Summertime and the living's easy. Or not! Many days it feels pretty hectic. Having my studio right behind my house is really convenient for a lot of reasons but with my two teenage kids, there is also a lot of running around. My son is a senior in high school and my daughter is a sophomore-- I know my days to hang out with them are numbered. So even though I have commissions that are waiting for me, I made the commitment to spend one day each week this summer doing something fun with one of them. This week I spent the day with my daughter in Atlantic City. We had a great time-- walking on the boardwalk, swimming in the ocean, we even made a lop-sided sandcastle. Spending time with my family always leaves me re-energized. There's a quote from Leonardo da Vinci that says, "Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to work your judgement will be surer." I appreciate the permission to take a break and enjoy some fun with my kids. Now back to work!
While I have been busy in the studio this week, there has been a lot going on inside my house too. We are finally having a 1970's era bathroom updated and last week's demolition has moved on to this week's construction. The walls and floors which were opened up have now been drywalled and the floors have been replaced. Which brings me to the blurry picture of our elusive cat, Kim-- the only picture we have of her in her 8 years in our home. My daughter rescued her and she has always been very nervous and hidey. We often go for a few days without seeing her but know she's around because her food is eaten and she visits her litter box. But when we realized earlier this week that she hadn't been doing either, we started to worry. Maybe she snuck out when one of the construction guys left the door open? The treats I left her, trying to lure her from her favorite hiding spots, went uneaten. We called to her and got no response. On Wednesday night, I heard a series of meows followed by long silence. I tried to follow the meowing but each time I thought I found where it was coming from, she would stop. After checking every possible drawer, suitcase, closet, and corner, I came to the sick realization that it was likely she had crawled into the open sub-floor and accidentally got trapped when they put the floor back down. Fortunately we were able to pull-up a loose floorboard and a short while later, out she crawled, hungry and scared but ok. This is my cautionary "tail" for you-- watch your skittish pets! Happy Independence Day to all and especially to Kim, we're glad to have you back!
I just finished up an inspiring (and exhausting!) week-long workshop, "Welded Steel Assemblies," at The Carving Studio in West Rutland, VT. Our fearless instructor was John Tidd whose previous work includes a giant steel, fire breathing dragon as well as a huge pair of steel hands, entitled "Cat's Cradle," that were installed at Burning Man. At the beginning of the week, we took a field trip to the scrap yard and gathered lots of dirty steel which we then began cleaning and manipulating with welders, plasma cutters, and a variety of other loud, sparky power tools. It was amazing to see what everyone created-- being Vermont, there were multiple fish, birds, and a bear, as well as some free-form geometric pieces (ok, those were mostly mine). I almost always create in other mediums with an eye to add glass later and this week was no exception. In the photo above, I'm standing behind one of my pieces, "Without End" which is a small tower of steel circular shapes that are welded together and have lovely openings that are crying out for glass. One special highlight for me was being able to select a marble base-- the Carving Studio is on the grounds of a former marble quarry-- which boosts it up and add a different textural dimension. Stay tuned for more pictures as I get the glass elements created!
What I love about doing commission-based art is that every project is different. This week, I started working on Arabic lettering for a fused glass flag for the IWDM community. I enjoy the challenge of painting-- especially when it's a language I don't know! Previously, I have created commissioned work using Hebrew and Greek (both of which I don't know either) and was careful to make sure before I fired the paint in the kiln that I got final reviews for what I had written. When I was getting ready to work on this text, I did some research into what I was painting. This phrase is the first Kalimah of Islam and it translates to, "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." In the finished piece, it will be painted on the pages area of an open Koran. Understanding the fundamental nature of this phrase for Muslims grounds me while I create it; I know that I am being asked to make something that is very meaningful to the people who will see it.
Each week, I blog about what's going on in the studio or in my life. But this week, the thing that I can't get out of my head is the Stanford University rape case. Since reading the victim's letter on Sunday, it's been on my mind and the more I read-- Brock Turner's own statement, his father's letter-- the more it has been festering in my brain. Early this morning, I asked my 17 year old son what he thought about it and he said he hadn't heard about it. So I sent him the links below and asked him to read and think about it so we can discuss it. There are so many issues to discuss in this tragedy-- I hope you take the time to read about it and discuss it with the young people in your lives.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-
As I was preparing for this year's Junebug, one of my clients shared with me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. A few months prior, a client for whom I had recently finished a stained glass window commission died after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. And shortly before that, a good friend of mine had undergone surgery and radiation, also for breast cancer. At that time, I considered making a donation to the Susan G. Komen foundation. But then I decided I wanted to make some art to tie in with their fight. I created a limited run of my best selling 08840 coasters with pink confetti glass (pictured above) and will be donating the proceeds of the sales to the Komen foundation. I will have them for sale at Junebug, wrapped in pretty pink tissue and boxed for gift giving-- even if the recipient is you! I kept one of the sets that I made and each time I use them, I think of these strong, beautiful woman and many like them on this journey-- cheers to their spirit!
We are just over a week away from the start of the 9th annual Junebug Artfest! Since it began, it has always been on Friday nights but this year we have moved it to Saturday night for a number of reasons. The biggest one is our most exciting news-- for the first time, the town has agreed to close Main Street to traffic on the 3rd Saturday, June 18! We had been wanting to try this out for years and Metuchen's police, mayor and council thought this was a good time to try it. However, since closing Main Street would complicate many commuters' lives, they asked us to move that art fest to Saturday. We decided since we were moving it for that one night, we might as well move it for all the other nights. Everything else stays the same-- it's still from 6-10 pm, there are tons of artists, musicians, dancers, writers, fencers... It's going to be a month of fun! I am setting up a table for the first two nights-- June 4 & 11-- in front of Boyt Drugs, 411 Main St. I have some new jewelry and dishes as well as my biggest sellers, the 08840 coasters, in lots of fun colors. Please stop by my table and say hi and let me know what you think of our new night. Happy Summer!
I am excited to announce Steve Accardi and I will be constructing the sign for Transformations Gallery at the Old Franklin Schoolhouse (491 Middlesex Ave.) out of found steel objects. In order to make this sign truly one-of-a-kind, we are inviting the community to get involved by donating steel objects which we will transform into a sculpture. Steve and I will be at the Schoolhouse from 9 am until 3 pm each day, May 30 through June 3. If you have some steel that you are willing to donate for the project, please bring it to the Schoolhouse by May 30. Please feel free to stop by during the week and watch this public art project take shape!
At the end of last summer, I struck a deal with a friend of mine who owns her own wool dying business, Marianated Yarns. She hand-dyes the loveliest yarn and knits all sorts of beautiful things with it. I wanted a wool wrap to wear to my sister's outdoor wedding and asked her if I could make her a sheep in exchange for the wrap. Although she gave me the wrap in August, I have been busy with shows and commissions and she patiently waited for her sheep. After taking a copper fabricating course at the Carving Studio last month, I decided I wanted to make him from sheet copper. I used a torch to heat the copper so I could shape him and create the spirals on his body. The heat from the torch colored the metal a bit and I used patina to add some more dimension. He is about 12 inches high and is the perfect size to stand on her desk and oversee all aspects of her business-- we called him her "Sheepervisor." His dichroic glass eyes have a mischievous look and we laughed that he looks like he slipped out of the sheep pen last fall and went on some adventures. Maybe that's where he's been since August! In any case, I'm glad he's with her now and I hope he can help her with her booming business.
In his freshman year of high school, my son, Alex, participated in the Jazz Improvisation program at Middlesex County's Arts High School. Learning to improvise music, a very different skill than what is usually taught in high school, was really challenging. He learned to appreciate music in a new way and, though he didn't participate in the program in the following years, he continues to play in his high school's ensemble, jazz and marching bands. Music is one of his loves and he decided to focus his Eagle Scout project on helping other kids experience the joy that music has brought to his life. From his band director, he learned about Memorial High School in West New York (NJ) which is in need of instruments for kids in their music program. In our town, it's fairly common for parents to buy their child an instrument to play in 4th grade, only to shove it in the back of a closet when priorities change and they stop playing. Alex decided to ask for people to donate these unused instruments and any others that he will gather and bring to Memorial High School. He is holding a music festival on June 17 at the Old Franklin Schoolhouse where his Jazz Improv teacher, Radam Schwartz, will be one of the musicians playing in celebration of this project. If you have an instrument that you are willing to donate, please like Alex's Facebook page for this event, and stay tuned for drop off locations or come to the music festival and celebrate the love of music with us!
For me, one of the best parts of co-curating Transformations Gallery is seeing how each artist puts his own personal stamp on his show. The Old Franklin Schoolhouse has seen a lot in its 200+ years of existence and I think it still must enjoy the transformations that come with each art show too! Our current artist, Steve Beal, is a construction manager by day and a painter and musician in his free time. He had an opening for his show back in March and a bunch of musicians came and played. It was a great night with a lot of music and interesting people. Steve asked if he could host another event, this time doing a live watercolor painting demonstration and playing acoustically. It is scheduled for next Thursday, May 5 at 7 pm at the Old Franklin Schoolhouse. It promises to be an intimate night with a look inside Steve's artistic process and a chance to hear him play some music. It should be a lot of fun-- I hope you can join us!
15 years ago today, my beautiful daughter, Abby, was born. She came into this world, marching to her own beat. One of her favorite phrases as a toddler was, "Abby do that!" Starting my business while my kids were toddlers, I worked before they got up, during naptime and after they had gone to bed. Glass isn't a very kid-friendly medium so in the beginning I kept my work and family pretty separate. Over the years, Abby has started to spend more time with me in my studio, offering her suggestions and even just entertaining me while I work. She also has started coming with me to shows. This photo was taken last night at the Spring art show at the Raritan Bay Medical Center. I have been doing this show for the past 6 years, initially coming by myself, but in the past few years, Abby has come along. She brings her unique charm and sharp eye and makes the night so much more fun. I don't imagine she will follow in my footsteps; she's far too independent for that. But I am so grateful for her big personality and warm spirit. Happy birthday to my sunshine!
The older I get, the more I've realized life is mostly about attitude. One of my clients emphasized this to me over the past few weeks. I had worked on a commission for her in the end of 2015 and then hadn't heard from her. That's not unusual but she had told me she wanted to have me make something else so I was still expecting I might hear from her soon. About a month ago I did, only to learn that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing treatment. She said she still wanted me to make something but now what she wanted was a gift for a woman she had met while undergoing treatment. She explained that the woman's diagnosis had been more complicated than her own but she had a very positive attitude and was inspirational to her. My client asked me to create something for her that would incorporate this quote, "It's a great day for a great day!" (a take off from the title of a tv show on HGTV). We discussed the transformative nature of life and decided a butterfly, created in the colors she loves with some pink sprinkled in as a nod to her battle with breast cancer, would be perfect. I've been inspired by her while working on this; I hope it gives her strength and courage on the days she needs it the most to keep fighting.
Thanks again to the Metuchen High School whose supervisor of Music, Art and World Languages, Christine De Simone, gave me another fabulous intern! Last year was my first year offering an internship to a high school student and I had a senior who was motivated, enthusiastic and a perfect fit for my studio. This year I knew there were some big shoes to fill but again I got a great student who is a sophomore and is equally energetic and committed. We have been working together, mostly creating jewelry, which is what she is doing in the picture above. I shared with her some of my trade secrets, one of which you can see in the photo (shhh...cheap hairspray glues together glass pieces when they go into the kiln). As with my previous intern, it is fun to show her new things and to learn from the different perspective she brings. In addition to the internship I offer, students in Metuchen High School are able to work in a number of different local businesses to get a flavor of what goes on behind their doors. It's a great opportunity for the students to get some real life experience and is also a positive experience for the business owners to interact with some terrific kids.
For a number of reasons, we decided to stay home for Spring Break this year. So I scheduled a bunch of "necessary" things-- the dog & cat's vet appointments, dentist appointments for the people, the dog groomer, etc. Once we finished all that, we decided to have some fun! My daughter asked if we could make glass beads so we pulled out the torches and got to work. Even though she's only 14, my daughter has been making beads with me for years and is pretty good at it. We spent a whole day, trying out different color combinations, shapes and techniques. I'm not sure where I will use the beads we made but it was such a fun day and we had a blast spending time together making art
Here's one of the images from my photo shoot last week with David Glasofer of Image Up Studios. I love the way it turned out with the light reflecting off the butterfly's black body and the subtle colors in the wings. Glass is tricky to shoot because the light both transmits through it if it's transparent and reflects off it. Without David's skills, tricks and equipment, getting a good picture is really challenging. This series of 4 butterflies was created with a multi-step process-- each one was fired in the kiln four times at temperatures up to 1500 degrees. I used a product called fiber paper and a technique called kiln carving (which I mentioned in a blog post on March 4). Initially I explored the technique by creating simple shapes and then realized it would be possible to turn those shapes into letters and those letters into words. I made butterflies with the words faith, hope, love and joy. I'm sharing the "Faith" butterfly today as Easter is this weekend and also because a number of my friends just put their kids on a plane, heading to France for a school trip. As parents, we know there's a lot of faith needed each time we let our little butterflies go to spread their wings and fly.
When I first started out in business, I tried to take my own photographs but I soon realized I am not a photographer. I can occasionally take a decent picture but for really high quality images, I need a professional. Lighting is everything in photography and I didn't have the set up, knowledge or tricks of the trade to be able to make a photograph of my work accurately reflect the piece. This week I was at the studio of my friend and favorite glass photographer, David Glasofer. I had created some large glass butterflies with words "kiln-carved" in them-- this one says LOVE but you would never be able to see that if I was the photographer! With lightening, knowledge & Photoshop magic, David snapped, clicked, and edited and in no time, created 4 lovely photos of my pieces. This is especially important to me since most of my work is residential commissions which means they are only seen by the homeowner, their friends, and family. I have been working with David for almost 10 years and he is always careful, patient & professional and because of that, I can share images of my work with pride. If you haven't worked with a professional photographer, I highly recommend it. Next week I'll post a few of the photos he took.
Last week, some friends and I went to Two Buttons, an import store in Frenchtown, NJ owned by Liz Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, and her husband. We had been a few times before, always enjoying wandering the store which was packed with unique, handmade items they had found on their travels. We were sad that this is probably our last trip, since the store is closing at the end of March, but we were excited to see there were still a number of beautiful things left, including this lovely marble Buddha who I felt needed to be a part of my studio. Initially I wanted a larger one to place outside in my yard but I decided I would get to spend more time with him if he sat on my desk while I was sketching, doing paperwork, or working on my computer. It wasn't until I got him home that I looked at his ears and noticed that his lobes don't match. After learning that earlobes were symbolic of wisdom and compassion of the "Enlightened One," I have to admit, I felt a little disappointed. My Buddha was, at best, half-wise and half-compassionate. And that's when it occurred to me, none of us is perfect. Nothing we make by hand is without a flaw, not even my Buddha. He's doing a pretty good job and manages to look serene all the time; even with just one good earlobe. It makes him even more special to me is that he reflects what I believe: what makes handmade goods beautiful are the unique quirks that come from the makers' hands.
I recently created a small series of glass and copper work, including this piece, titled "Joy." If you receive my email newsletter, you saw a photo of another piece in the series titled, "Square Pegs in Round Holes." (To sign up to receive my newsletter, click here.) I've been working with copper wire inclusions in glass for years and decided that I wanted to take a class in copper sculpture so I looked around and found a really cool place called the Carving Studio, located in a historic marble quarry in Vermont. I decided to fiddle around a bit with copper in anticipation of the class in April. The three pieces in this series are wall sculptures and they feature glass that has been "kiln carved" which is another technique I've been exploring lately- more on that in a future post. What I was playing with, in this piece in particular, was the texture and dimension of both the metal and glass and how they rose and fell and spiraled. I was happy with the way all three of the pieces in the series turned out but when I look at this one, it makes me smile and that's why I decided to call it "Joy." In life we're always seeking balance; I h ope there are some things today that make you smile and bring you joy.
Planning for the 9th annual Junebug Artfest is underway and there is a lot happening behind the scenes already. At our monthly meetings, we catch up on what each team has been working on since we last met and, even though it's only February, things are moving . This month, forms and documents have been revamped and the website has been completely redone. The big news this year is Junebug will now take place on Saturdays (still from 6-10 pm). Our hope in making this change is to make a calmer and safer event that is more convenient for people who work all week to attend. Another exciting change is that we are experimenting with the closure of Main Street for the 3rd night-- June 19th. We are hoping that people who come to the artfest will enjoy strolling without cars on Main St. In addition to the new details, there are a lot of regular logistics to manage with a four night event. I am working to schedule the interactive performers and have a great lineup for a wide variety of interests. Take a look at the website to learn more about the artfest and to find out how you can get more involved. Even though the weather doesn't feel like it, June is fast approaching and we will be ready with the best Junebug yet!