Finally Back at Glass Work

After taking my mom and her friend to the beach house for Mother's Day weekend and being sick for the better part of the next week, I am finally back at glass fusing. I have really missed it. When I am involved in projects like I have been recently (getting ready to submit to the gallery show), I wake up thinking about them, go to sleep thinking about them, toss and turn all night thinking about them...They positively consume my thoughts. Now with the deadline for the submission looming, I am finally able to try to put my ideas into action. I have had a few successes, but as usual, the more pressure the more inconsistencies in the work. I know there are lessons to be learned in this process, I just wish I would learn them NOW! (I'm sure patience is one of them...) I hope to be back soon with scads of pictures! (Now I just have to get my camera back from my youngest son. SIGH.)

Dirty Dancing?!

My husband and I had a dance lesson last night and learned a new rumba step. It involves a cross body lead into a spin out then in, at which point I must cross my left foot over my right, shift my weight, extend my right foot out to my left, spread my arms like an airplane and...DROP! (Of course at this point, there is no gentle way to get down.) Talk about faith in your partner! He must hold his hands right under my arms (which by now are disgustingly sweaty), control the drop, and lift me back up. Upon rising from this graceful position, I must cross my arms take his left hand with my right, spin back out and in. Finally, I plant my hands strongly on his chest, do a backbend and swerve in a giant circle...just like dirty dancing. I am so proud of my 59 year old husband. Never once did he falter, although I faltered plenty. We practiced it quite a bit at our mall/ballroom this morning...Pretty soon, we are going to start drawing a crowd!

A Field Trip and a New Friend

I had a chance to go to a glass wholesaler here in Houston with a fellow glass artist yesterday. She and I have conversed through bulletin boards and emails for about a year, but only met today. What a dear person. We had a great time talking about glass, families, teaching classes, and much more as she showed me around the Hollander Glass wholesale warehouse. They are mostly a stained glass supplier, but they did have quite a bit of fusible glass, mostly System 96. Because of my recent cutting disasters, I was in need of several large coe90 pieces to replace all that I have wasted. She graciously volunteered to allow me to buy what I needed on her account with just a small upcharge. As usual, I came back with much more than I had intended. At wholesale prices I was able to dip my toe into a bit of Spectrum 96. I now have more to experiment and learn with. My black and white coral bowl went through its fourth firing yesterday. It's in the kiln right now approaching slump temps. Most of the offending haze did seem to be removed by the etching cream. That's a good thing! Once I have it out of the way, I can go onto other pieces I have rumbling about in my head.

So many ideas...so little time!

Fiddle-dee-two-three-four!

I am now on the fourth firing of the bowl I had so many problems cutting out. As I mentioned in my Fiddle-dee-dee post, I couldn't cut a 12" circle for the life of me! In trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I have cut, fused, cut, ground, fused, ground, etched, ground, fused....on and on and on... Once I decided to use this project as yet another learning experience, I designed a white coral design to fuse on the black base before slumping into my bowl mold. (I'm a sucker for anything to do with the beach!) In order to keep the crisp lines of the coral, I full fused the design face down to do a flip and fire. Since I am kilnwash challenged, I fired it on thinfire. So, now the question is: Is that why it turned out hazy and dull? And what can I do to salvage it? I don't have a sandblaster, so I coated it with etching cream to etch the surface and now I am waiting for kiln time to run it through one more time. At what point do I give up????? I sure hope the next time I mention this project, it is to declare success and post a picture!

Dancing in the Mall

This week my husband and I began practicing our ballroom dancing at the mall. Our teacher, Flo, has recruited us to demonstrate a waltz routine at some of the local community centers. The routine requires tons of space...space we certainly don't have in our house! We have searched every available place we could think of to practice. We even entertained the thought of joining the local YMCA fitness center and reserving one of their exercise rooms. We took a tour of the facility last week. It's quite nice but, because of liability concerns, they will not allow anyone to use the rooms without an employee in there. We consulted the city community center and were told that we could rent one of their empty rooms for $75 an hour...I THINK NOT! So, one morning it dawned on us. People go to the mall early every morning before the stores open up, and do their daily walk out of the heat , rain, or cold. Why couldn't we just stake a spot in the center where no one walks? Once that decision was made, it was just a matter of organizing music to dance to and mustering up some courage. That's really putting yourself out there! An MP3 player with two sets of headphones-- one wired and one Bluetooth--took care of the music, so all that was left was a self-peptalk to get me out there and dance to music that no one else could hear. The first day we went, I spent the entire time waiting for mall security to come tell us we had to walk or leave. But by today, the third day, we are having people come ask us if we are teaching lessons or who our teacher is. We have even had the 20 year old who works getting the cookie stand ready every morning make a point to tell us how well we're doing. Now we start every morning with dance. What could be better?!

Fiddle-dee-dee!

Today has been a supremely trying...and expensive...day! I built up my courage and decided to enter a juried show at a local gallery. In August, they will be presenting a show called "For the Table" that will feature Texas and Louisiana artists and their handcrafted work. As the title of the show suggests, every item must be something that belongs on a table...from plates and bowls to candle holders and silverware. Fused glass work will fit right in, and since I have been wanting to branch out from so much jewelry making, this was the perfect catalyst. I have tons of ideas, and the slumping molds to go with them. Unfortunately, I don't have the glass cutting skills. I have spent the DAY trying to cut a 12" circle!

My first effort was near perfect...Off to a GREAT start! Talk about a false sense of security! Sadly, since cutting that first circle, every one of them has split somewhere through the center. AARRRGGGGHHHHHH! (I confess that my New Year's Resolution of cleaning up my language has had a bit of a set-back today.) Not only has the circle cutting been frustrating, I have ruined 3 half sheets of fusible glass. THAT'S NOT CHEAP! But, I have discovered something about myself over the past few months of glass fusing disasters and ballroom dancing challenges: I don't like to admit I can't do something. So, I WILL NOT give up. Right now, I'm relaxing with a glass of wine thinking about tomorrow...To quote Scarlett O'Hara,

"As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me."

Fiddle-dee-dee...Tomorrow is another day!

A Step Back in Time

My husband and I recently went to Los Angeles to visit our son. While there, we had the most unique evening! We attended the 80th Anniversary Party of the Oviatt Building that has been transformed into a gorgeous 1920's night club. Here is a blurb from its website:

With the grandeur of a classic Hollywood musical from the thirties, famed showman and impresario Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club is a most unique experience that transports you back in time to the glamorous days of Hollywood's golden age of nightclubs.

And, wow, does it do that! With live music from the 20's performed by a big band, the beautifully art deco decorated interior, and patrons dressed in formal and vintage attire, it is easy to imagine yourself at a 1920's speakeasy. The dance floor was quite crowded, but I did have a chance to teach my handsome son a few foxtrot steps. My husband and our son's girlfriend managed a trip around the floor with the foxtrot and then enjoyed a lively swing. For that evening, they even offered absinthe, a liquor that was commonly served back then. I have to admit that that is where my trek to the past ended. I much preferred my glass of wine!

To learn more about this amazing building visit the Cicada Club site. There are some tremendous pictures and it is regularly updated with upcoming events.