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. 
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.
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.
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.
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?!!?? 
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! 
