Chair Affair + PROJECT UPDATE

I'm taking a break from updating the Community Warehouse Chair Affair + project. I need new glass for the top of the dresser.....and the glass sale starts February 5th. Meanwhile, I will catch up on some long overdue commissions. I'll be posting those soon.

Some very messy construction to shore up our garage and deck have kept me out of the kiln shed....so hopefully Sunday, I will resume firing. Temperatures here in Portland have dipped below freezing.

It sounds a bit strange, but it is best not to start the kiln below 39 degrees! So I will simply assemble numerous pieces and head to the kiln as soon as it warms up. 

See you all again as soon as I have some photos to post!

Goodbye Fuschia, Hello Burgundy!

So pleased to discover some leftover paint....much deeper and darker......YAY!

It may require one more coat but then the burgundy paint days are done!

I'll be back at the warehouse on Thursday or Friday to get the other colors of paint going.

Tuesday will be glass shopping day and then I will begin making the stained glass overlay for the mirrors. I've enjoyed the break from painting but am totally jazzed to get back into it now that the dresser no longer screams 

PINK!!!!!!

MIRRORS GO ON VACATION

Taking off the mirrors was a 2 person job!

This dresser couldn't look much worse right now!
...but good times are ahead!!!!

I'm grateful that my husband could come help me. Once a few screws were removed, each mirror needed to be braced so it wouldn't fall. 

The paint color is still of great concern but I will get to that next week.....Wednesday?......maybe? Burgundy and burnt umber to the rescue.

I imagine the mirror work will take 2-3 weeks to complete, but if I can get caught up on my commissioned art work, I might be able to get the mirrors finished sooner.

On another note, the warehouse desperately needs some financial donations in these next few days....$5? $25? $100?

Every dollar donated is used carefully to support the needs of those who would like to have a reasonable home with a bed, a table, some dishes. Their goal is to raise $2000/day for the next several days....please help!

communitywarehouse.org  in Portland, Oregon

When 2 Coats Are Not Enough!

Magenta is not burgundy!

I want Burgundy!

                       

Two coats of paint on some of the dresser helped. I laid a first coat

on the drawer faces. The color definitely deepened, but the difference between magenta and deep burgundy is huge. Basically this color screams HOT PINK! I do not like hot pink!

So what's next? On the advice of an artist (painter), I will investigate streaking the surface with burnt umber. That should deepen the tone. If that doesn't work, I will mix my own paint and start again.

I still haven't had a chance to get everything coated with at least one layer of paint, so it's time to remove the mirror and have at the back facing of it. 

It'll be two weeks before I get back to the dresser. Meanwhile, my mirror plans are firming up. See you on the 19th!

BURGUNDY- no glass

A fresh can of burgundy paint was purchased and with only 40 minutes available to me, I started slapping the burgundy paint over the primer. I fear it will take at least three coats to get an even layer of paint to cover the primer. The paint is much lighter than the paint chip so I have my fingers crossed that subsequent coats will yield a deeper tone.

Next Wednesday I hope to lay down more burgundy...we'll see what happens. I'll also be taking mirror measurements so I can start designing the stained glass over-lay.

Shopping for paint at my local ABoy store, I again saw Shelinda, a dedicated Chair Affair Artist. She's just getting started on her project...an outdoor art sculpture made from a metal vanity stool. I can hardly wait to see what she does. When she's finished, I'll try to get some pictures and post those here on the blog.

A White Washing: necessary deed!

Today's work involved priming everything but the top in boring white primer. I plugged in my music, grooved to some Janis Joplin and the task was quickly converted to a pleasant....no, joyous experience!    

I'llbe back next week to lay down some color. I can feel the excitement mounting, although there is so much left to do. Check back next week. I'll have more pictures.   

In the meantime, you should get yourself down to the Tualitan Store and check out what they have in their estate section. This area is open to the public and you can get great deals on some amazing furniture. I was astonished at the bargains. I am picky! I found myself lusting over several beautiful pieces of furniture and I'm now trying to figure out where I could put some of it! I want to buy some!!!!!!!!

Getting Down and Dirty!

 There's me peeking at myself. I am so glad I remembered to bring along a dust mask!

                This piece may be old but it has "good bones!"

Today was a messy cleaning up kind of day. I washed down the mirrors in an effort to find out was was bad silvering and what was just plain dirt. All the drawers came out and were cleaned (yech!).

Sanding was the major effort today....just getting rid of bumps and heavy stains. Fortunately the Warehouse had a good shop vac so I was able to make short work of all the dust!  Next week....primer!

Pretty Beat Up!

Errand Day! Shopping at my local ABoy Hardware store for sand-paper and primer.

Next week will be devoted to cleaning up the shappy exterior, cleaning up the interior of the drawers, replace a missing drawer stop, and blanketing the whole thing in white primer. 

Ran into Shellinda LeMert, another local artist who has been a devotee to the Chair Affair. She's got a pretty nifty project going as well!

I have a few commissions in progress...need to finish those next.

Check back next week for more pix of my progress!

My Chair Affair Project 2013

I am so pleased to show you this piece of furniture I plan to rehab for the Chair Affair Auction in the spring of 2013.

This will be my 6th year working on a project for this special cause. I have never made a chair and it doesn't look like this year will be any different.

Last year the auction brought this amazing community agency $127,932! If you are unfamiliar with what they do.....check out their website.... Really.....go look!!!!!!

Project #1 was an old ladder-back chair that I converted into a water fountain. #2 was a side table I made from a bar stool. Project #3 was an old stool turned into an outdoor bird bath. My fourth project was a coffee table  and #5 was a small side table.

This year my attention will be focused on this very old and very well-used bedroom dresser.

It's big, it's old, it's beat up and it's heavy! It is currently living at the Community Warehouse, Tualitan Branch. My work space is too cramped to deal with it at home but the folks at the warehouse are sooooo nice- they are letting me work on it there. I am determined to get on it quickly.

Stay tuned. I will be updating my progress frequently!

My booth at Celebration of Art 2012

WEDDING BOWL

This fused glass bowl is the perfect wedding gift .  
I love working on commissions like this because the work is customized to suit the needs of the purchaser and the recipient. This large glass bowl is crafted with unique Bullseye glass. The beautiful rainbow dichroic glass used to form the hebrew letters were  also manufactured here in Portland, Oregon by Spirit Glass.

There are 36 (double chai) dichroic "dots" on this bowl. The dark blue river is actually sparkling aventurine blue glass and the names are cut from rainbow dichroic glass. Photographing glass remains the ultimate challenge for me....but this bowl really "pops!"

No two items are alike. Every piece is handcrafted with care and comes with a written explanation of the symbolism contained within the design.

You can contact me directly if you are interested in ordering a personalized gift :  sparksofspirit@gmail.com

First Plate in a New Series!

This is one of my newest plates....as always, the challenge is in photographing iridizied glass.
The shine in this photo seems to diminish the colorful stripes...but the colors are pronounced and vibrant when you handle the plate. It's 12" x 12"....and it sparkles! The upper right square is silver leaf. 

It is the first of my new Tapestry series, inspired by the famous coat of many colors (Joseph).  It's a wedding gift so it won't be for sale, but I will have it on display.

I will post future plates in the series...but they are on hold until I catch up on my new commissions. Yesterday's art show was  a successful endeavor and in addition to the glass I sold there, I now have 4 commissions to keep me in the studio for a couple of weeks!

COME SEE ME!

October 21 between 10:30am-4:30 pm @ the MJCC

Free admission!   My booth will be filled with new glass designs....and a few favorites from the past.

Live music will entertain you....and if you stop by my booth and tell me you saw this message, I'll have a fun little token of appreciation to give you!

Pictured above are some doves I just cut out....future tallit clips!
(a favorite past design in a new glass!)

I have some new designs too...but I want to hang on to the surprise for now...... Come see them in person!

Zaragosa Hotel Glass!

Each floor of the hotel features a different window of thick rough glass held together with mortar. The colors were rich, deep and inviting.....ahhhhh!

Best Coffee in Barcelona

....And the glass is quite lovely, too!

At the Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia- a magnificent cathedral designed by Antonio Gaudi...and still under construction- has some incredible glass work. 

El Born Bar/Cafe in Barcelona!

A tiny little restaurant with yummy  little sandwiches, beer and wine. We opted for cold water before indulging in anything else. The glass of course beckoned us to come in and enjoy....we did!

I'M BACK!

A contemporary window in a 15th century Barcelona cathedral

Three Weeks in Spain! 

Art, architecture, food, wine....... Inspiration at every turn!
I didn't see much in the way of fused glass. There were the occasional cheap trinkets, poorly made but mostly it was the architectural glass that caught my eye.

I'll be back in the studio after Yom Kippur. My next show is Oct 21st at the MJCC (6651 SW Capitol Hwy) 10:30-4:30. Come see me!

In the meantime....I will post some pix of delicious glass from my trip! This was one of my favorites!

NEW CHALLAH PLATE

This plate just pops! The iridized glass shifts colors in the light and the hand cut dichroic letters absolute shimmer.  If you look closely you'll see 6 dichroic beads reaching from the left side top and bottom corners toward shabbat.

 This is the perfect accent to your Shabbat table. Since Shabbat happens once every seven days, you will get a lot of use out of it. Your challah will look gorgeous on it. The glass is food safe and can serve up more than just bread!  If this rainbow of colors doesn't fit with your table decor, order a custom made tray, plate or other
well crafted design. Interested? Questions? Send me an email! sparksofspirit@gmail.com

Apples and Honey

It's still early August, but the High Holidays are just around the corner. Here's a new little dish for apples and honey.....Let's bring on a sweet new year!