been a bit busy

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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.