everybody has their "stuff"

I had a bunch of wood leftovers from a clean up project.  

This is a wood mosaic that I made for a Christmas present.  It was fun but wood is definitely NOT my medium.  I don't have a good photo of this till it gets delivered and installed.  That saw blade is from the sawmill that my stepdad had.  My brother and I worked with him sawing logs as teenagers.

This huge slab of oak was one of the trees on our property.  The log was so big that the blade of the mill wasn't able to get through it in the first pass.  My stepdad had to use a chainsaw to finish the first cut.  I'm not sure what he had intended  for this three inch thick board, but it laid there for about 40 years.  The wheels were from the carriage that ran the logs past the blade.  I left the chainsaw marks and sanded just enough to feel nice. This bench is quite heavy.

These warped oak boards were meant to be bridge planks and the wheels were also from the sawmill.  The boards weren't cut on that sawmill but they were just as rough. We're planning a fire pit for a spring project and this will be seating for that area.  All right, full steam ahead in glass starting the new year.  

ahhh, a break for me

So far, 2018 has been blessing after blessing.  Every residency becomes my new favorite.  They also keep getting impossibly more fun.  I've already finished three this year and each have their unbelievable challenges that surprisingly make me appreciate them even more. 

The above photos are from the first residency I did this year.  I posted a photo of the whole shebang in my previous post.  The project was 6 feet tall x ten feet wide.  This school had just gotten a glass saw and many of the students had worked with glass in previous projects I had done there.  So we decided to do something I never do in schools.  We used contrasting grout.  That means that the joints would be extremely visible and we had to take extra care to make sure they were beautiful and intentional.  I am laughing now about how ridiculously unrealistic my expectations were but we pulled it off, even with a day to spare.  Notice some of the white background tiles were star shaped!

 

My last project (above) was to be hung outside which means that there are many extra  considerations, the biggest being the adhesive.  A full quarter of the time we spent on the project was devoted to making the mosaic weather ready!  If that wasn't enough challenge, just imagine letting the project open to anyone in the community that wanted to help.  Above is a photo of my momma working on the mosaic.  Next weekend I am hoping to have a free day to go to the Juniata County Library to see the project hanging.

In between those two, I worked in Lewisburg on a project that only had two hours in their day to work on it.  They had a LOT of kids at a time so it had to be big enough to spread them all out.  The challenge was just getting it all done. 

In most residencies, I have between 4 and 20 kids at a time.  An average class is 15 at a time.  I've had a few classes over 20 but they are not that productive.  So the challenge in the project I am working on now is that there are some classes as big as 36!   We're talking total mayhem.  Just weaving through bodies to cross the room is a feat.  On the first day, we decided to make the project bigger because kids were so gung-ho.  Regardless, we are finishing up tomorrow, THREE DAYS AHEAD of schedule.  The plan is to have it hung before I leave the school, Friday.  And yes, it will be my new favorite.  The mosaic is a person with the top of their head cut off and color is floating out.  Photos soon!

There is no way to describe the high that comes from these projects.  The teachers I work with have been unbelievable and it seems to me like they enjoy these as much as I do.  The only thing that could possibly be any better is me and Bonz working by ourselves next week in my shop.  I started a project before Christmas and it is calling me.  How can life get any better.

self, self, selfie

If you are trying to do a portrait of a woman over 50, good luck trying to please her.  In addition to that, what artist is happy with their work?  This is a tough one, seriously.  I will tell you the truth.  I showed this to my own mother this week and she did not realize it was supposed to be me.  Frightening.  Like does that mean I did a bad job?  ... or that I am making it "wrong" because I see myself different than others do?  or that my ma is losing it?  So this will probably take a while.  Besides, I start another residency Monday.  WOOHOOO!

what you focus on expands

You know I spill my guts to everyone that will listen.  I'll tell you, sometimes it is overwhelming when I think how far away I am from where I want to be. I only have about half a life left to accomplish some big stuff that I have planned!   But instead of lamenting how far I need to go, it is "more better" to celebrate how far I have come.  These photos were my week.  Top one is my booth from last weekend's show, one of the best in the country, the VABeach Boardwalk show.  The photo was taken from my hotel room, a stone's throw from my booth.  There I am standing in my blue shirt with my work while I have that ocean behind me!  So if that is not cool enough, while I'm at the show, I get a call from the Harrisburg Patriot that they are doing a short article on me from photos taken a while back.  I get home Monday to see that it is a whole PAGE of photos of my work.  No shit!  So I was still crapping myself over that and the UPS man delivers the books I ordered.  I knew I got my work in Mosaic Art Today but then I open the book and find it has ten -that's right, TEN pages of my work!  This is nuts.  I mean, this is a book that features the work of some of my idols, and my work is included in that same book.  How does this happen?

I am an artist.  Yup, I am actually an ARTIST.  Sometimes I think about the person I was a short decade ago and I find it hard to comprehend.  I would have NEVER called myself an artist back then but I dreamed about it.  I often think that people may someday find out that I am just me.  Here is how positive thinking works.  You don't just sit around and daydream things up and have them fall in your lap.  Hell no!  Dreaming AND believing AND DOING!  When I started believing that I was an artist, I was able to behave as an artist.  It takes a pair of stones to go to a gallery knowing there is the potential of rejection.  It will take the same stones for anybody to do what they want to do.  I am telling you that whatever you want to be, you ARE that already even if it does not seem that way.  Just start believing it and moving in the right direction.  Put yourself out there.  You have everything you need.  It's in you.  I'm not saying it is easy.  I'm not saying all your goals will be accomplished tonight.  But I WILL tell you that while I am trying to "get there," I love the journey.  Evidence is pictured above...times three.  I stay focused on THESE accomplishments, instead of the ones I have not yet pocketed.  I'll never accomplish all my goals because for every goal I accomplish, I dream up two more. Start dreaming.  Start believing.  Start moving in the right direction.  Enjoy the ride!  End of sermon!

finally!

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.

yeah, I can manage that

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.

love my "job"

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

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?

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

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.

Twinkle

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

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.

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

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.

what you do while your kiln is busted!

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!

The Ugly Side of Art Shows

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!

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!

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!

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.