these are a few

                                     

"these are a few" (16 x 20) is the last thing I have completed.  I actually did three chocolate and blue pieces, the other two are tiny 10 x 10's.  So when I am showing this piece to Shaundi, I put on my best Julie Andrews voice.  I proceeded to sing to the tune of "My Favourite Things."  White chocolate, dark chocolate, bubbles, stripes, jimmies.  Shaundi rolls her eyes and says, "Oh my God, Mom.  Is that what you do in your shop all day?"  Like I would EVER admit to that.  But seriously, you can't hear that in your head?

I swear its like giving birth.

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

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.

full circle

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

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.

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.

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.

Reading Public Museum

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!

Landfillproject.org

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.

Shoreline

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.