Our artist friend, Lynde Mott helped Jeanne come up with a landscaping plan this year. This week we laid down a layer of newspaper on the grass and added potting soil and garden soil on the newspaper. Then we layered on steer manure to create a wonderful planting bed.

Here Jeanne is sweeping out John truck. John is our home teacher who brought us a load of wood chips.

Here you see the large pile of organic material.

Here the bark mulch is laid down and Jeanne is planting our plant starts.

And here it is all planted. What does this have to do with stained glass? We make garden stakes out of glass and gardening gets you in touch with the creator and all life!

New Star Students

Sadie and Eli came to a couples star class last night. They were extremely friendly and capable, easy to complete the stars they made.

Jeanne wondered why class went on for three hours since they were so good at building. It must have been that we were all having a good time (I wasn't there much..working on computer)

Eli says he'll help build a better logo for us, all we have to do is register at www.elance.com and look for gimme logos.
We've said it often, the reason we love teaching classes is because we get to meet such nice people.

Today, Dane came with me to help make patterns for a huge entryway. Dane doesn't get out often due to his injuries, but he has great upper body strength and is very good with heights. So this was perfect since we had to do 17 tracings of panels..up off of the ground.

The paper patterns took nearly an hour and it took an hour each way to get there, but that was a well spent three hours. Dane insisted that Jeanne needed to go with us and it turned out that she was able to cut patterns to size as we fit them. She and I moved the scaffold several times, taking Dane for a ride. It was a pretty good adventure..we still don't have an approval on the design that we're working on but it looks like a pretty sure thing that we'll get this job. Now if they didn't need it completed by the end of June!

The pattern was drawn using AutoCAD and as we put the pieces in place most were right on, but several were off by a considerable margin. This is why we do it on paper before doing it in glass.

We have several grinders on our wet workbench. Today, I had to clean off an area. If you look closely at the clean grinder, you can see a splatter ring on the wall behind it. Earlier today that ring was over an inch thick with powdered glass that had been slung by the grinder. When I went to take a picture of it, it fell off the wall. But, having noticed it, I had to clean up. The wall didn't take too much effort, even though there was some buildup that didn't come of and I couldn't sand it away without scratching the Formica on the wall. Before I started, both grinders looked equally bad. I just had to spend two hours of scrubbing, filing, sandblasting and sanding to get the one on the right looking new. I'll get to the other one on a day where I have another two hours. There's a message here, keep things clean as you go along or spend a long time getting them clean later. Our Spring cleaning keeps on and on, but the shop is looking great!

Learning To Live With Disappointment

So..here's the cute little panel Jeanne created to see if she could use the kiln to come up with a logo design for a client.

She followed a design that they have printed on their business card.

The little vines took quite awhile to cut out.

She probably spent 2 or 3 days working on the panel.

There is a piece of moonstone glass under the colored stripes to give the panel some thickness. I fired this to 1350 last night.

And here it is, a mess!

You can see that the moonstone broke beneath the colored strips, moved everything about and even began running off the kiln shelf.

What went wrong? I probably ramped the temperature up too fast.

Back to the drawing board...They say that fused artists learn to live with disappointment.

Spring Cleaning

BEFORE

It happens every year, when Spring starts to arrive Jeanne and I both get an urge to clean out the cobwebs, finish old projects and put a fresh look on our studio. This year, things got started early because the weather warmed up and Jeanne visited another artists studio and got inspired.

AFTER

Shop tables are a little cluttered in this photo, but just because we're building a new woman of faith panel.

Now the shelves are painted, so is the scrap glass rack, and we added black bins for storage and a new filing cabinet to replace some that were breaking up. I finally covered the electric outlets that were just bare bulbs with new lamp shades that work well. The studio has a clean, warm feel to it. (Not shown is the drywall repair to a ceiling area that leaked before the new shingles went on and the painted underside of ceiling storage racks that really makes things look finished).

Project Is Complete!

When we started, the project was called "Reach" but as it evolved and the symbolism was explored and expanded, Jeanne renamed it. It's now "Dance Of Life."

We went last Tuesday and put the two corner panels in place. You cane see all the panels as Christopher and I install molding around each of the panels.

This is new for us, we've never installed molding before. Usually the client who may need molding has a carpenter on site, but in this case, Fred depended on us for the entire installation. I picked up 1-1/2" x 3/4" wood strips at Home Depot and stained them several days before the install. There was one place where one of the panels had slid down from their original placement before the caulking dried, so we added an extra strip of molding to fully cover the gap and it looked just like we wanted it, perfect!

We started building the stained glass back in June, so total time on the project was 9 months, but we did have to take time in between panels to complete other work.

New Focus

Jeanne has found a new type of stained glass that we really think is exceptional. She started by hand drawing a design which she says is a mixture between the Frank Lloyd Wright style and the work of Gustav Klimt, the artist who shows people with impossible neck positions. Klimt puts some very unique patterns in the fabrics that he draws and that inspires Jeanne to create something similar in the kiln. She then puts those pieces with antique glass dishes and comes up with a unique piece that makes me smile. There's just something about this glass that makes the person viewing it happy. This is so true that the manger of the Covey Center For The Arts offered to let us keep the pieces we have on display for "as long as we like" and asked if we wanted to add two more pieces. Another fellow who works as a tech at the Center said his mother saw the pieces at Christmas time and fell in love with them! This is high praise since so many folks just walk by the art without a glance.

The "Reach" project continues

Here's a large photo of the first installed panel. I plan to finish soldering the front side of the second panel this weekend and get the second side done by labor day.

We made some errors in judgement on this second panel. We wanted to reuse the pattern pieces, which was okay, but we reused the paper pattern by turning it over. By doing that, we didn't have clean exact lines to build to.

This lead to some confusion where some pieces were laid out in the wrong place and we had to re-cut them when we discovered the problem.

Next time we want to save pattern pieces on a reversed pattern, we'll print a new paper pattern, so we can build to the lines. Maybe even number the pattern prior to printing.

This project is a constant source of joy. It's so fun to work on! Unfortunately, when we install it I'm going to have to stop for a week while we prepare the new pattern on the big table and we have a door panel to rebuild. Both activities require the long table to get them done.

It's great and the weather is cooling off occasionally so the studio is more pleasant.

First Of Five Panels Installed

Christopher was kind enough to come help with the install of the first of five panels in a Provo home. The project is a total of 85 square feet of glass and now that the first is in place, we're confident that we'll be able to complete the rest.

It's a big project. It took a month to build this first one, I'm hoping to cut that time down now that we have all the materials on hand.

Marriot Grand Opening

We set up a display with a multitude of other artists the other day at a show at the Draper Marriot Springhill Suites. The event was well attended an we got a chance to meet some of our artist friends and socialize with the community members about our art work.

It really wasn't the kind of crowd who are folks that are interested in art, but it was good exposure and quite fun to talk to folks from many walks of life.

The live jazz ensemble was very good. When we arrived, they had scheduled us to be placed outside on the patio, but we were concerned that a gust of wind might blow over an easel and stained glass falling on concrete is not recommended. Fortunately, a friend who is a photographer suggested that we set up next to him since he was having to close windows to keep the bright light off of his work.

We placed "The Woman At The Well" on our led lit box and set it in a dark corner. The light was perfect and we're looking forward to getting more boxes because they show the stained glass so well.

Bejeweled-Jeannes new work

Jeanne is working from a photo of our daughter, Katherine to create a new stained glass entitled "Bejeweled." So far the pattern has been a challenge which she has enjoyed creating. She's hoping that the subject and treatment of it will be different enough to get it in the Springville Art Muesum Spring Salon.

It's Fun To Finish A project

We finished an arch window made to resemble the panels at the LDS temple in Sacramento, California.

It's a good looking piece. We'll be using a video of the install on a training video that we plan to offer to sell sometime this year.

All About Glass (Tiffany made wonderful pieces)

Louis Comfort Tiffany was a great glass artist. One of our stained glass students found dishes that they used to eat ice cream from when she was a kid.

Very nice glass. You can't tell how great the finish is  in the photo, but it was a real treat to see it!

Couples Stained Glass Workshop

We are hosting a couples workshop on Friday the 10th from 7 to 9 pm. This is a great date where each couple gets to make two different projects, a stained glass heart suncatcher and a heart blasted into red stained glass. We've hosted this type of event a few times in the past and it's been great fun. Light refreshments will be served at the $35 workshop. It's fun and out of the ordinary!

The Gallery Stroll was great!

Last Friday was the downtown gallery stroll. I was blown away by the metal sculpture on display at the Covey Center. Tim Little has done some wonderful, imaginative pieces. If you get a chance stop by this month, you won't be dissapointed.

Also, the skateboard art at the Terra Nova Gallery has been held over for another month. Jeanne put another piece in the show. "Gliding on Glass," is a glass skate board that is quite nice. It's just great to be part of Provo's art community.

Art is All Around

We are excited about the First Friday Gallery Stroll in Downtown Provo. We are experiencing a large amount of work in our stained glass business..Usually Jan and Feb are our slow times. So with our focus on these two large projects, it's important to spend some time experiencing the arts.

The Byu Illustrators group are featured at the Health and Justice Building. Some very good pieces will thrill your imagination. See you out there!

New Shows

I got to have a piece in the skateboard show at the Terra Nova Gallery last month. It was so well received that they are extending the show an additional month. Some of the boards are very impressive. Mine is decarated with glass. Joe Flores has a Pinochio .uppet coming out of a board. There are quite a few good ones, all good examples of entertaining art. Since you've got another month to see them, you ought to stop by.

Installing A Church Window

   My plan is to use the video I shot at the install of the Saint Francis Of Assisi catholic church in Orem, in a video we're preparing about installs. We've filmed several segments about different installs. They are amateur videos because Jeanne and I shot them on location, but I think they will prove to be very good instruction.

The stained glass is big and was very delicate until it was put in the frame, which is always the case.

Getting Ready For Show Two

   We made it through the Thanksgiving holidays intact, and we're putting the finishing touches on the show at the Covey Center for the Arts. The show, "Illumination" features lit works. Quite a few "Fan Lamps" are the focal point of the show. We're going to set up on the second floor and we'll be the first show in that space.

There are also a couple of panels that are backlit so they'll show well in the space. I think it'll be a pretty nice display, although much smaller (so easier to put together) than the past four shows we've put together.

Jeanne and I will be shuttling back and forth between the two shows on the Downtown Gallery Stroll. The Covey Center show is usually the heaviest attended during the stroll. The Health and Justice building vies for the first and second heavily attended event during stroll.

Hope to see you at one of the shows!

Getting Ready For Show One

   We were caught a little short when we learned that we had to have our entries for the "His, Hers And Ours" show at the Utah County Health and Justice in on November the 19th. The opening reception for the show is scheduled for December 2. Part of the regular downtown art stroll, the reception will last from 7 to 9

The Utah County Art Board

This was a meeting a year ago and now, only three in the photo work with the Utah County Art Board. The Art Board is a group of artists and volunteers that schedule and plan the art shows at The Utah County Health And Justice Building each month. They organize the shows, hang the art work and host the First Friday receptions as part of the Downtown Provo Gallery strolls.

     This evening, Naomi White has resigned as the president of UCAB. She has worked with the board 6 1/2 years and been president for the last 5years. Her resignation is effective the end of December. She will be missed by all those who worked with her.

     As artists who make our living working with the arts, Jeanne and I feel it's very important to be part of our community and especially part of the art community. There is always a constant flow, a changing of the guard in volunteer organizations. We feel that we can volunteer in a leadership role for a year as Jeanne just did working with the gallery stroll for a year and then we must step down and allow someone else to  take over. This is especially true in volunteer organizations because we don't all have that much time to volunteer. We've got jobs and families to support, we've got weddings and family responsibilities. We're busy!

     We want to take a moment to thank all those who volunteer. Especially to Naomi at this time. Thank you!

All Hallows Eve!!!

What a better time to write about the window we're building for the Saint Francis Of Assisi Catholic church in Orem, Utah. It's a beautiful window! I've particularly enjoyed cutting the brown border pieces that are rope-like and thinking about how Christ said he was a "fisher of men." So that has some meaning and the entire panel is packed with symbols and meaning in the shapes and the colors. I'm sure that those who view the panel in the sanctuary where is is installed will find even greater depth and meaning in its' content. Stained glass artists I meet often try to avoid doing religious works because they don't want to be held to the past. They want to break free of the religious nature that were the beginnings of stained glass. Jeanne and I feel that religious inspiration is one of the beautiful aspects of stained glass. We love to include inspirational elements to all of our works. The interaction between glass and light is a sometimes miraculous result and we love the way the natural beauty of glass can drive us to be inspired. This inspiration is a very personal feeling and I think that artists who try to avoid it must have some underlying suspicion of organized religion. But if they were to step back and analyze the nature of glass, they would find that all glass work can fill us with inspiration. Yes, even the dopey suncatchers your grandmother likes!

The folk angel appears in this blog because we're entering her in the Springville religous and inspirational show.

Stained Glass Quilt

You probably know that we created a "Stained Glass Quilt" several years ago and that you can get the patterns for the panels at http://www.betterstainedglass.com/Patterns/p-page.htm
We are now making a video on how to build the stained glass quilt. It shows specific techniques that are required on several of the panels to build them. I think it will be a useful video.
While getting ready to film, I discovered that some of the stained glass panels needed to be cleaned and I created a short instructional video on how to clean a panel. You can see it  at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCVtv0iLVXQ
This is part of our new premium video instruction that is no charge (right now)

Repairing a leaded window using a Dremel tool

This month I wrote a newsletter article about doing a repair to a leaded window using a dremel tool. The panel was perfect for this type of repair. It was small, in good condition and only one piece of glass was broken.

The steps are interesting to read about, but if I had to repair windows to make my living, I'd either have to raise my prices or change my occupation. It's not very rewarding work, since the object is to complete the repair so that no one even notices your handiwork.

Adding Metal Framing To A Panel

I wrote an article about putting metal around an octagon frame (you can see it at http://www.betterstainedglass.com/Newsletter/Archives/042-8-11-Nov-metaloct/addmetal.htm

The image to the left is from that article. The other night we took some video of how it's done using 1/4" zinc outer bar. The technique is quite different and should be valuable if you ever build a octagon or other polygon shape.

Chasing The Cash

I'm an artist not a bill collector and I don't enjoy having to chase money. I'd almost rather walk away from an unpaid debt than have to work to get paid. This is why we ask for 50% up front and then we get the other 50% just before we ship or install. If the client has paid 50% up front, they are unlikely to walk away from their investment. If we get paid the full amount before we ship glass, we don't have to worry about collecting our fee.

But occasionally, things go wrong. A few years ago, we got our 50% up front and billed for the second half with the decorator who we worked with. The window was delivered and installed and then both we and the decorator had to wait for payment. The clients held final payment back from everyone who worked on the project for a year and a half. At the end of that time, the house was sold at double the asking price when we were due to be paid. They had used all the contractors as the bank, doubled their money and then happily paid us all later on. That's the only time I came close to filing a lien on a property.

Recently we delivered some panels that we agreed to trade foe half the value and get the remainder in cash once they were installed. But somehow, when the install happened, the deal started to change, we weren't paid anything, other windows were added into the deal and the whole thing became a mess. Now the client treats us like bill collectors, we've used up our solder reserves on the project and we feel abused. I'm going to try not to let this happen again, but until it gets resolved, it saps energy away from us and makes the creative process a little less enjoyable.

Time Slips By

I can't believe it took me so long to post a clip from our video on Family Projects on YouTube. Better late than never! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAHvgFXP2Ao

Repairing A Window For An Artist

This month's newsletter is about how we fixed a window for our artist friend's, Randy and Lynde Mott. Because she is such an avantgarde person, she thought it would be fun to replace the broken pieces with different colors so that the damage could be remembered. We found that we had clear textured glass that would look quite similar to what we were replacing, giving the repaired window a professional look while "remembering" it's history.

When we finished it was stronger, and better looking that it had been in years. We'll be showing how we did it in the newsletter.

Designing, Designing, Designing

As stained glass artists, we find that one of the clarion calls to success is that we have to design work for clients so that we can build it. There's no escaping the process unless we become "fine artists" and build windows simply for our own delight and show them in galleries, selling one every five years, splitting the commission with the gallery.

So, we choose to meet with commercial clients who might see the advantage to installing stained glass in their facility. This can prove to add value, atmosphere and will freshen up a stale space. We just presented a great design for an entry to a public building. They liked it and scheduled the next meeting, asking for color designs and warning that they would be wanting one or two of the iconic panels changed to something that would be more closely related to their center. The downside is that we will make many different designs, trying to appeal to a committee (sometimes a daunting task). The upside is that we could get work that will be purchased over a four year period.

Now we're working with a church at the same time to create a panel for the sanctuary. This is another important project for us because we want to do work in the community that's meaningful, and folks often ask us if we've done work for churches (or temples) and now we can say we have!

Digging Mandalas

Because Jeanne is writing a new book on Mandalas, "Stained Glass Mandalas For Success," I get to work on them with her. They begin to fill you mind, these circular designs that can help you focus and inspire us to achieve more in our lives.

We recently built one for ourselves, a repeating pattern with subtle, delicate colors. It's inspiring. Sometimes the center demands attention and at other times the border is what is interesting. It's pretty interesting, the way your focus shifts as you live with a mandala. You find that those images really do inspire and really do help you focus. All those meta-physical concepts are actually valid. Who Knew!?

Designing several projects

Sometimes, when we get caught up, the newsletter is done, most jobs are on track and the house payment has been made; it's tempting to relax. Put off the many, many designs that have been asked for. They don't represent immediate business. In fact, many times they feel like work. Because they represent a nebulous promise of work in the future. Sometimes, even when we've been asked to submit designs to someone who says they want them and they have the money so will you please design something for us...it's so easy to just keep sailing along...complacent and taking your time!

That's not happening at the moment! Thankfully. I have several designs that are begging to be done and Jeanne has sketched some out and now she's impatiently waiting for me to get them on AutoCad and get them done! And it's fun drawing them! It's just that there are so many options and great ideas..which way to go, should that element be round because it looks good or should it be oblong so it doesn't look like that other panel? Maybe I should draw both ideas and let the client decide..but you have to be careful because if you give them too many choices, they won't be able to decide on anything.

Design, it's so great and I'm having fun!

Stained Glass in a Headboard

Now this was an unusual project. We've never done a headboard before.

The friend who came to pick it up was afraid it might get broken in his pickup truck. So the clients called around. Top bid was $1800 by a moving company. They would build a wooden crate, pack it up in bubble wrap and ship it the 10 miles to their home.

Uhaul would rent a truck for $250 and sell them wrapping and packing materials for another $250.

While our client talked to me on the phone (she was a talker) I measured my trailer and discovered that it would fit (just barely) with a few modifications.

So I bought plywood, cut it to 6 feet, screwed it to the trailer and then layered 1" foam, the bed frame and more 1" foam and then used bungee cords to secure the load. I delivered it the next day. They were shocked that I showed up fifteen minutes after I called.

It got there safe and sound and looked great!

Don't Step On That!!!! No Really

The other day our daughter, Katherine, cut her foot on a piece of glass, in the living room! Now this is the first time this has ever happened to anyone, but it does serve to remind us that we are dealing with substances that can be hazardous. The little piece of glass was probably tracked in by getting stuck to someone's shoe. I'm not sure how we'll resolve this problem to keep it from happening again.

I'm more worried about the exposure that we might have to lead. This is because it can be happening and you don't even know it. We got a lead environmental tester to check our studio out last year and the only time he got a reading was when he put the tester on a roll of solder. So, we just need to be careful and follow the lead safety guidlines, which are don't eat, drink, smoke or chew gum while working with lead. Wash well after using lead and change your work clothes as soon as possible afterwards.

As far as I am aware, following sensible precautions are all you need to do to protect yourself, but you do need to be aware of the potential hazards around you.

This week in stained glass

We worked on a stained glass window that is a gift for our son-in-law Greg and will also go in Jeannes new Mandala book. The missing pieces are being fired in the kiln.


We also worked on a bed frame. A stained glass panel will fit into the headboard which sits up against a window and the owners want light to be able to get into the room.

And Jeanne spent some productive hours on the bus stop mural she's doing. It may be painting, but it's still art and will be a very happy piece when completed.

A New Datenight For Two

We are hosting another Date Night in conjuction with Susan Glenn's Date Night For Two. This time we will be making "Nova Stars" one of our most popular projects. They make great gifts and are very popular. If you'd like to know more about the event (next Friday) click here to go to Date Night For Two.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwb8GhmeQDI
is the first video we posted for the datenight for 2 that we hosted at Gomm Studios

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUFq43R0UcU
is a second video we posted for datenight for 2 that we hosted in June 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KevEuSR8TR0
is a third video we posted for the datenight event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCn0EMaDQQ
After The datenight was over, Jeanne and Susan talked about how sucessful the evening was.

You Win Some, You Lose Some

We built a cardinal and sent it to Connecticut, Stonington, the place we went on vacation several years ago. In my mind when the project was described to me, I imagined it to be about 2 feet in diameter, so I shot the client a price of $500 plus shipping which might be $50. He answered back that he could go $550 but no more, so we went ahead and started on the piece once we received 50% down.

But I really blew it on the size. It was closer to three feet in diameter, so twice as much glass as I had envisioned and the cost of shipping was $200. I was just glad they would ship it UPS. It also took more like two weeks to build it rather than one so it should have cost more. So like I said, "you win some and you lose some." But it was a pleasant experience creating the bird and should give the client years of enjoyment.

Advice For Artists

I loved visiting with Jenny Oaks Baker. Artists have so much to share about their work. We can learn from each other and be encouraged in our own artistic endeavors. What can you do today to renew that spark that wants to ignite? Write a poem, sing a song, take a photo? It's the summer of your budding talent. We have all been given gifts. What fun to express our creativity. I welcome your thoughts on what you have done this week to "Invite the Light". I'm going to paint a mural, build a window of a piano and make 13 girls camp fused glass pins. What about you?

Creating Video Clips

Those who follow the activities of our studio know that we love teaching and find video to be a very useful way to teach. Our first video took 5 years, 3 producers and many hours to complete. It turned out very well and is our top seller.

When we started on our project series, we decided to avoid continuity errors by shooting the video straight through and then inserting extra shots later. We keep the original video, with any flaws and mistakes. This way we don't have the nightmare of losing information that we had to fight with out first production. We are currently working on our sixth project video. They have each been fun to complete.

Now, we are beginning to shoot little video clips to make our blog and websites more interesting. This has been frustrating at times because I have gotten close to completing a video project time after time and hit a snag and been shut down. Finally I have found a piece of software after trying to use about 15 different software programs, including: adobe premier pro, microsoft movie maker, roxio final cut 7, showbiz, showbiz DVD 2, The entire AVS suite, and Quicktime pro (just to name a few).  This software that finally works with no glitches is Cyberlink Power Director 9. If you find yourself looking for a video editing tool for the PC, this is it! It's very complex and I have much to learn but after all the many programs I've attempted to learn and then running into problems, and printing off hundreds of pages of (sometimes usless) manuals, it's great to have a place where I can focus.

Last night I downloaded the trial version and this morning I was able to complete 2 quick videos about advice to musicians. The following are links to the YouTube videos.

Jenny Oakes Baker

Musicians

Since it works so well, I'm set to but this software and you can get it for only $49, imagine that, the best software at such an affordable price!