A while back, I wrote a blog post about if it were better to focus on just one type of art, one technique and get really super good at it, or if it were better to focus on a number of different ones. I don't have much of a choice but to do the many, as my mind is scattered over so many different techniques and my attention span is short. I see these artists who work on the same series of paintings over and over again, making little changes here and there (like the blue dog). Sometimes I envy them. They know what they want to do, they have their inspiration and they're doing it!

I, on the other hand, usually can't plan more than a few days in advance. I never know what is coming up, never know what processes I will be working on over the next week. I guess it fits me. I think if I planned my whole month out, I would be bored before I even got started. Take this past week. At the beginning of it, it was pretty clear that I would be glass blowing, working on a new project to see if I could get it created to the client's liking.

Then my crucible kiln wasn't firing like it was supposed to - wouldn't get hot enough. Can't blow glass if my kilns aren't hot enough, so I called the manufacturer and ordered new parts. I was told it would be a number of days. OK. So I switched gears completely to finishing putting together a QuickTime movie to send out to potential clients to market our artwork. Talk about completely different mindset! I thought I would be out in the hotshop, working with molten glass with music blaring. Instead, I was seated at my computer, gently nudging frames of a movie to fit the same little piece of music, over and over and over again.

But what I didn't know was happening, is that the glass blowing part of my brain was still working - figuring out the steps that would be needed to create this new piece, so now when I go back to it this coming week (after I've now fixed my kiln), I'll have a whole lot less trial and error getting the new shape correct. Lots less wasted time, lots less wasted glass. AND I got the marketing movie done too!

The way I figure it is that is isn't that I'm focusing on one thing or many - I have my focus, as always, and it is "creating."

Peace, Joy

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In the previous blog post I wrote about the custom commission I was designing and creating for a company - their 30-year service award, to be given to two of their employees.

A risk involved with creating custom pieces is that the client may get the piece and decide that they just don't like it. When you sell a work in a gallery, the new owner sees it, knows what they're getting and pretty much is a done deal. When commissioned, the client has faith in you, that you'll produce something wonderful, but isn't locked into completely owning it if it comes out not to their liking.

Much of the problem lies with that the client and the artist are speaking nearly a different language when the client describes what they want and the artist describes what they can make. Sometimes these two things mesh, sometimes they don't. This is especially the case when the client doesn't really know what they want and the artist is mostly flying blind, creating into the wind. The artist can describe the process and what the piece will be like, even supplying sketches like I did in the post up above, but the truth is that the client often has a hard time understanding and visualizing what a sculpture will look like given just a rough sketch and descriptions.

This happened with the awards. I created the color sketch, and thought I got pretty darned close with the finished pieces, but when the awards were actually in the hands of the client, they decided they didn't like them, or the design.

I offered to change the design, color, texture and the process (from molded glass to pipe-blown glass, which would make the base heavier, more substantial feeling). For whatever reason, they didn't want to continue and give me another try. Who wouldn't want to have another piece made for them if the first one didn't turn out right? I would have thought just about anyone would say "Of course!" but this client didn't. Instead, they paid the kill fee and are sending back the awards. They're out, I'm out, there are no "winners".

I really wanted to make it right by them. I could have redone the awards, given what they say they didn't like about the first ones, and probably created something they'd love, but I won't get the chance, and I find that really sad. Yes, I also won't get the full price, but it's more about that I wanted a happy client, and I was willing to go the distance to give them what they wanted.

It's a bummer, but happens on occasion. I certainly don't like it though. I think I'll go have some more chocolate to console my bummed little artist soul.

Peace, Joy

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An order came in this morning. Yay! It was for an art glass marble, and those have a numbering system dependent on which date they were blown, what piece number that day and what recipe was used. A little complicated, but necessary. So I immediately went to my files to find out which marble it was so that I could go find it in the display rack.

The website page showed that the piece was the second on this page: http://glasssculpture.org/artglass/paperweights/marbles.html

Captured Worlds Marble

"Hmmm....." I thought. "I don't recall that piece. I think it might have sold long ago and was just mistakenly not taken off the website. Uhoh...." But I went in to the shop to go through the selection to make sure it wasn't hiding in there. There it was! Hiding! I took it out into the sun and Oh!!! What a beauty!!

Captured Worlds Marble

And I didn't remember making this one. But then I spent the next 10 minutes looking into it, seeing the captured bubbles and the twists of color. Oh yes... Now I recall you, you beautiful piece of glass. And I'm so proud of you.

There have been numerous times in my art career that I've come across a piece that I initially don't recall creating. They surprise me, and I can then spend time with them. Relearning them. Seeing where I was in the process of being an artist when I created them. They're little gemstones I find every once in a while.

Peace, Joy

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When the art started taking over, in my 20s, and I wanted to do more and more of it, I remembered the glass painting and figured I would give that a try. It only took the first one to know that I found the technique I wanted to continue with.

I worked as a glass painter, doing illustrations and my own creative work and then making prints to sell. After some years, I started doing work with my current partner. Every once in a while, I would be reminded of that gorgeous tree window and mention it to him, saying that I wish I could do more sculptural pieces.

We were having lunch with a client and they asked us, "Do you ever do 3-dimensional pieces?" Of course, we said "YES!" and they asked us to submit a proposal for a big award. We said to ourselves, "How hard could it be??" and when we got the job, we then said to ourselves, "OK, *now* how do we make this thing?" This is the first glass sculpture we ever did: http://glasssculpture.org/awards/ussf/ and building it, transporting it and having to move it 4 times a year, any other sculptures are certainly possible.

So that's where we started in the glass sculpture field. I still do reverse painting, but often combine that with the sculpture as well. Long way from when I started college, but wouldn't change it. I hope you enjoy the artworks I show and please let know what you think!

Peace,

Space Foundation Award

Joy

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I don''t know if most creative types are this way, but I find that I have waaaay too many ideas for the amount of hours in a day. And they all seem cool, and I want to do them all. It's a challenge not to try them all. But what I really find is that I want to try so much stuff, I end up not knowing where to begin and 8 million projects get started, but nothing ever gets finished.

Diversity is good, right? Getting stuck on one thing over and over again (like the blue dog) would drive me insane, plus I think it would be really dull for my clients/fans (although, the blue dog guy doesn't seem to be hurting for sales, so maybe there is a lesson for me there...).

But you can see it in our websites, we have **tons** of different products, different techniques, different everythings. We have:

• Jewelry - http://glasssculpture.org/artglass/jewelry/
• Reverse Glass Paintings - http://glassnebula.com/
• Paperweights - http://glasssculpture.org/artglass/paperweights/
• Wine Stoppers - http://glasssculpture.org/artglass/wine-stoppers/
• Huge glass sculptural stuff - http://glasssculpture.org/

and there is a lot more too... sigh.... So what I've noticed since the awful sink project got canceled is that my head has opened up to creativity again, and along with it, more ideas than I can possibly ever have time to make.

Good thing? Bad thing? What is your experience? I can tell you one thing, it sure feels nice being excited about making **anything** again. Being in that sink-hole was awful.

Peace, Joy

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Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is when you keep trying the same experiment over and over again expecting different results. I feel like I have been living proof of this definition for the past 6 months.

Last November, I was hired to create two matching cast glass sinks for a client to install in her current counter top. Since I have been very successful in casting and molding above the counter top vessel sinks, I took the job. I was also desperate for new jobs, so took it at a substantially lower price than I should have.

Since then, I have had failure after failure in trying to get these sinks to come out, and it's driving me crazy. But still I continue. Why do I continue? Is it the drive to complete what I started? Is it the need to produce the art until the client is happy? Or is it just that I'm insane? I think I choose the last one.

But, in all fairness, the definition states trying the *same* experiment. I *have* been changing things each time and slowly whittling away the parts that I now know have caused problems, so I guess I'm choosing to call it all a "learning experience". Like Thomas Edison said when asked why he wasn't getting any results:

"I am getting results. I now know one thousand things that DON'T work."

Cast sink with huge split in it

Not quite the right shape

Shattered in the kiln

A working bowl!

So I have another one in the kiln now. It's ready to do it's mold into the sink form. I'm afraid!!! But I'll go out and turn it on. Maybe when I check on it tomorrow, it will have worked like I think it's supposed to and I can finally have a success.

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Orrery 3D Design Model

Sometimes, I really miss the standard job. I feel like crap today. If I had a regular job, I could declare Sunday a day of rest and vegetate, watch movies, play videos, nap with my kittens.... But I don't have a standard job. My job is with me all the time - weeks, weekends, day, night... Most of the time I don't mind it - love it in fact. But today... bleh. I was going to do some finishing work on the base cabinet of the 6 foot wide orrery above. I have all the pieces cut and trimmed. Some are already stained, but need to be varnished. It's hot outside though, so I can't do that. The instructions say not to apply it if it's over 90 degrees. So I move on to the next items.

I have gotten some good work done today - more stuff on my website, research. I can't believe I've let my website sit there for four years with nothing new on it!!! I'm ashamed!!! But I've been making up for it. 28 new art pieces up there so far. I haven't coded the sales pages for them yet, but that's coming along. I have all those coded for the older pieces so far and getting into the newer pieces now.

But I sure would like to go take a nap with one of my kittens..... 20 minutes couldn't hurt....right????

Peace,
Joy

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