A Sneak Peak

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I want to give a sneak peak of the holiday beads I've been working on. I've experimented with all sorts of designs--candy canes, Santa hats, stockings, snowmen, holly leaves, and bells. The candy canes and snowmen are definitely the most challenging. The snowmen because I want to make them in one single piece instead of 3 separate round beads. Then, I add a scarf and "coal" eyes and buttons. These like to bake in and spread out too much and make the snowman look creepy. So, I have to make sure not to heat them directly while I'm adding the finishing touches. Finally, I put the carrot nose on and have to be careful that it too doesn't spread out. Here are some slightly creepy ones:

Tomorrow is the American Leadership Academy's holiday craft fair in Spanish Fork. I'm excited! My sister Elizabeth is helping out and I hope to have a fun, busy day.

Where Were They Going (without ever knowing the way)

On the Nevada side of the Virgin River Gorge, going northbound on I-15, is a sight that has intrigued me for years. Looking tiny in comparison to the mountains that loom behind, a half-finished house clings to the desert landscape. I look forward to passing it each time I travel this route (a couple times a year). Who built that house? Why did they stop? How long has it been there?

I imagine it would have taken someone quite brave to build a home so far from a city, next to the immense gorge. It's miles from a city, solitary, yet completely exposed to the tens of thousands of travelers along the interstate. If you look at close-up, you'll notice that there's an old car parked out back. That's been there as long as I can remember as well.

I wish I knew the history of this place. Searches online have been fruitless. But, the not knowing allows for greater mystery and I'm free to imagine all sorts of possibilities. Did the owner run out of money? Did they pass away suddenly? Was there a problem with running water and electric that far? Was it the result of a love affair that ended in disillusionment? Every time I see this home I recall the chorus to Fastball's The Way:

Anyone could see
The road that they walk on is paved in gold
And it's always summer, they'll never get cold
They'll never get hungry
They'll never get old and gray
You can see their shadows
Wandering off somewhere
They won't make it home
But they really don't care
They wanted the highway
They're happy there today

Ghouls, Ghosts, and Glass

Today was the last day at the Provo Farmer's Market. It was a lot of fun to share the Halloween festivities and hang out with the other vendors. We didn't have our usual spot, but it was still a lot of fun. Too bad it was FREEZING out! Good thing Elizabeth was along to help out and make things entertaining. We have the best time and laugh at each others' lame, I mean hilarious, jokes.

Go ahead: mac...ra...me!

At the last farmer's market I had an idea. Recently I've been doing a little macrame (rhymes with back-la-bay). So far, it's consisted of the typical things: bracelets, necklaces, etc. While outside at my booth, enjoying the beautiful Indian summer weather, I realized I could make macrame earrings, too! Since then I've had a lot of fun experimenting and here are the results:

I found that waxed linen bookbinding thread has the best results for earrings. It's easy to get carried away and make the earrings too long or forget to alternate sides when I'm weaving. But, I'm pleased with the outcome.

In other news, Butch and I just got back from Vegas. Together with his parents, siblings, and their girlfriends, we rented a house a few minutes from the strip. It had a pool, tennis court, and hot tub. So much fun! I just want to say congratulations to Kim Fay and Jonathan Johnson, whose wedding was the reason we took our awesome weekend away!

It's a Blu Day

I just love some of Blu's work. He's an artist from Argentina, who does a lot of graffiti, screen printing, and graphic stuff. What I especially like is that he makes his art available to the public, remaining outside of the institutionalized sphere of the art world. I've posted a video Blu did in cooperation with David Ellis. It's amazing!

Life in the Glass Lane

I love  discussing art, studying the history of art, and most of all, making art. For the last couple years I've mainly concentrated on stained glass. This led me to lampworking, which is making beads and sculptures with glass and a torch. In other words, I get to play with fire! The first moment I laid eyes on this amazing process, I was hooked. Since then I have spent countless hours (and dollars!) setting up my studio and making beautiful beads.

I have recently started my own company called White Torch Glassworks, where I sell my lampwork beads and jewelry I make from them, as well as my stained glass work. I currently sell a little on Etsy, but mostly on ebay. Also, I have a booth at the Provo Farmer's Market. My sister, Elizabeth helps me out. It's so much fun hanging out with the other sellers, meeting lots of different people, and demonstrating my torch work. If I had my way, I'd quit work and school and play with glass all the time. 

Lets get this over with

Blogging.  I'm intimidated by the amazing stuff I've read out there. But it's time to start my own. This blog will be a little bit of everything: my art, my experiences teaching, and experiences from daily life. I might ramble a little...or a lot, and hopefully you'll find some of it interesting. Okay, first post is over. From here on it should be less awkward.