Handmade Holiday Gifts

My favorite gifts to give each year are those I make myself or purchase as handmade gifts. This year isn't much different. It began for me at the San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG) Holiday Party were we had our annual gift exchange. This year I took one of the clocks I have begun making as my contribution for the exchange.

6" glass frame with 3" clock face

For some of my dearest friends at Wired Designs Studio I made gifts which I hoped they would like based on the comments they had made as they saw my working throughout the year. Some of these gifts included small vessels or jewelry made from recycled glass.

And for my annual ornament exchange with friends I made copper foiled ornaments using the techniques I learned from Natalie in her stained glass jewelry workshop. My only disappointment is that my holiday gift making has been cut short (no pun intended) due to a freak accident that cut my right index finger. That means no last minuet crocheted gifts (you are so lucky Sue) or Christmas cards as I spend the next 1-2 weeks healing.

New work at Wired Designs Studio

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Over the past few weeks some of my more recent work has found its' way to Wired Designs Studio just in time for last minute holiday shopping. Some of this work includes larger framed pieces the first of a series I am working on, so look for more of this type of work to come. There are also elegant glass clocks perfect for an office or study and new functional plate lines.

You are Invited to a Holiday Open House

Please feel free to contact me for

directions and specific location information.

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Red - SAVA show opening

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Red the San Antonio Visual Artists (SAVA) gallery's new show opens Thursday, December 4th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The exhibit includes three of my pieces, the two functional pieces below and one 8x10" framed work. The show is scheduled to run from December through February of 2009. The SAVA Gallery hours are from 1:00-7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The gallery is located inside Rivercenter mall at 849 E. Commerce Street in San Antonio, Texas. It is easily accessed from the Commerce Street level entrance.

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Above - 6x6" kiln formed and cold worked glass sushi

Below - 6" cast glass bowl

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Art in Our Parks - Saturday December 6th

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This Saturday, December 6th I will be participating in, The Office of Cultural Affairs, Art in Our Parks event at Woodlawn Lake. This is designed to be a series of art events held in San Antonio City parks. The December 6th event will feature performances by local arts groups, activities for the kids and a holiday market with local artists and crafts people. The event is scheduled from 10:30-3:00pm and admission is free. What a nice way to spend a few hours with the familia on a Saturday afternoon. If you do, please stop by and say hello.

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Art in Our Parks is sponsered by

The San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs

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Texas Recycles Day 2008

November 15th is America Recycles Day which, in conjunction with state programs like Texas Recycles Day, has helped millions of Americans increase their recycling efforts. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to look at the materials you discard resourcefully. Here are a couple of ideas:
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- Try using some of yesterdays newspapers to make your own handmade paper.

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- Use leftover wine corks to make a trivet. Cork is a great barrier between scorching hot pots and your tabletop. One super simple way is to arrange the corks side by side vertically and tighten an O-ring, from your local hardware store, around them. Here is another way.

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- That old pair of jeans, with a couple of holes, where it is not particularly fashionable to have a hole, can be given a whole new life as a skirt, denim bag or organizer. For ideas check out this article at Suite101.com.

It is not entirely uncommon that I repurpose items myself. For example, when my husband asked me to come up with idea for votive candles for My Place, I took the empty wine bottles they were discarding at the end of each night at turned them into something they could use.

And you don't think I let the lip of the bottle go to waste did you?

The pendent of this necklace was made using the glass from the lip of one of those bottles. Strung together with quartz, rose quartz, sterling silver and glass beads it becomes a fun piece of jewelery. I love to wear it. I have yet to have anyone figure out what it is.

You can also see A Rough Night on the Mosel an earlier piece which used recycled glass for at least thirty percent of its' materials.

Admiration - Coming to a Close

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Admiration, the San Antonio Visual Artists (SAVA) show honoring former Mayor Lila Cockrell is coming to a close November 21th. The SAVA Gallery, located on the street level of Rivercenter Mall in downtown San Antonio, is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The show is worth seeing in person, but if you can't make it down you can see photos of the work online.

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The Sites and Sounds of Market Square

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It was just over a month ago that I spent a day in Market Square selling my wares to tourists and locals alike. During the long afternoon there were moments when I sat back and took in the festivities around me. The smell of fajitas pored out of the restaurants in billowing clouds of steam. Mariachis playing the same four songs over and over competed with the sounds of street singers performing for tips. And the mix of old and new architecture spanning from 1820 to the modern day Museo Alameda provided the backdrop for families enjoying a Saturday afternoon. At the time I longed to have my camera. So the next time I was in the neighborhood I stopped, put some change in the parking meter and ran in for a few quick shots.

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Kiln Carving

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The images of these butterflies were carved out of this smokey gray transparent glass not with a chisel but using the aid of a kiln to control the time and temperature the glass was exposed to. As the glass softens it can pick up the shapes which I have carved from fiber paper/board and transfer those impressions into the glass. A technique often referred to as kiln carving. This skill enables all kinds of design possibilities. I used this technique to create the items I referred to in my posting back in September of 2007.

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Although not an overly complex technique there are some important factors to consider in order to be successful. For this reason I teach a 1-day workshop on kiln carving at Wire Designs Studio. The next class is scheduled for November 2nd and there are still a few spots available. If this is something that interests you, please contact Wired Designs Studio at (210) 495-4495 to reserve your spot.

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SAVA 1st Juried Show - Admiration

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I am very excited to have been selected to participate in the San Antonio Visual Artists (SAVA) first Annual Juried Show Admiration. The show is being held in honor of Former San Antonio Mayor and avid art supporter Lila Cockrell. She was on hand October 18th at the private opening of the show at the Spanish Governor's Palace to hand out awards. Seeing my work along with those of painters, sculptures and mixed media artists on display in the courtyard of this historic site was quite the experience. The Public Artists' Reception is to be held on Friday, October 24th from 5-8:00 PM at the SAVA Exhibition Gallery at Rivercenter Mall. The show will continue on exhibit at the SAVA Gallery through November 21, 2008.

Two of my pieces were selected for this show. The first is a 12x12" relief which is displayed upright in a rod iron stand. Below are photos of the glass itself. On the left the full piece as it sits on a 12x12" clear glass. On the right side a close up of the center showing the detail where the linear stripes of color meet an abrupt change with a rise of texture.

The other is one of my favorite pieces, Glacier Bay .

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Dreams of Isolation vs. Creative Reality

The other day after many hours of toiling at my desk on the computer listening to music from my ipod, I decided to reward myself with a brief distraction on my way home from work. I stopped at a used book store to rummage through the art, poetry and fiction sections. You never know what you will find at a used bookstore. Humming Warren Zevon’s song Splendid Isolation, which had played as I worked earlier that day, I scanned the books in the stacks.

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As I mumbled “I want to live alone in the desert, I want to be like Georgia O’Keefe, I want to live on the upper east side and never go down in the street… Splendid Isolation, I don’t need no one….” my eyes came to O'Keeffe and Texas by Sharyn R. Udall. Periodically I imagine what it would be like to run away to some deserted place and leave behind all my present “distractions”. It’s a nice illusion anyway, one which for me often attaches itself to artists like O’Keefe.

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Just a row or two over I came to Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go by Shaun McNiff. Known for his work on creative art therapies, McNiff writes about creativity for everyone in everyday life. This book was quite a reality check in comparison to my dream above. Blatantly challenging the idea that one need locate art in a distant place far removed from daily/ordinary life, he works from the concept that creation is a process which makes use of all our experiences (even those “distractions” I want to run away from). This book addresses those things we are all so familiar with mistakes, the blank page, repetition, creative blocks and working with what you have. Although we may address these things daily, reading about them brings to our consciences those simple truths we so often forget. Weather we deny them as I often hear so many do when the say “well I just not creative” or simple forget, it is the simple things which often hinder our ability to stretch our creativity. For this reason, reading books like Trust the Process can often be so helpful. Not to teach us something entirely new but to remind us of what we already intrinsically know, somewhere deep down, and have just forgotten or simple denied.

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“Everything that we perceive and feel

potentially contributes to the creative vision” - Shaun McNiff

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Remaining 2008 SAGAG meetings

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We are fast approaching the end of 2008 and there are not many San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG) meetings remaining in this year's calender. If you attended in September to see Milissa Montini's video demonstration of pulling murrini (glass cane) you know how good these meetings can be. You're not going to want to miss these either.

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October 30th at 6:30 pm, Liza Connell with Crystal Box Studio will be presenting on ways to embellish glass jewelery with simple to the intricate techniques using wire and Precious Metal Clay (PMC). Liza is an Senior Instructor for metals at Wired Designs Studio. If you have never taken a class with Liza this is your chance for a preview. If you have, I need say no more you already know how wonderful she is. The October meeting will be at Casarita Restaurant at 2895 Thousand Oaks just West of the Jones Maltsburger Intersection.

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The November meeting is tentatively scheduled for the 6th to accommodate visiting artist and instructor Roger Thomas. The SAGAG programs committee does a phenomenal job of exposing our members to visting artist from around the nation whenever possible (reason alone to be a member of SAGAG). These are opportunities you don't want to miss. More information will be available soon regarding the location.

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As a reminder SAGAG is open to anyone who works in glass at any level from hobbyist to professional and to those interested in glass art. Our mission is to promote community awareness, understanding and appreciation of the glass arts and to maintain a support network for artists, which provides educational, mentoring and marketing opportunities.

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Good Old Fashion Snail Mail

There is a certain something special about receiving a package in the mail. To sort past the bills and junk mail and find a jewel. Something which arrives by mail took deliberate intent on the part of the sender including the preparation of the package, postage and a trip to a post office. The effort involved is greater then just a light flick of a pinkie finger to an Enter button of a keyboard. That effort often involves intent put as ink to paper and wrapped in brown packaging.

This week I received two such treasures. The first was a card which traveled all the way from Lithuania. Sent to me by a fellow member of Postcrossing, it was obvious Leva had taken time to select the right card to send as ambassador across the sea. A card representing of the work of local Lithuanian graphic artist Sigute Ach, titled "Melie, pilna tylaus plaukimo maza valtele" or "Love full of silent rowing by a small boat" it brought a smile to my face as I brushed past ordinary white envelopes with cellophane windows to find this whimsical packet with a small treat inside.

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The second was a manila envelope sent to Wired Designs Studio. I don’t normally receive mail at the studio so my interest was peeked when I receive a call informing me I had received a package from Austin, Texas. A package? For Me? With child like curiosity I came to find this nondescript package contained photos taken by a student documenting the events of an Introductory Fusing Class. Thank you so much Farah! I meet Farah for the first time during San Antonio’s first Luminaria event. It was not long after that she joined us at Wired Designs for a workshop. With her photo journalism background it was only natural she would want to document the workshop with her photos and I am glad she did. Her are just a few of her shots.

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Above: Me demoing the use of a small butane torch to bend 2mm glass

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Left: Me demoing the creation of a small tack fused glass clock

Right: Students working on a butane torch and saw to complete their projects

What I've Been Up To...

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Having taken a few days to recuperate and reassess after several weeks of local art and craft fairs, I thought you my be interested in a brief update on my recent activities. I would like to start by thanking those of you who made recent purchases. The proceeds of these sales go directly to new supplies, tools and to pay for workshops with national instructors. If you have purchased my work over several years you will see the quality and complexity of my work has increased. I could not have done this without your support. Thank you.

While selling work in Market Square and at the Encino Park Craft Fair, I had the opportunity to meet fellow members of the San Antonio Visual Artists (SAVA) group. This fast growing group of artists has expanded so much in the past year. I am excited to see the number of glass artist joining has justified our own section in the groups directors of artists. SAVA is holding its' first annual juried art show Admiration, for which I am excited to say I have been excepted. And it seems to have become common for me to bump into SAVA members at events around San Antonio. For example, this past weekend I meet Christian Deworde and Tony Garcia selling their work at the Encino Park Craft Fair. As we struck up a conversation Tony and I realized we were both excepted into SAVA's Admiration exhibit scheduled to open to the public on October 24th. I was very excited to have been excepted into this inaugural show and equally excited to meet another participating artists.

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Christian Deworde - Oil on Wood 16x24"

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One of Christian Deworde's pieces came home with me from the Encino Park Craft Fair. Christian painted many of his pieces on wood adding an additional depth/texture to his work as he worked oil paints into the grain. He was the second artist I spoke to this weekend who referred to dreams or visions as material for his work. I find it intriguing how different artists find inspiration. Using one's dreams is so very different from the way I work. Thank you Christian for sharing you inspiration as well as your work.

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Encino Park Arts & Crafts Fair

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I am excited to be participating in the 29th annual Encino Park Fall Craft Fair right in my own backyard. The Craft Fair includes over 100 crafters and artisans and is a great opportunity to purchase handcrafted items as you begin your holiday shopping. The fair will be held the first weekend in October from 9:00 am to 5:00pm both Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the event and parking are free. All proceeds are donated toward the Encino Park Women's Club scholarship funds and other community development projects. I am glad to be part of this event in my own neighborhood to support my community and spend the weekend sharing my work with my neighbors and other San Antonio residents. Hope to see you there.

Encino Park

2008 Fall Craft Fair

October 4th & 5th

9:00am to 5:00pm

Encino Park Community Center

1923 Encino Rio, just off Highway 281 N outside 1604

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Glass Touch at Historic Market Square

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On September 27th I will be in downtown San Antonio’s Historic Market Square. This area has been a public marketplace since 1894. A marvelous location, rich in Spanish and Mexican heritage, Market Square is a favorite destination for visitors and natives alike. This three-square block area of shops and restaurants reflects the flavor of San Antonio. As a native San Antonian who has taken visiting family and friends through Market Square and Le Mercado, I am excited at the prospect of presenting my work to the public in this forum. Visitors to this historic square can enjoy cold margaritas in outdoor cafes, Mexican food from long time family owned restaurants, strolling musicians and plenty of shopping opportunities inlcuding a booth of my work on Saturday afternoon September 27th.

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My How Time Flies

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6" glass clock in various colors, raised elements add texture

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100 posts... Wow! I would never have imaged it when I started 18 months ago. At that time I was not sure how exactly I would use this space, what it would look or feel like. Originally I thought I would be able to share with others. I had no idea how so many others would share with me. I have made new friends near and far, and been inspired and encouraged by other artists. In this my 100 post I want to take a brief minute to thank everyone for their support. I have enjoyed every minute of this experience and look forward to many many more.
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New SAVA Fine Art Gallery

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San Antonio Visual Artists (SAVA) recently opened a Fine Art Gallery in Rivercenter Mall just off Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio. This is an exciting step for this fast growing group. The gallery is displaying the juried work of it's members. In addition it is sponsoring events like FotoSeptiembre with special exhibits throughout the month. I'm proud to say that at the moment the gallery includes the works of several San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG) Members including Denise with Little Song Art and myself. The work displayed in this space will be changing regularly and is certainly worth a periodic look.

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Kilnformed Glass Workshops

After several weeks of being off my feet and out of the studio I was thrilled to be back at Wired Designs Studio teaching Glass Fusing I and II this past weekend. So much so it made me think ahead to some of the other workshops I will be facilitating or participating in over the reminder of this year.

Just around the corner, the weekend of September 6-7, is Open-Mold Glass Casting — SCULPTURE IN 3-D. This is your chance to spend two intensive days learning to utilize a simple, versatile and quick method of glass casting. We’ll sculpt objects in clay, create refractory molds, and cut and cast glass billets. This class includes a take home vermiculite box mold so you can continue casting. No previous experience in glass is necessary.

This class can get down and dirty. We work with clay, plaster silica, hydroperm and other mold making material to create molds of our own design or make molds of existing three dimensional objects. We then melt glass billets into/over these molds to make impressions into blocks of glass two to three inches thick.

A new workshop I will be facilitating Sunday, November 2nd at Wired Designs Studio is Kiln Carving. If I told you you could carve in glass without a chisel or other tools, would you believe me? In this workshop we will using gravity to do the kiln forming for us. We will design and create bas relief images to transfer into iridized glass giving the glass a sculpted look. This is a wonderful technique to add dimension and pattern with only minimal glass cutting. Use the smooth clean surface on top and look through to the pattern within the glass. Or turn it over and not only see but feel the shapes and textures.

I love teaching these workshops and often learn just as much from my students. Participants often include artists looking to explore a new medium, stain glass artists who want to take their work in a different direction, people looking for an escape their usual workdays and others just out to have a good time. You can see a full schedule of these and other workshops offered at the Wired Designs Studio website.

Just as much as teaching these workshops I enjoy taking workshops from other instructors. I can't wait for the workshops I will be taking from Melissa Monti to learn more about murrini cane and Roger Thomas who focuses on design for contemporary landscapes in fused glass.

Not Just Black & White

Last week Inspire Me Thursday suggested we take inspiration from our wardrobe. I've seen artists pull color pallets from scarves or pattern ideas from fabric. When I took a look in my closest it seemed it was my wardrobe that could take a little inspiration from my art work. So I worked this challenge in reverse. This is what I came up with.

This black, white and red A-symmetrical necklace was made using glass beads made by Nina "Sam" Hibler. It was strung with white jade, red coral, onyx and sterling silver. Shown here with one of my favorite sushi plates and a six in cast glass bowl.

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Ophelia Beads

It seems this poor blog has been sadly lacking the mention to glass recently. And as I am yet in no condition to create and post glass work of my own, I have decided to sharing the work of other artists in my collection. I have been working on ideas for future projects one of which lead me back to a familiar passage from Shakespeare's Hamlet which in turn brought o mind a series of beads made by Nina "Sam" Hibler. The specific text in question was the Queen's description Ophelia's demise...

"There in a will ow grows askant the brook,
That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream;
Therewith fantastic garlands did she make
Of crowflowers, nettles, daises, and long purples,
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them .
There on the pendent boughs her crownet weeds
Clamb' ring to hang, an envious silver broke,
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And mermaidlike awhile they bore her up,
Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds,
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and endued
unto that element. But long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death."

As I read this passage I thought of Sam's Ophelia Beads. Sam has indicated her inspiration can from the Pre-Raphaelite painting Ophelia by John Everertt Millais but when I read the passage above I visualize the water and it's contents much like those captured in the small worlds Sam creates. That may be what drew me to these beads to begin with. So much is contained in them, the hint of a story is told and one's imagination can unfold the rest.

Beads and photos by Nina "Sam" Hibler at Dream Fire Glass

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I keep purchasing these beads but have never found a way to wear them I am happy with. In the end I displayed my set in a case where I can see them everyday and take them out and fondle when ever I want. I realize that has a bit of a sexual overtone but hey, they're kind of sexy beads. And yes, those are snakes.
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○ ● ○ Polka Dots ○ ● ○

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This cheerful little polka dotted sushi plate was made with a multitude of colors. Various bits of colored glass melted fully into the four inch square clear glass base. They where then cold worked for a smooth round edge and satin finish. Finally the piece was kiln formed into this gently slumped shape. Intended to be a fun and simple piece.

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Recent Reads - While of my feet

With all this time off my feet I haven't been able to do much else except sleep, watch bad television and read. I much prefer reading. Here are a couple of the books I have enjoyed the last couple of weeks.

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This was actually a recent re-read. I first came across this book several years ago as part of a book club. It is not entirely uncommon that I re-read a book but it is particular kind of book that calls me back time and again. The Glass Palace is a fabulous compilation of stores all intertwined. Just as our lives often do not follow one straight forward plot line the author of The Glass Palace captured the lives and stores of several characters all weaved into one overall story. A story that spanned several cultures and decades it begs to be read and re-read.
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1000 Glass Beads is less a book to read then peruse. One of many of Larks' recent compilations on a particular topic, this one focuses on Glass Beads. The majority of beads appear to be flame worked but there were also some kiln formed examples. As with any collections there are amazing examples included in the book, but also many mediocre and some just plan bad work featured. The fun was flipping through to see them all.
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On several occasions recently (i.e. Sol Lowitt x2, The Tacoma Museum of Glass) I have mentioned how I like to purchase exhibit programs so I can later relive the experience, as a way to remember. Glass of four millennia is a program of the historic collection of glass held by the Ashmolean Museum. Although in this instance I am reading as a way to visit a collection I can not see in person. As I am not about to travel anywhere at the moment this was a way to escape, learn and experience the collection all from the comfort of my coach.

Healing

July 10th Inspire Me Thursday posted a creative prompt on healing. It was very timely for me, as I have spent the last two weeks doing exactly that. So although I am quite late with a response please consider I have been focusing most of my time on the act of healing itself.

Acrylic on canvas - "It carries the weight so the other my heal"

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When it Rains it Pours

I am so touched to have been nominated for a "Brillante Weblog" award by both Charlie from Art Happens and M Heart from Secret Notebooks - Wild Pages on the same day. I have enjoyed both of these blogs immensely. As part of the honors I am to share seven of the blogs I enjoy/admire, and they are:

• The Crafty Green Poet
• On-My-Desk Artists, Illustrators, Designers & Creative Folk share the stuff on their desk...
• Tammie Lee at Spirit Helpers
• Irisz Agocs at Artista Blog
• Dot in Time
• Ana Lloyd
• Bee Creative

Please take this as the honor it is and pass it one to those sites you enjoy. The rules of accepting are as follows:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. (7 is also my lucky number)
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.