A different direction

I was recently asked if I could paint a mural. It's not something I usually do - either painted commissions or large scale murals. But I took the job, and really rather enjoyed it.

The subject matter was also alien to me - cars and a gas station. Don't think I've ever drawn a car before, so I knew it was going to be a challenge.

The owner of the mural used to own and work for 'Signal' back in the day, and he wanted an old fashioned gas station, with a 1948 Chevy, and a 1932 Ford. He owns the Chevy, and his son owns the Ford.

Here are the results! I delivered it last weekend, and it will hang in a large barn, with all sorts of other motor memorabilia. It is 8ft x 4ft.

Zoe's window

This is the second window for this client, and is in her daughter, Zoe's, bathroom. It is similar to a window I made before, with fused and leaded glass, in subtle colors. It is obscuring enough, without blocking out important light from the room.

The first thing that struck me, as I walked towards the bathroom, to take the shot - was the great reflection t made in the shower door, so I'll show that picture too.

It is a contemporary window - for the clients taste - and reminds me of what I know as 'cow parsley' in the UK. Not sure what it would be called here?

Interestingly - there should be no purple glass in this window. All the glass chosen for the project was subtle shades of blue and turquoise, to match the tile in the room. However, when I fired the fused glass - one of the blue glasses turned purple. I showed this to the client, who liked it enough to keep it in the window instead of me making it again. So I just added a little more, in the leaded section of the window (for balance) After I'd kiln fired the extra glass of course. It happens - glass can do some odd things when put under pressure!

Oh! another note. The window was created, made and delivered to the contractor to install, who promptly broke it within ten minutes, trying to 'twist' it into the frame. The large central fused piece in the upper window, got cracked in two, so the window came straight back to me, to be taken apart and remade - again. Not amused. All sorted now though, and safely back in.

I usually always end up installing my work, or being part of the process at least, but since baby's arrival, have decided that it's something that I just can't be expected to do. So it was particularly frustrating, as this is the first time I said 'no'.

The redwood window

A few blogs back I showed you the plaster casts for some 3D glass I was making for a client's window. I finally have photos now that the glass has been installed.

This window depicts a redwood tree, with cast handmade glass, and has illustrations of the client's three children at the bottom of the tree. They are painted with kiln fired paint.

Next time I'll show the other window I made for the same house!

It's nice to finally have some work to show. Recently, I have been very busy 'creating' which often leaves little time to blog, and not much to show. Now, I have finished several projects, which means I can take the time to post at last.

At the bottom of the garden

The Magic Bag has been groaning and wriggling - which usually means it's up to something. So imagine my surprise when I went outside to discover a little cottage had landed in my yard!

Well, that's how I like to remember it, anyway. It could also be remembered as the culmination of an awful lot of hard work, and possibly the cause, or aggravation, to six months of permanent sciatica, but I prefer the Magic bag version.

Since my husband works from home a great deal (when not traveling) and since the arrival of Baby, we've needed somewhere quiet and private as a working space. So this is the result - popped in a bottom corner of the yard that had been yet to find a purpose.

We had a company erect it, but I pretty much did the rest - from insulation to drywall and painting. Lovely husband did the electrics and laid the laminate flooring, and we each have an end: mine with a drawing board, and his with a desk and computer (and the guitar!)

The photos explain themselves, and I thought it would be helpful to see the area before the cottage landed. I didn't find any ruby slippers, and the only evil witch is me - bent double and grimacing with back pain!

Brown rice and black pepper

This weekend, I took a brief few hours away from dogs, work and baby to spend some time with a friend. We travelled locally to Santa Cruz, and spent a quiet few hours talking and just 'being' for once.

We ate at a place that serves organic chinese/thai food, and were chatting about our crazy lives. I realized that these days - a 'wild night out' means eating white rice instead of brown, and going to bed at eleven instead of ten. I laughed to myself about it - and felt very tired the whole next day.

Well - you all guessed it would happen soon - we have got another dog. Really can't believe Dolly has been gone for nearly a year. The new dog is 'Heidi' and for once, we kept her shelter name as it suited her so. She is a something crossed with something else - part terrier at least, salt and pepper color, and weighs about 20 lbs, so a 'proper' dog by my husbands standards.

She is currently equal parts sweet and demon (she is only 8 months old) and like nothing better than to grab shoes/slippers/bra/trousers/towel/baby book or any available item, and to drag it through the dog door and outside onto the lawn to sleep on/destroy or bury.

I am very much hoping that all these things will be grown out of and leave a well behaved young dog - but time will tell on that!

The picture is her shelter picture - so she has grown a bit already, and her ears now flap down, instead of stand up. She was reluctant to stand still for a more recent portrait, and I don't have the patience or time right now to chase her for one!

Bob cats and bears

Blog silence - as ever - can only mean one thing: Busy busy busy!

I have, at last, managed to actually complete some projects recently, due to 'Gran R' visiting from the UK, and giving me some baby free time to work (thanks Gran!)

This project contains a bear and a bobcat, and is for a couple who own a house in both: Los Gatos (the cats) and Los Osos (the bears). The window will go to their house in Los Osos, on the central coast, now it is finished.

I showed sneak peeks before of the cast glass around the border, and here is the finished window. It contains hand blown glass, cast glass, painted, stained, etched, sandblasted and fused glass, enameled and copper foiled glass, phew! Not sure I could have thrown any more techniques at it?

Oh - and bevelled glass, nearly forgot about that. I like the bear, although I think the cat is too big - but that was a client request, so not my artistic choice.

More pictures of finished work coming soon. I've finished two other windows and am currently working on a painting mural for a change.

Moon cakes and magic!

Yesterday was the Autumn equinox, and a good friend emailed to suggest I get some moon cakes.

I don't need any excuse to have a tea party, so off I went to Sheng Kee's Bakery in Cupertino, in pursuit of the little brown pies. I returned with a selection of mini moon cakes: nuts, pineapple, and lotus seeds, and these are traditionally eaten in celebration of the Mid Autumn Equinox, also known as the Moon Festival.

As the sun set, I cooked Chinese food, in keeping with the theme, and as it started to get dark, we illuminated lanterns and brewed jasmine tea. We joined our neighbors around their fire pit, to watch the fat, bright harvest moon rise behind the mountains. Incense was burned - to honor the Gods, and its rich pungent smoke swirled around us and up into the fronds of the redwood trees.

The pictures are of my dinner - before I ate it! And the moon cakes (and panda cookies for the kids!)

And my neighbors, with one of their daughters and My Marli, on her lap!

Good fortune to all!