Christmas Ornaments!

Ornaments I will have for sale at the Memorial Hospital Fair this weekend

Every year I make and sell Christmas ornaments.  Instead of doing all glass ornaments this year, I'm making old fashioned fabric ornaments, and glass 'accent' ornaments.  The accent ornaments are 1" diamonds.  The idea is to have coordinated accents that sparkle & fill in the blank spots, but are nice enough to stand alone.  My favorites are the white and mirrored glass.  The glass ornaments are 10 for $25, and the fabric ornaments are $7.50 each or 3 for $20.  I am officially taking orders now, so if you want something special, just let me know (comment, e-mail, tweet, etc) and we can match your colors.  Everything I do is completely custom.  I'll be posting more pictures in this Facebook album, so check back there if you want to see more.

Memorial Hospital is hosting a fair this weekend, and the ornaments above are some of my ornaments that a co-worker is taking to sell.  She also has a permanent booth at "The Crazy Daisy" in East Ridge if you'd like to see my work there. 

I know I'm not decorating for Christmas yet (that comes when I move!!) but I know a lot of people are starting to think about it, so I thought I'd go ahead and let you know what I'm doing this year!

Butterfly Window

I forgot to take a picture of this window when it was finished, but it was installed today at Backstreets, and they sent me a picture from Pete's phone. I'll get a portfolio picture later. I like it, hope you do too!

Finished!

I finally got over my "Artist's Block" and finished the two windows I had in limbo for what feels like all summer. This is an overdue wedding present for two wonderful people I met through Backstreets. I'm *Really, Really* sorry I didn't get to you guys sooner.

This window is a portable & classic twist on one of the windows at the bar, and hopefully a way for them to remember the people and all the memories associated with Backstreets & Clemson.

Chappelear Window

One of the first stained glass gifts I ever gave was a wedding present to one of the girls I danced with at Civic Ballet of Chattanooga. It's her new monogram, and I never took a picture of it for my portfolio. Beth Leigh and I became "Facebook Friends" this summer, and she sent me this picture this week. One of my favorite things about stained glass is it's permanence. I love that after quite a few years they are still enjoying this window :)

Happy Saturday!

Artists Block

I feel like I've been working on this one window for over a month now, and I've made no progress. Maybe because a more accurate statement is I've been not working on this window for over a month now. Maybe it's because it's not my window, its one I'm finishing for one of my students. Maybe because I don't have a good studio space set up. Maybe it's because I miss working at Backstreets with all of the people, music, and liquid incentives. Either way, its not getting done.

But I always work better under a deadline, and I finally have one. I'm going to Clemson next weekend, and since this window is for Backstreets, it has to be finished so it can be installed before school starts.

This is where I was about 2 weeks ago:


I've finished fitting the left 1/2 of the butterfly, and the bottom section of the right wing. My goal this weekend is to finish fitting, and maybe even solder. Then comes sealing, patina and cleaning. If I get this finished early enough in the week, I have another window in a box, that is in similar condition (but with fewer pieces) that I could take to Clemson as well.

Wish me luck!

rose window

My signature window at Backstreets is up! I have been building stained glass windows at Backstreets for the past 5 years, and this is number window # 57, and my way of signing the project. I'm not finished building windows for Backstreets, but since I am more of an "Artist in Absentee" than Artist in Residence, the time was right to put my name on it.

my happy factor

It is always good to remind yourself of the things that make you happy. Its also nice to check every once in a while to see if you're doing these things. This is my list in no particular order.

Stained Glass
I am an artist. I'm actually Artist in Residence at Backstreets Pub & Deli in Clemson, SC. I'm lucky enough to have a place where I can be as creative as possible, without worrying about whether my windows fit any specific style or theme. What I love about stained glass as an art is the hands on skill that is involved, and having something to show for your work at the end of the day. New Windows

Friends
My friends are the most important people in my life. For me to consider you a friend you have earned my respect, admiration, and trust. My friends are open minded, intellectual, caring, and passionate people, who exhibit these qualities in all aspects of their lives. Basically, they rock.

Traveling
This is something that I do not do enough of. I love to travel, meet new people, & experience different ways of life. I love to see history, and to see the similarities and differences of how people live. I love the architecture, I love the food, I love the music, & the atmospheres that you encounter when you travel. Travel for me = awesome. I even enjoy work trips.

Racing
I like making the decisions that make race cars go faster. I love being at the track all day in the summer working on the car in the heat, and the feeling you get just before the race starts. I love being on the radio, and giving the driver the information he needs to make quick decisions on the track, and giving the guys on pit road the information and tools they need to make quick repairs or adjustments. The people are great, and the rush is like no other.

Dancing
I love to dance, or as some people like to say, 'wiggle.' The comparison has been made more than once to the toy flower with the sunglasses from the 80's that dances when it hears music. I love sweating uncontrollably in a warm ballet studio, while your body is perfectly under control. I love fast paced jazz classes, there the choreography is cutting edge and challenging. While I'm not taking classes anywhere right now, I do love to go out and dance. My favorite venue of the minute being anywhere PictureMeFree is playing. :)

Learning
This is going to sound crazy coming from someone who pretty much hates school right now. (more on that later, maybe) But I love to learn. I love learning about new things, technology, people, places, you name it. I really do think that with knowledge comes understanding, and with understanding comes peace and progress. [note: Thats my inner hippie coming out]