08:00

All right, it's not the FINAL final picture. It may be January or February till it is done and I can get a finished photo on my site! I can't wait so for now, this is what I got. You can see this will be fantastic when it is done. My part is finished though. The flanking columns will probably be a dark gold. A travertine overhang on top of it will have water raining a curtain of droplets about an inch away from the mosaic. I think I should try to have a boat included in every photograph from now on, right? I hope I can do work like this till I drop.

my happy dance for the week

2011-10-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got some more dance inducing news. Harrisburg Area Community College ( Lebanon campus ) has just purchased three of my works for their permanent collection. Like seriously? For real? Hell yeah! Linda Billet work in HACC's perm collection! Twinkle, He Loves Me and Lime Fizz. Woot WOOT! Now I gotta tell you what is so crazy good about this. When they purchased these works, they were not aware of the fact that HACC IS WHERE I STARTED GLASS! I didn't even know how to CUT glass before I started there! Lebanon today...... tomorrow the world.

no, I haven't been a slug!

2011-09-16T03:50:00.001-07:00

This is ONE of the two projects I am working on. That rainbow of glass I showed you in last post? Here is where it went. There are a few changes that have been made on this already and it is a fast dirty photo but you get the idea. The tasty parts are done. Now for the mind-numbing part......the white background. The fun is over but what will keep me going is to see this DONE and grouted. Ten feet of sparkling glass- aaahhhhhh. Love, love LOVE it. There is no way to tell you how exciting that is. Oh yeah, to help you envision this finished.....Picture water in front of it, palm trees behind it. Squeal!

The other project is smaller but JUST as exciting. Fused glass tiles in the colors that I MOST want to work in. Hope to have photos soon after I get back from Baltimore. There's a great show at the aquarium Sat 17th and Sun 18th. Come see me if you can!

what a ride!

2011-09-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

While it is true that this IS a tough economy with a lot of uncertainty, I have tons to be grateful for. The reason I have not blogged lately is because I have been WAY busy. I call that a good thing. While most people just had a three day holiday weekend, I put in six long days last week. This is not a complaint since almost everyday is a holiday in my "job." Look at this photo. Tell me that doesn't look like FUN! I spent Labor Day weekend working with pink glass, Youghiogheny's "bubble gum" and Spectrum's "cotton candy" among many others. What's not to love? I have two mosaic projects I am working on that are so much fun that I will actually be changing up my future work to incorporate mosaic into most everything I do. I often say that I cannot decide which I like more, fusing or mosaic. So why choose? I've done a few mosaics with some fused components and I love them. Why not do both in the same piece ALL the time?.

So I am trying to get all that done and have not blogged but what prompted me to get on my keyboard is some crazy good news that I had to share. Last night I found out that I got into Disney's Festival of the Masters. I have to tell you that Rob and I are HUGE Disney fans. This is SO exciting. Without thinking about logistics, I just wrote my check for my space and will MAKE it all happen. For now, I gotta get busy. As soon as I can, I'll show you what happens to that rainbow of glass.

see what I mean?

2011-07-25T06:26:00.000-07:00

In my April 29th post, I wrote about a piece that got into an auction held by Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. I ended the post saying that this COULD lead to my best news ever. Well, it did. When I opened their catalog link, I saw on page 35, my work is featured with Dale Chihuly and a lot of other artists that I respect....the big guys. Now you may wonder why I think this is such a big deal but think about this. A little over 5 years ago, I could not have imagined this. Sometimes I grumble that things aren't working out because I know I will go to bed tonight and I will not have all of my dreams sewn up YET. But if I really look, I see that things are happening quite fast for an artist who is brandy new. I am def not where I want to be, but the journey to that place is pretty sweet. Keep believing in YOU.

If you friended me on FaceBook, you've already gotten this news. I've been a little behind with K's wedding and then we were on vacation. This mantis is what I finished right before I left for Florida. He's 16 x 23. Museum of Glass has a link to their catalog on their site.

Kaleo and Erin

2011-07-11T06:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, this is so hard to imagine. My little boy got married! I mean, it shouldn't come as a shock. They have lived together for a year and a half. They announced their intent to marry a year ago but it still is hard for me to wrap my brain around this. Look at that photo. Kaleo is a man. How did that happen so fast? How did it happen at all? Here are a few things I know. While raising Kaleo, Rob and I def made mistakes as we all do. In the case of this particular boy (who has been a man for quite a while) we can honestly say we gave it 100%. We did the best we could with the experience we had and the situations we were in. Looking back we have a different knowledge. For all the mistakes we made, I wouldn't change a thing because it brought this man to where he is right now......a real good place. Everything unfolds as it should.

Now, that we have done the best we could we can just sit back to watch the rest unfold. My son and his wife will not be doing things our way. They will be making a life that works with how THEY see the world-and believe me, it's a lot different than how we see it. Neither way is better, they are just different. Rob and I grumbled about the wedding being so late. People traveling would be inconvenienced, blah, blah, blah. Kaleo argued that they love sunsets. They were smart enough to listen and start a bit earlier. More importantly, they were smart enough to stick to their guns and have the evening wedding which you can see was the perfect choice- FOR THEM! I will never stop GIVING this man advice as long as he wants it. I will also never stop TAKING advice from him as well. He is one of the people who are helping me along on my journey. Maktub. With their advice I will make decisions that work well for me and respect that they will do the same for themselves. Congratulations, Erin and Kaleo. I love you both.

Bethany

2011-06-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am a scuba diver, not a surfer and I don't really think about being one. So why do I subscribe to a surf mag (it used to be two surf mags!)?? Well, I just love the photos of waves! I mean I just LOVE the ocean. I love making waves out of glass. I love water period!

I'm not sure where I first heard about the Bethany Hamilton story, but I remember driving past a billboard with a motivational message and photo of her standing by her board. When I was up late one night watching Tavis Smiley, he interviewed her for the movie "Soul Surfer." Of course, after seeing the interview and the movie I was so inspired. Even before I saw the movie I figured I would make a wave with Bethany. When I want to complain about something, I stop and think that I really don't have anything to complain ABOUT!

Warrior Run

2011-05-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

OMG this is so epic. Yeah, I know I say this all the time but things just get "gooder and gooder!" Don't you get tired of hearing all bad news about bullying??!! There is plenty of great news in that department too and I'm here to tell you about it. OK, so I had mentioned that I would be doing an artist-in-residence project about anti-bullying. I just finished Friday and sat right down with my photos to compile a video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf4DZJDAq6g That is why I have not surfaced on FaceBook or anywhere else. I've been SO swamped. Please crank it up when you see it because the music is fab. Ovuca ( Dilnau ) .....a HUGE thank you to Aleksi Perala for permission to use this. http://www.ovuca.com/ to purchase that song.

Here's the deal. This was mostly middle schoolers but it was everyone from 5th grade to 12th grade. That's right, 5th graders working side by side with seniors. This project was kids who have excellent grades working beside kids who felt they might not be passing in the next few weeks. Everyone was able to help so it was also athletes working with us art kids. None of that "stuff" made a difference. Kids who never even cut glass before turned sheets of glass into tiles the size of your pinky nail and smaller. When I see community mosaic projects, even made by adults, I never see the amount of detail that these kids have pulled out.....and in 17 days! I am SO proud of them. For real, look how young some of these kids are!! It certainly reaffirms my belief that you can do anything you want to do. Oh, and let me also say that this was all voluntary. Yup, these kids could come help when they wanted and a lot of them came in at lunch and after school too!

Seriously, what a stellar month. I got paid to play with kids all week. Can you beat that? I think not. We got on the local news and in the local paper. Cool. I know the word awesome is so over used but these kids are awesomely awesome. Fanfreakintastic! A HUGE thanks to Perry County Council of the Arts and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for the best hook up ever.

art is subjective

2011-04-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

I am SO over the fear of rejection. If you are not failing sometimes, you are not trying big enough things! I tried to get one of my favorite pieces, "Quantum Physics," into Pennsylvania's "Art of the State" exhibit but she was not accepted. That worked out perfectly because that left Quantum free for me to enter her into the "Red Hot Summer" at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. They DID accept and I just shipped her out this week. See how things work? You just gotta relax. Be patient! Who knows what can happen in Tacoma??!! This could lead to my next "best news ever!" That's what I'm talking about.

Bungle.....in da Jungle 16 x 23

2011-04-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

The other day I posted a FB status. I said I was waiting on my kiln to open cause I thought I'd be pretty happy. So this is the guy that was waiting for me in the morning. Why a monkey? Well, a friend of mine was working on a monkey. He mentioned mandrills and I said, "You know.....I think I have a photo of one in my to-do list but it is a year or two off." When I went home, I looked up the photo which set the wheels in motion. I had just made a sheet of green stripes about a month ago so everything was good to go. Bungle jumped ahead of about 20 other ideas. Savin' the raisins for Sunday.

back to skoool

2011-04-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

I had said I was going back to Boiling Springs to play with glass in one of their art classes. We made pendants and from what I heard, they got pretty cool. Also, I DID end up getting the artist-in-residence program and it already kicked off. I will be at Warrior Run School District for 4 weeks in May but to get the ball rolling, I talked to students in an assembly last week. That's right, I talked to like six or eight hundred kids at a time.......TWICE.

So basically, I am working with a core group of kids on a HUGE mosaic with a theme of anti-bullying. In order to have more kids feel connected to the mosaic, everyone in the high school and middle school will have the opportunity to help out after school and in free periods during school. In addition, all kids will be able to vote on options within the mosaic. Besides that, the coolest thing is that all students will be able to contribute things that can be included in the fabrication of the mosaic. The plan is to do a video too. The people at this school are fantastic. They set up a site that has everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask. http://www.wrsd.org/district.cfm?subpage=1279031 I CAN'T WAIT!

Grandma's Besty

2011-04-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

Cleaning out someone's house really sucks...... especially if it is someone you love. You'll find stuff that is really junk but it is something they valued. When we cleaned out my mother-in-law's home, there was a sock monkey. Perfect example. This sock monkey was so ugly I wish I had thought to take a picture of it. But Corrine kept it in her neat tidy living room where everyone could see. It sat on her couch since my son gave it to her over 10 years ago.

Now I couldn't make myself fabricate a monstrousity like HER monkey. But this whole piece was around that "monkey." Corrine used to have a list of people she would call EVERY day. I was on her list. One of our standard conversations was about what I was working on. Generally I would say, "If this works out it will be my best piece ever." Each time I said that she would laugh her ass off. Or when I show her a new piece she would always make fun, "Is this your best piece ever?" Sometimes she would bring a chair in my shop and just hang. Now she is in a home and most visits does not know us. I sure do miss her. Anyway, Grandma's Besty is 16 x 23.

how do you make Oprah Cola?

2011-03-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

You know how it is when something gets stuck in your head?

It is no secret around here that I am a HUGE Oprah fan. Anyway, I was thinking about making something Coke for my brother (coasters?) and I don't know...it just morphed into Oprah Cola 16 x 23. I just wish you could see this in person. A photo of it just doesn't cut it. But the coolest thing is that I made a Youtube video to go with it so please take 3 min to watch. It is my son's music again. I love the song. It's a little sleepy but then around 20 seconds in is the "drop." Oh and please send the video link to 800 friends!

caffeinated faerie

2011-03-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

I just finished this little 11 x 14 faerie and what's not to love. It's purple with just enough blue to make me happy. It is a picture of my friend who is a faerie. If you don't believe me, you'll have to see her in a backless shirt. I added a close up so you could see the teeth. That took a bit of ingenuity considering the entire mouth is about the size of my pinky nail!

see what I mean?

2011-03-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is how things work. I had just sent a couple of copies of my book to a gallery in Newport. Someone happened to see it just after they had been approached about supplying an artist for an artist-in-residence program. So they give me a call. They want to know how my May looks. Well it just so happens that the two shows I wanted to do in May dusted me. Luck? OK, so I go to a meeting about the artist-in-residence program. It is a dream project but I need to teach a class and be observed first. This is when it pays to have cool friends. I call my teacher friend up and BAM. Next day, I am teaching a class. How do you like me now? So the class was WAY fun. In fact, it was so much fun that they want me to come back so we can make stuff.

The teacher of the class is my friend, Amber Kane. She is a weaver who runs a site, FabricatedEnds. Above is her crocheted, felted wrap. She also gives classes in a lot of different mediums. Right now she is running a class to make wire wrapped cabachons. The class will start March 16th. You can contact her through her site for more information.

True

2011-02-09T15:01:00.001-08:00

Well I sure am not a heart type of person but this mosaic has been percolating in my brain for years. I have been busting my arse on my new video till my computer shut down for 2 weeks. While my video was stymied, I saw something chocolate and it clicked. I am so happy with this that I will happily delete my file of chocolate pictures. I am not saying it is the best art in the world, I am saying I got out what needed to get out. A couple of years ago, my brother gave me this Valentine with a picture of a box of chocolates. The card said something about the eerie feeling you get when you bite into a chocolate and you don't know if it could be that gross one with the apricot center. So when I called my brother and I was talking about how happy I was with this mosaic, he says, "Does it have a gross one that is partially eaten and discarded off to the side?" I'm like, YES! BA HA HA HA HA I stuck it on the frame! You know, I think my jokes are really funny but my family assures me that I am the ONLY one that thinks so.......well.... me and my brother.

this is the good stuff

2011-01-25T04:42:00.000-08:00

OK, this has nothing to do with art .......but it has everything to do with art. Today was pretty epic for a Monday. Kaleo pops in this morning and announces that he's going for a short hike. "Mom, you should go along." Yeah great, except it is 7 degrees outside! First, I tell him all the reasons why his idea was crazy, then about ten minutes later I was as bundled as he was and we are on the road toward the Appalachian Trail. After we parked, we hiked two miles in to see the two vistas that were our morning's destination. The place is called Shock Rock. I don't remember a time that I have ever hiked in winter, especially when it was well below freezing. It was definitely a different view than I am used to. At one point Kaleo realized that he had not brought a container for his dog, Diego, to drink from. So Diego drinks from Kaleo's Camelbak. Then he offers me a drink from the Camelbak. Yum. I've seen some of the places where that dog's mouth has been. When I made a face, Kaleo tells me that he took the mouthpiece off for Diego. I roll my eyes and yeah, I drank it. Tasty.

So what does this have to do with art? Well since the beginning of the year, I have been working on the same piece, Oprah Cola. It is taking really long because I am doing a video of it. Part of the design was a huge palm sized bottle cap. I've already scrapped 7 bottle caps along with a couple hundred dollars worth of materials that the caps were made of, not to mention the time and electric I spent. I now have three small caps that are almost finished. Fingers crossed. So I'm pressing to get this done. I'm so excited to see if the end result is what I have been thinking about for a year or more. While I'm so close to the finish line is when Kaleo asked me to go hiking. The thing is that the hike was SO what I needed. When one works for themselves, especially if they work from home, they really rarely stop working.....especially if they are in love with their job as I am. The hike made me stop and breathe. Kaleo and I always bounce ideas off of each other, usually talking about life. He calls it vibing. It was great to spend the day with one of the greatest people in the whole world. When I started back on the bottle caps, I had new energy which I hope will be evident in the finished work.

At the end of the day, I'm thinking that there may be a possibility that Kaleo is not actually the best son in the whole world. Maybe my dogs are not the funniest, cutest dogs that ever lived. What if my daughter is not really the wittiest or Rob the best husband as I feel they are? Maybe they are just right for me. I always felt that I was a person who saw the glass half full. But now while everyone is deciding between half empty or half full, I'm looking past the glass at the waitress on the way with a pitcher. For me, half full is just the temporary joy ride to full. If you're still reading this sappy happy horse shit, then think of this- How much happier would you be if you just loved what you already have? Nothing wrong with wanting more. I do. But while you are making more happen, just notice what you already HAVE! Today's hike would have been much more enjoyable with another 60 degrees on top of the 7 but it was still freaking fab. There are definitely faults in each of my loved ones, especially the four legged ones. I wouldn't trade any of these guys. I see SO much good in them. The cherry on top of my day was when Kaleo called me this afternoon to say thanks for hiking with him cause he had a great day that also made him do some soul searching. This is the good stuff.

pretty cool january

2011-01-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

2011 is already sweet. I was thinking about how weird it is that I love my job so much. I mean, I put in at least twice the hours of my previous job. I am WAY dirtier. I just finished my part of a mosaic fireplace surround and the top photo is a rough one because the project is not finished. But in the past couple of days I was thinking a lot. The last day of setting tile, I was at it till 8p so I could get the grout done the next day. I knew I needed to get a good sleep on because I was starting first thing in the morning with black grout on black glass....definitely a task wearing my prescription lenses! So at ass-0-clock in the morning my eyes pop open and I zone there in the dark unable to sleep. It wasn't because I was worried or dreading grouting. I knew I already had a few tiny cuts on my fingers and would receive plenty more the next day. Glass cut into thin triangle shards goes right through plastic gloves and skin without you feeling it. It will sting when the grout starts caking in it. But the reason I couldn't sleep is because I just couldn't wait to see all the mucked up mess of glass snips in the bottom photo turn into the result in the top photo. Even more than that, I couldn't wait till the owner of the fireplace saw it. Nothing compares to that high. Everybody has their personal legend that would only be fun for them.

So besides that, Shaundi and I cut out sugar, salt, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, white flour, and really anything processed for 30 days. Think about everything that contains those being eliminated. Mind boggling. But the great thing is that my husband who is NOT doing the same 30 day hoopla (and is absolutely NOT in favor of us doing it) made like the best dinner ever without any of those ingredients. On top of everything else, I got an email from Paris from somebody who liked my youtube video. Thanks, Sanem! Great start in January!

SO ready for 2011

2011-01-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

I know I have so far to go but I am really enjoying this journey. I was just looking through my blog from 2010 and sometimes I forget all the really fantastic things that have been handed to me. I had not even written in my blog yet about my book that Sunbury Press published. How cool is THAT! Search Linda Billet on Amazon and MY book comes up. Crazy! Or how about this.... My friend, Christine Goldbeck, had her Arts on Union Gallery featured on Fox43 and she had me and my artwork on the news! HERE is the link to the segment. OK, so there are signs of growth too. Back in January I wrote about having the good fortune of finding used pro-panels close by in just the color I wanted. Well just recently, Rob decided that we needed a better tent and I swear, within hours, a tent that was used twice went up for sale close by. Is that Universal support or what?!!??

There was the feature in the awesome book, Art Glass Today, a full page photo of Not So Pretty Now in a mag, a newspaper article, an online mag, and at least four blogs featured my work. I made it to Brooklyn (and even got People's Choice in the show) which led to other opportunities in Brooklyn and I hope for MORE. OMG, the library project! Still gushing about that one......AND the video about it with Kaleo's music. The next video will have his music also and it's already started. I CAN'T WAIT till that is done.

So yeah, I definitely took big lumps in 2010. I can truthfully tell you that I am grateful for them all because each provided necessary lessons. I have learned SO much this year. You will see it in 2011, I promise.

at least for now

2010-11-07T06:48:00.001-08:00

Thanks so much to everybody who was saving bottles for me but you can STOP. I am so done with wine bottles. I had finished some fun mosaics that included wine bottles. The latest is pictured in the Aug 16th post. I'm hoping to also finish a recycled wreath for a donation. The plan was to come up with something fused. I realize that you generally make a lot of crap before you come up with something good. I did the crap part. I will NOT be showing photos. My patience and passion have petered. And I just cannot bring myself to do that flat bottle thing either. I am now falling back on the normal way of recycling. All the stuff I made, the cases of bottles not pictured, and these few left here.....are all going in the recycling bin. We'll have room to walk again!

more months like this, please!

2010-10-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know you saw this before but I have gotten so much mileage out of her this month. She deserves another post. In the last post I mentioned that Not So Pretty Now was featured in Harrisburg mag. Well today, Alyson Stanfield featured it in her newsletter. Yeah, that goes out to ton-0-people. Woot woot! Stanfield is the art business coach that I keep telling my artist friends to subscribe to! AND the youtube counter for this work is over 4G with about 50 views daily during the end of October!

What a banner month. I won't even remember all the good stuff that came my way in October. I got a feature in Central Penn Arts Guide, an on-line mag. I just got a new canopy for shows. I know, right? That is not what makes normal people happy, but it floats MY boat. The Bethesda show was wonderful. All good in October. I am telling you, November already looks just as rosy. I am going to be starting on two installations that are the kind of thing I dream about. One fused, one mosaic. Ahhhh......loving this life.

more good stuff

2010-10-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

Now how did I manage THAT??!! I was asked to submit a photo for possible inclusion in an article that would run in the October issue of Harrisburg Magazine. Well since it was going to be an October issue, I thought I could increase my odds by making the photo Halloween-ish! And there you go! Not So Pretty Now in all its glory. The article is about the Yellow Breeches Chapter of the Pennsylvania Guild, of which I am a proud member.

Not only that, about a month after I got my work home from Brooklyn, I found out that my work was voted "People's Choice" in their show! No kidding. Out of hundreds of artists that showed, I tied with another guy for fave! Woop Woop! Hope people feel that way in Bethesda, Maryland this weekend!

been a bit busy

2010-09-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

Yeah, its been crazy here but I love it. We had out-of-state fam here for a few weeks and then vacation. All good stuff. Ooh, yeah, I had a birthday in there also. So while all this is going on, I haven't blogged. Haven't made too much art either but there are a few little things that I thought were cool. For starters, somebody read my previous blog post and contacted me through my site. He said he is an artist that is also in Art Glass Today. He is a professor in Hungary and was still waiting on his book to arrive in the mail. He asked if I would email him photos of his pages in the book so he could see them. I just thought that it was really fun to be connected with somebody in Hungary!

Someone from Messiah College asked if they could interview me for a school project. Pretty cool that a stranger would want to interview me. I was really honored. She had some really insightful questions so I hope she will email me the resulting paper. Just curious.

I got to work with my niece, Kanoe, in my shop for a few hours. Seriously fun. She had fun too. Her one year old son, Kaliko is pictured here. Wicked cute. Eternal eyelashes! A few other good things....my studio was featured on the Pennsylvania Guild's blog- Just google pa crafts blog if you're interested. I can't copy and paste in here so......sorry. I also had a little feature in the Rt 15's first newsletter. AND I am just about to start the planning stage for another fireplace. Good stuff!

no FREAKIN way!

2010-08-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is unreal! I have been waiting for this for over a year now and I finally have it in my hot little hands. I was asked to submit photos to an editor for a book about contemporary glass. They told me they would publish 5 of the 10 photos that I submitted. So yesterday I finally got the book and I am just in awe. I am so unbelievably grateful and happy to be included in this book.

Let me explain it to you like this.....Back when I was at HACC taking the glass blowing class, I was surfing around the web and found Martin Kremer's web page. OK, that is probably where I was hooked by fusing. I had his web page as my home page for quite a while. So now I am in the same freaking book as him and some MORE of my idols! Are you serious??!! Artists from Hungary, Canada, UK, Italy, a lot from Poland....yeah and Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. Woot WOOT!

The book is called Art Glass Today by Jeffrey B. Snyder.

busy with blue bottles

2010-08-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

I had wanted to have some recycled glass for the Mount Gretna Art Festival this weekend, 21st and 22nd..... Last blog I wrote took a week to import to FaceBook so I hope you read this PRIOR to Gretna........Any whooo, I sawed up a bunch of blue bottles and melted them. The result is the blue rings. Cutting the little circles of mirrored texture to fit in the holes was a pain but the rest was fun. The entire mosaic is 23 x 16. Pretty sure I will take it to Gretna. I think they are still saying great weather. Fingers crossed!

snagged a spot for First Friday!

2010-08-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Woot Woot! This is so cool. The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen has retail space right on gallery row in Lancaster..... 252 N Prince St. They rent it out and it is spoken for till 2012. SO! There was a cancellation and I jumped. I will be there August 6th from about 4p-8p. Joining me will be two of my friends. Christine Goldbeck is a photographer/painter who owns and runs her own studio, Arts on Union in Middletown. Roxan O'Brein makes jewelry and does beading that is unbelievable. We'll be there with other members of the PAGuild. First Friday in Lancaster is hoppin'. There is so much that you cannot see everything at each open gallery in one night.

And yeah, the commission that I finished is where it belongs now so here are two photos of it.

working on a commission

2010-07-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've said it before. I'll say it again. I love commissions. I don't understand why some artists refuse them. The one I'm working on is for the cutest couple ever. It is a gift so I cannot even post a photo of it for fear of the recipient seeing it. So yeah, this is a perfect commission. It is so far away from anything I would ever do but there is plenty of room to make it my own. Each time I ask them a question, they say they trust my judgement. Can't beat it! I mean, that is why you pay an artist----for their judgement (or lack of?) So anyway, I can't wait till its done, can't wait till they see it. But I won't be able to post a pic till they've given it away :0(

Yipppeee

2010-07-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I can't freaking wait till tomorrow. Shaundi and Kaleo are both going along and what could be better than two of my three favorite people with me for this? Dumb question. It would be better with three of three but I'll take what I got.
I also thought this was cool...I found a link to my first video on a stranger's website. Thanks to Intentional Glass.com for the plug! And, if you haven't yet gone, I will tell you that the Dali exhibit at Susquehanna Art Museum is fantastic!

trippy

2010-07-08T05:41:00.000-07:00

Two things: First, the loose definition of a zuzu is this- It's a little doughball that is covered in brown sugar, has chocolate in the center, and is cooked over an open fire by a naked woman. Second- I want to tell all the people who have in the past called ME a hippie that they do not know what a hippie really is.

Tuesday, a friend and her son rode with me to meet Kaleo and Erin at a Rainbow Gathering. We planned on spending two days there. I am glad I went but I can safely say that I would not need to do it again. I had anticipated peace, love and a lot of tree hugging. That is NOT what I found there. We actually left as soon as we woke up on the second day. I think the best way to describe it is that when I expected to see giving, all I saw was taking. Their site said that they leave a park cleaner than they found it but I've done a lot of camping and have never seen a park so dirty. The most disturbing part for me was the great number of dogs and some kittens because most of them were very poorly treated. One dog was beaten right out in the open for no apparent reason. I'll post all my photos on FaceBook but for here I am just going to post the photos of happy people that I think looked like what I wanted to see. I heard next year's gathering might be in Argentina? I'll pass.

Heebie Jeebies

2010-07-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah, this is my new favorite. I made this the way I think all art should be made. I made it for myself. I wasn't thinking about people approving of it. I wasn't thinking about whether or not people would get it or even buy it. I get tired of hearing artists say that they are grinding out what they think will sell.... hence the name for the piece, Heebie Jeebies!

Lately, I have been leaving a white border around my work. I like the look but sometimes I think it is interesting if I can continue the work onto the border and convert into white or clear. I also like my broken shards which have actually become CUT shards because they are easier to control. So the "tape" came about as a way to make sure the shards were really stable. It started out as irid glass but it didn't have the right look. I sandblasted the irid away and it looks pretty much like tape - to me anyway! This is going to NY with me tomorrow. If nobody buys it, I will gladly bring it home to hang in the Billet house. OK, will Rob be happy? That is another story.

mMoooOOOoooo

2010-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

OK, so I get a little tired of the fact that art in PA is only considered art if it is a floral or a landscape. I decided I needed to do a landscape. Hmmm, is it considered a landscape if its an ariel view? The piece is called South Running Brook Farm. SRB Farm was a farm near State College that our cousin owned for thirty years. Anyway, in true down-on-the-farm style, I thought I would even throw in a few cows. They are black angus. I thought I did a pretty good job on them. I have included a close up of the mother and baby cow in the top photo. I love the expression on their faces. Mooo

Jim Whetstone beat me to Brooklyn

2010-06-08T14:07:00.000-07:00

I thought this was perfect timing. I was just getting ready to post the link for the Brooklyn gallery I'll be at and I got an email from a friend, Jim Whetstone. He had just put up a Brooklyn Gallery on his Captured Moments web page. His site features a lot of different galleries from theTetons to weddings to Pittsburgh. The photo above is called "Lower Manhattan at Night." OK, if that's not enough, this guy does stellar woodwork. I'm saying his work is so good -it's state juried! His pieces are so colorful that they almost look painted. Jim will tell you a story for each wood represented by every color.
But anyway, the gallery I will be in, the BWAC in Brooklyn has a 360 camera on their site which is really cool. You can maneuver right up to see any art. I can't wait. And YES, there are directions on the site....... ummm, yeah- directions, and an address.

I swear its like giving birth.

2010-06-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

Some of these pieces take so long and you get SO attached. This took at least twice as long because of the video. I gotta get a camera with a remote before I do another video! I am so flippin' happy with this though.... so happy with the decision to use Kaleo's band's music so crank it up when you watch! I guess you could say I have been working on this for over a decade if you count the time I spent dragging Kaleo to drum lessons.

Here is the link to the video on youtube........ Couple of things about it. Yes, of course it stars yours truly. That was all me. No stunt double for any of those daredevil acts. Basically, I just take thousands of photos and squish them together to make it seem like a lot of interesting stuff goes on in my shop. My hair and make-up people were off the day of the close up but I did put on a clean shirt. The library will have their grand opening July 27th at 4:30. Yup, I'll be there.

I can see the finish line

2010-05-27T13:12:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to post a photo of this till it was done. I don't think my mosaic looks so good till its grouted so I hesitate to show people. But I haven't had a photo of my work in the last 4 posts. I feel like I need to have SOMETHING to show that I don't eat bon-bons and watch soaps all day. This photo is from last week. I have mostly just sky left. I would guess the whole thing would be done by now if it weren't for the fact that I am photographing almost every snip of glass that goes down. Yeah, serious. The video is going to be stop action so there are no mpg's in it, just thousands of pics. On top of that, I might even "dub-step" my own sound to it. OK, that part might be a little too ambitious. Kaleo said I could use his music. I have been so focused on this. Today was my day off and I put in about 8 hours on it. So I'm almost at the finish line.

made in China?

2010-05-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

So every artist has heard stories about someone taking photos of your work and sending them to China to be mass produced. At Reston this weekend, the artist in the booth next to me (a woman from China!) was warning me of this very thing. Honestly, I thought it was an urban legend! Well, I guess I will soon find out. I was talking to someone in my booth when I saw someone else taking pictures of my work. When people ask me if they can take photos, I always say yes. In fact, I generally even give them tips on how to photograph glass optimally. This man was lightening fast. He shamelessly went snapping from one work to the next. He never spoke to me and never even made eye contact with me. Even the other person in my booth remarked about the rude "photographer." He was gone before I could say boo.

OK, so here's what I think. I have always said, if somebody wants to copy my work, they have to figure out HOW first. I mean, I can tell you how to do a sheet of bubble glass but it would still take you some work to get it right. THEN, you can only copy what you see. You cannot copy the five million things floating in my head that I am going to be making in the future. Someone can make a cheap copy of something that will sell at chain store but it is just that---a cheap imitation. There is no way to do what I do and be cost effective enough to sell at Target. The important part of my work is texture and dimension. You won't find that in something molded and painted.

I was just at a class by art marketing guru, Alyson Stanfield. She advised that the only way to absolutely prevent your work from being photographed is to keep it hidden which is not a recommended option. I am not worried. What will happen is going to happen regardless of me worrying. Besides, I'm on to the next thing. Catch me if you can. So wow, in a weird way, copying is a compliment.

this is why art is important

2010-05-13T05:31:00.001-07:00

Wow! There is nothing else to say about her except, WOW! She's gorgeous! Evening Naiad is my new original painting by Rebecca Lesney. I wish you could see her in person because she is just fantastic up close. She's been in my living room a while now and I still stop and stare. That won't end any time soon. Of course, I have plans to rearrange all the other clutter around her but I was just excited to get her on my blog. The reason art is so important is because of the way it makes you feel. That is why I always tell people to buy what they love and NOT what matches their sofa. My carpet needs replaced but I don't even notice any more. I met Rebecca at 2nd Floor Gallery and Gallerie 13 where she currently has work. Check it out when you can!

yeah, I can manage that

2010-05-09T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that only linda billet can manage to pull off. Yeah I did it and I'm owning it! Here's what went down. The PLAN was to go to Brooklyn to visit the BWAC gallery that I will be showing in later this summer. Terry Kennedy went along because he is showing there as well. The gallery was to be open 1-6p. So we arrived at World Trade Center shortly after noon and all we had to do was get to BWAC. Sounds simple, right? Here's the part I cannot explain. We never freaking got there! I was sitting in the tub this morning and replaying the day yesterday and literally laughing out loud. There was a series of weird little things that wouldn't have stymied the trip by themselves, but all piled together added up to mayhem. The hardest part is that when I run into friends and neighbors who knew that I'd be taking this little trip, they will ask me what I think of BWAC. How in the hell will I explain that I couldn't find it in 6 hours??!! I'm trying to figure it out myself! Should-a, could-a, would-a. OK, so then when I got home, I left my dog out and minutes later she was sprayed by a skunk. Perfect end to my day. If I could post a scratch-and-sniff picture I would.

full circle

2010-05-02T04:47:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, maybe around third grade, I loved sitting and coloring with my aunt, an artist. I had always thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Fast forward a bit----her oldest son and I have kept in contact. He has a lovely family and his third grade daughter, Maya, wants to be a glass artist when she grows up. This is a shot of her when she recently came to my studio to play. We spent hours making pendants. I wonder how my life would be if someone would have told me in third grade that you can do something you love to earn a living?

So, Maya, I'm telling you! Not every kid your age wants to color for hours or has the patience to cut and re-cut snibbles of glass and then meticulously assemble these tiny shards. I think you enjoyed doing it because you're good at it. AND I think you're good at it because you enjoyed it! This is what it means when they say "Do what you love and the money will follow." If you are doing what you love, you put in the long hours it may take to be great. You play all day!

commissioned work

2010-04-29T17:38:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to have photos of this. This was one of the things I have been working on through the winter months. It is all glass grouted in a caramel color. I know a lot of artists won't do commissions but I have to say that I have not had a bad one yet. In fact, I love them. It is not a big deal to do a specific size, color, or quirky detail for a customer as long as they give you enough room to do what you do. To me, art installations are just the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's art that you don't need to worry about dusting.

that felt good

2010-04-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

I have been doing almost exclusively mosaic for quite a while. The library project has been kicking me in the arse. Been hung up on trying to get colored photos of the hotel and trying to find people who remember the hotel. Both are almost non-existing. Who knows what colors should go into this mosaic? I am just going to make it the colors that I WANT to go in it rather than the colors that SHOULD go in it. Isn't that what art is? So while I was temporarily stuck on the mosaic side of my studio, I made my way around to the fusing side. Sure feels good over there. There is a show in 2nd Floor Gallery this month, Music and Dance. Pictured on top is an 8x10- Saturday Night at Union Street. Kaleo has been playing at Union Street blues in Middletown this past week. The lower work is an 11x14- Rain Dance which is just about how happy I am that spring is here. Anyway, now that I am unstuck on the mosaic side, it will feel good on that side too. Back to "work."

plugging away

2010-04-21T04:25:00.001-07:00

OK, so I am still on the library mosaic. It is a lot more fun to do since I am doing the video with it. This is the National Hotel photo I have been using and it will be fairly close to this. I have gotten a lot of help from friends at the post office so I will definitely stick a little postal reference in it somewhere. Besides, after 16 years in the postal service, the reference is for me too. I found so few pictures of the old hotel to look at so that makes it tough. I've gotten a poster of it (thanks Fazz!) that is actually in color so that is helpful. What makes it harder is that the hotel has changed so drastically that it is hard to decide HOW it should look. In the end, I chose this photo because it best shows the front porch of the hotel that was saved to use in the new library. That is where the mosaic will hang. Because I picked this view, you should be able to stand in the same spot that the photographer stood for this photo, and you (hopefully) will be able to see my mosaic of this photo through the windows! Back to work.....that's hard to do when your dogs keep wandering in your shop to get their belly scratched.

meanwhile.....

2010-04-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm working on the library project. It is humungous! I will be on it for quite some time because I have decided to do a video of it which will drag the work out even longer! I don't have any significant photos of it yet so until I do......I'll just put up pretty pictures of my puppies. Celia does not get slighted in the photo department, but geez, she's an old lady. She doesn't do the same funny stuff that Bonsai does. And wow, wouldn't this make a great mosaic!??!

love my "job"

2010-04-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about my job is that I have these guys with me all day. I had always been envious of store owners etc who had their dogs in their work space. Now I have these two crack me up all day. I keep a water dish fresh for them and in weather like we have right now, I keep the door open so they can come and go as they please. Currently, I am working on the mosaic that will hang in the new Hummelstown Library when it opens. I have been putting the substrate together which is a dirty and time consuming job but my dogs and I are happy. What's not to love?

a little tired of snow

2010-02-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well we got about three feet of snow dumped on us in February SO FAR. One of my dogs has arthritis and the other has three inch legs. So in addition to shoveling our drive way, we had to shovel off a huge section of the yard so that the dogs could go out. Not to mention, we had to shovel three feet of snow off the top of my studio's flat roof because I worried about the weight!

So during this horrendous weather, of course, I'm thinking I'd rather be in calm blue waters. This piece is a picture of me but the person who buys it can say its anybody they want. Angelina Jolie? Sure! I do see the resemblance in the lips.

does it get any better?

2010-01-30T15:37:00.001-08:00

OK, I just got the BEST news! Back in May I was asked to submit photos of my work for a possible inclusion in a book about contemporary glass. I just found out that, YES, they will be including my photos! One of the photos I gave them was Kiwi Blast. It is an all time favorite of mine.

If that is not enough....I am starting work on a mosaic that will hang in the lobby of the brand new Hummelstown Library. The library should be complete in June and so should the mosaic. The room it is in will have huge windows so you should be able to see it driving by. I should pinch myself.

blessings in disguise

2010-01-17T13:03:00.000-08:00

photo- Andy Dierk- http://www.dierksphoto.com/c/andrewdierks/gallery-list

On Nov 4th I posted about how lucky I was with this van of mine. Now, I have more story. I couldn't plan things this well if I tried. I am telling you-SOMEBODY is looking out for me. My mom and I were driving three hours away to purchase some display panels from a photographer, Andy Dierks. You guessed it. My van died. Sure I could complain that a 6 hour trip turned into 12 hours of driving and 6 hours of waiting. Instead I will tell you how lucky I was AGAIN. First of all, on the day I broke down, I was fortunate enough to have my husband at a meeting about 25 minutes away so I had a ride home. In addition to that, the van decided to quit the second I pulled up in front of Andy's house. My mom and I were warm and dry and served the best tuna melts ever by Andy's wife, Trish! Check out his site (linked above) because not only is he a saint, he's also a great photographer.

2009 wrapped

2009-12-31T07:09:00.000-08:00

2009 was definitely a whirlwind. I think the biggest change for me in 2009 was the recent surge of mosaic and a TEMPORARY lull in fusing. The last big thing I kilnformed was this sink for my powder room. I have two mosaics that I am just starting and if I had the space, I would have three going on simultaneously. I have also started working with recycled glass and am anxious to see where that leads. I think what makes mosaic so appealing to me is that I can combine fused, recycled and purchased glass. More options! More colors! I can't wait to see what 2010 brings.

2009 was good to me!

2009-12-25T16:24:00.000-08:00

My son has a WONDERFUL girlfriend. This is her dog, Tinkerbell....at least how I see Tink. She comes over to you and looks at you with eyes that tell you exactly what she wants. When you go to pet her, she flops over on her back so you will scratch her belly. She looks like a little kid in pajamas. There's a ton of personality packed into this eight year old, ten pound pup!

I hope everyone reading this had a Christmas as good as mine. How did it work out that all the nicest people in the world just happened to be MY friends or family? I am truly blessed, and expecting that 2010 will be even better.

Twinkle

2009-12-07T06:18:00.001-08:00

I have been working on this 8x10 for quite some time. And it has been stored in my brain for even longer. Of course it is another excuse to work in blue. Most of the iris is done in transparent glass so it really moves and sparkles when you see it in person. The lashes were crazy hard to cut but then even harder to work around! I think the next work on the "drawing board" is also mosaic. Before that, I have to reassemble my bathroom that I tore apart, and Christmas needs to fit it somewhere.

jungle flowers

2009-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

I have said all along that I have no preference between mosaic and fused glass. I usually choose the application which would best illustrate what I am trying to get out. But lately all I think about is mosaic. The piece I am working on right now is mosaic-and the next two things that are lined up in my brain are both mosaic too. The latest mosaics I have done all have different thickness of glass so that some parts appear on the surface, while some seem deeper inside the work-sort of dimensional. Yet, the surface is flush.
A really cool thing happened last week. My cousin wrote to me and told me that her grade school daughter wanted to dress up as a glass artist for career day! AND...I got the "Student's Choice Award at the PaGuild's show this past weekend! Woop woop! Life is good.

now THIS is how you change a tire!

2009-11-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a thousand words. You might call it a bad day when your wheel falls off first thing in the morning but I am gonna tell you just how lucky I am! I was only about two miles from home and I started hearing a weird sound. I got out and looked underneath but saw nothing. I figured it would be best to head back home. It got worse fast so I decided to pull off the road. The second I got off the road, the van dropped! I got out and the wheel was laying beside me. I was LUCKY enough to have lost it while I was safely stopped. I couldn't get the jack under the axle and the jack is too short to be effective anywhere else. I saw a woman outside and asked if she had a jack so I could jack the thing up enough to get my own jack under the axle. I figured I could do this faster than AAA. LUCKILY she did not have a jack because she directed me to a neighbor's house. The neighbor just happened to have a handy little gadget (shown in photo) to pick up my van. Lucky for me, he also had a little tool to rethread the bolts that the errant tire stripped. So many things worked out. My daughter was home and could pick me up from the garage. I think the biggest thing I am glad for is that it didn't happen an hour earlier or later when I was on a 4 lane highway! I guess a good day depends on how you look at it

my new baby

2009-10-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

I had already posted a link to my youtube video on facebook but am just now writing about it in my blog. You can find it by searching linda billet on youtube or here is the link.- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ScUrrrmzw0 Few things I gotta say....

First- I cannot even believe I got permission from Bonobo to use their music. Kaleo had told me about this band that I would LOVE and he was right! So I figured if I could not get permission I would use generic music that the editing program provided. The whole time I was waiting to hear from Bonobo, I was editing and timing stuff to their song, "Flutter," just in case they said yes! So yeah, I was jumping around the house the day I got the OK email!

Second-The piece,"not so pretty now" would have taken 10-20 days but since I was the person filming and photographing myself the whole time (except about 5 shots that Shaundi took), it took an extra month...it didn't help when I had my kiln broken for an extended period of time. So when I opened the kiln on the morning after the last firing, I was SO relieved. At any time that I was making parts, I could have re-done that part if it came out bad. But for the final firing of the entire piece, if any dust fell onto the glass when the lid closed, or a little fly's eye rolled off the fly and melted onto the wrong place, or anything cracked, or any of a hundred possible things went wrong, then all of the time I spent filming would have had to be redone to make a video.

Third- I gotta be getting an Oscar for this! If not acting or directing, at least editing. I think "So You Think You Can Dance" will be calling me to guest on their show any day now. Seriously, I am pretty happy with it considering I had no special lighting and all video and pictures were done with a little Sony camera!

2009-10-08T16:44:00.000-07:00

OK, today was one of those days that I was up at dark-thirty cause I couldn't wait to see how things worked out in my kiln overnight. This is not my usual subject matter but I am so happy with it and HERE'S WHY!

First-This is the piece that I worked on while making my video. The video is to help answer some of the how-to questions I get. If anything rolled out of place when I shut the kiln, or a crack occurred during firing, it would have meant that I spent a whole lot of time on nothing.

Second-I have been thinking about a bones piece for a couple of years, and something with flies for a couple of months. Combining them means I can empty out two of my brain's folders at once.

Third- I just plain like it! Its rare for me to like anything with this much red in it. Instead of water references, I was going for a "meat" and "drops of blood" feel. Really, the bones were initially going to be fish bones. The whole thing kept changing even after I started cutting parts. The working title is "not so pretty now" ( a nine inch nails song) but Rob might come up with something better. Anyway, as with all my bigger pieces, this is my new favorite....at least until the next one is done. I am hoping to have the video done this week yet.

Oh, and the coolest part about the movie? I got permission from my current favorite band to use their music. NO KIDDING! How cool is that??!!

VABeach sand sculptures

2009-09-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is from the sand sculpting contest at VABeach this past weekend. Pictures do not do these justice. The guy pictured, said his team won. I think they were from Canada. The rear of the sculpture was just as impressive as the front. There was a team from Singapore and a couple from the Netherlands. These are just five of my favorites.

vacation

2009-09-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

Last week we were on vacation in North Carolina with my son, Kaleo and his girlfriend, Kristen. Also on the trip were my mom and brother. It was a stellar week. The one big negative was that my daughter, Shaundi couldn't come along. The week happened to coincide with my birthday and the weather was perfect every day. The sky was crazy beautiful day and night which gave my camera a work-out. We were at Rob's boss's condo that we go to almost every year. We like to go there in the off season when it is not crowded and there is great potential to just CHILL. It was just what we needed. I read a book on the beach, The Shack, that I highly recommend.

While I was away, my kiln part came and it seems to be the ticket because I put some work in last night and this morning it came out perfect. Now I have so much work to do to get ready to leave for the VABeach show this weekend!

ArtLess Wednesdays

2009-09-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! We are leaving in the AM to go on a much needed vacation. When I get back, my part for my kiln will be here so I don't know which I'm happier about!

Well you know I always try to be upbeat but I am just getting this said-I know right now people are worried about mortgage payments, health care, and grocery money. I found a Psychology Today article in a friend's blog that tells you why arts funding is more important than you may have realized. It is short and really interesting!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/imagine/200902/missing-piece-in-the-economic-stimulus-hobbling-arts-hobbles-innovation

Other reasons that the article did not mention are economic reasons. One example is the Pearl District in Portland Oregon. During my first trip to Oregon in the 90's, we drove through a scary run down area of abandoned warehouses etc. Artists moved in and turned it into the Pearl District, some very expensive real estate. The arts draw people (revenue) and make hotels and restaurants busy, real estate more valuable.

WITF's website has a lot of information about arts effect on economics. After vacation, I will be showing my support along with other art businesses by blacking out the front page of my site on Wednesdays.

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” Einstein

what you do while your kiln is busted!

2009-08-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

I was waiting on a part for my kiln which I finally got switched today. Even with the new part, it doesn't work. I ran it through a program with something in. I won't know till tomorrow if the piece I have in cracked because the kiln shut off too soon.

But while I have only small kilns, I figure it is a good time to mosaic! I made this black and white chess set. Some of the black glass is iridescent so depending on how the light hits, it goes Seuss on you. I used a lot of my bubble and striped glass in both black and white. Hard to see in these photos. I cut the chess pieces with a tile saw!

2009-08-26T07:36:00.000-07:00

These were inspired by a guy from VA Beach. He thought it would be cool to hang a bunch of pendants on the wall. At that time, I was thinking about small works for an upcoming exhibit where all work entered had to be less than 12 inches any direction. So thinking about a row of pendants, I came up with what I call "straws." These little guys are 5x10 each-not including the frame. This week I will take them to Lebanon Picture Frame and Fine Art Gallery http://lebanonpictureframe.synthasite.com/events.php for their "12 and Under" group show in September. I'm hoping they keep all three. If you haven't been to Lebanon in a while, you'll be surprised at how beautiful the historic downtown Lebanon has become. This gallery, in particular, is georgeous! Their first friday event will be Sept 4th. I'll be there. Come if you can!

The Ugly Side of Art Shows

2009-08-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

When I quit the post office I thought I was done with the mailman tan. I hardly see this as a step up. Mount Gretna Art Festival was STEAMY! Good news is that I got a "judges choice" award AND a "top ten" award. To avoid at least one smart comment I will say-YES, there were more than ten artists.

Next show is at the beach so I can go barefoot. Maybe my feet can get back to their normal hobbit charm.

Mobiles Aarrghhh!

2009-08-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

OK so this week was supposed to be about making more light curves, and finishing the mobile. Didn't seem too tough but the week started off with my saw needing repair. Once I got that fixed, I finished the glass for the mobile. Now, I have a whole new respect for Steve Austin because making mobiles is tedious at best. Besides that, I've decided that once finished, they would not travel well so they would be inappropriate for shows!

The light curves proved to be equally taxing. I had three done but had started with five. Two broke in the final firing. While trying to photograph the remaining three, another broke! What a pain in the glass. So there are two in right now for their final firing. If all goes well, I will have four in the AM.

Mt Gretna, here I come!

2009-08-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

What a busy month! I have a few things I am trying to accomplish as I am getting ready for the Mt Gretna Art Festival http://www.mtgretnaarts.com/ Aug 15th and 16th. The reason Mt Gretna is so fun is because it is one of the few shows that is close enough to home that my friends and fam can all go.

I have been trying to figure out the glass I would do for a mobile and I think I have it. It should be done by the show. I had wanted it done by last show!

Started doing a glass curve that can sit in a window or in front of a light. I have three finshed and I am REALLY happy with them. I'm hoping to also have some for gallery night this month at 2nd Floor Gallery http://www.2ndfloorgallery.com/ .

Besides that, I just finished making the sink for one of my bathrooms, I need to drill the hole in the bottom yet. I LOVE it. Of course, it's blue! Pictures will follow.

Wilmington,DE!

2009-07-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

I found out this morning that I got a little feature on the PAGuild's site for their show this weekend. The photo they showed is my "Glasshopper" and I just hung it in my living room yesterday! The link is http://www.pacraftsblog.org/member-monday-linda-billet/ The show is at Chase Center of Wilminton, DE. It is Sat and Sunday, indoors. I will have a 10x10 booth.

Reading Public Museum

2009-07-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is so freaking great! I got a piece of my work in the Reading Pubic Museum. The PA Guild of Craftsmen is having their "Raw to Refined" exhibit there for three months and I will be part of that. The piece they accepted is "Sunny Side Up," Tomorrow night is the opening reception. WoohOOOooo!

Halloweenie

2009-07-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Have been CRAZY busy. Just got a new movie editing program-AND a new camera. So here is the plan- I am doing a halloween piece for the October 2nd Floor Gallery opening that will be at a cemetery! So while I am working on it, I am taking little video clips and photos so that I can show how it is done. Then I am going to take all that- which is about a week's worth of glass cutting and cooking- and squish it into about 4 minutes so I can put it to a song. Seems weird to make a video without band kids in it.

Landfillproject.org

2009-06-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Late last year a great friend and fellow artist, Cristine Goldbeck- www.christinegoldbeck.com told me about landfillproject. A guy from Wilkes Barre, PA had all these hubcaps that he was trying to save from becoming landfill. He was sending hubcaps ("canvases") to professional artists and asking to have them returned as art. Well now the project has become much larger. It currantly includes art from 47 countries! The project will eventually become a traveling show and a book. It's completion is projected to be 2012. Check it out at http://www.landfillart.org/

We were lucky to have missed a tornado in Virginia Beach last weekend. Parts of VABeach had 2 inch hail falling! One of my pieces will soon have a home in France! (Thanks Pierre! Hope your wife likes it!) Hope to be in VABeach this September for Neptune Festval's art show.

Metamorphosis

2009-06-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

Finished my recycled glass piece in time to take to VA Beach. I don't know which part I like best, the "fluff" marshmallow or the Mr. Peanuts. Some of the glass is really old. I had never heard of Kayo Chocolate before. The sobe lizards were the hardest to flatten so I lost a lot of them.

Re

2009-06-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

OK, so you were wondering what I've been doing with all the glass that I've asked you to collect for me? Here is the START of my next piece. The PA Guild has an upcoming show called "Green" which is right up my ally. I have been thinking about working a caterpillar, butterfly, and chrysallis theme into the recycling, rebirth, reuse, repurpose mix. I spent the last few days sawing up jars and bottles and flattening the sculpted letters and pictures to use as tiles. They will be background for the fused glass tiles that I make. I will throw a little iridescent white in, maybe some of Shaundi's windshield that got smashed and we will see what happens, I'm hoping to have it done in time to take to VA Beach next weekend.

Ohiopyle

2009-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went on one of Kaleo's "epic journeys." Kristen, Shaundi, Rob......we all went 3 1/2 hours to Ohiopyle for a hike. I usually measure how much fun I have on vacation by counting bruises on my body. Today I recieved a week's-worth. We hiked up a creek till we got to a small but powerful waterfall. Most of us were soaked up to the neck by then so we all took turns under the fall. Kristen got pulled under for a minute it was so strong! We hiked back down to where we started. At that spot, there is a natural water slide. It was the 60 or so seconds in the slide that produced the most bruising, but of course, it was also the most fun part of the day. I have to say it was by far-the most memorable Memorial Day I've ever experienced. We laughed our asses off all day watching each other slip and fall into the creek. If I could author my own life, I could not invent stuff this great. I gotta be the luckiest woman alive!

Shoreline

2009-05-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a huge triptych. My basic plan is to use my bubble glass to make up the body of the three parts, then go over that with a few little familiar things.....clouds? birds, boats, maybe a few shells, .....so that from a distance, the three will appear as a shoreline. At least that's the plan. Up close, you will see my patterns I've made. I'm working on two different white stripes for the foam of the waves. It will be 2 ft tall and 4 1/2 ft wide all together. It has the potential of being a really cool piece or a really expensive waste of my time. Right now, I'm optimistic.