Palo Alto - over and onto the next project!

Heather joined us for the weekend and she is the Queen of retail since she works retail on Pacific in Santa Cruz. We are grateful for her energy!
I really appreciate the hard work of the ACGA organization - wonderful people and a visual feast.

Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival

We will be participating in the Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival July 10, 11 from 10 to 5 at the Palo Alto Art Center on the corner of Embarcadero and Newell. It is a visual treat of clay and glass artists from Northern California. www.acga.net for more info - maps and artists. Should be fun! We are working hard on the booth and gardening too! More on that later...

Graduated!

The crazy trip is over. First, a beautiful drive down the Eastern Sierra to Las Vegas then over to Santa Monica for an opening reception at Adamm's Gallery, a wonderful drive up 101 through California - home one day - and off to Heather's graduation - Phi Beta Kappa UC Santa Cruz......now back to blowing through the summer heat which luckily hasn't really hit yet. Way too fast. Most photos were out the car window at 70 mph.....

Graduation!

We are excited, proud parents - our daughter, Heather, graduates with honors from UCSC on Saturday, June 12! I am reading her thesis and needed a break! She majored in Community Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies and worked in San Francisco at La Raza Central Legal with day laborers and domestic workers for her internship. She will stay in Santa Cruz for the summer and study for the LSAT in August. You never know what will come of this but a life adventure is ahead for her and for so many more young people who take on our troubled world.

Tools of the Trade

Rick's tools - blowpipes, punties and golf clubs!

BIG one for NY NY!

Rick is pushing hard - but he leaves for a brief trip to Hawaii Wed so I don't feel very sorry for him. Big ten piece commisssion underway for the BMI lobby in New York City!

Law Office Installation

This custom grouping and Uplift, "Fiesta!", was very fun to create - lots of freedom in color and design!

Chandelier is installed!

20 feet up in the air! We still have a few more adjustments from a very tall ladder, but it is up!

The Artful Bra show at High Hand Gallery

Don't Fence Me In! A peek at our bra for the Artful Bra Show Auction benefiting The American Cancer Society. Blown glass and barbed wire. Another creative adventure.

Teepees

We have teepees in our pasture - just to keep life interesting! Matt's roommate has 14 and is practicing setting them up in our pasture. He is in LA with one now for the filming of a documentary. The visitors to our Open Studio weekend were fascinated!

North Auburn Art Studios Tour

North Auburn Art Studios coming up this weekend, May 8 and 9, 10 to 5. 10 artists, 8 studios. It will be a beautiful weekend! Lots of blowing, cleaning and yardwork going on.

Tour

Today was a beautiful, sunny day! A homeschool group came for a demo and enjoyed a picnic in the yard. The students were mesmerized. It is amazing to see how long the molten glass can hold their attention.

Studio Projects

We are currently working on a chandelier from our Renewal Series - 56"H x 32"W. It will hang from a 20'ceiling in a home full of original contemporary Western art. The plan is to install in early May!

Action in the studio

Working on a couple of wall installations and Uplifts this week - Lots of activity!

Outside The Box

Placer Arts, our local arts organization, is holding their annual Outside The Box fundraiser. 100 artists are given boxes to turn into "art" with an auction at the end of the show. We are participating this year for the first time and it has been lots of fun!

SEARCHING FOR BALANCE - The main theme in my life! I was determined to work with "found" materials in our shop but couldn't resist blowing glass "into the box" and incorporating the result "out of the box"!

Artwalk April 8, 6 to 9 at the Arts Building - auction May 22, 7pm

Portland!

The schedule is really heating up! We have orders to keep us going and Spring is here! I spent an incredible 3 days in Portland at Bullseye for a glass workshop. Now my main job is to elbow out space and time in my life to make creative things happen - and I will. I am determined. I have so many photos, but will give you a peek into the factory. Fascinating to watch the hot sheets of glass roll out. Truly a glassworkers candy store.

Philadelphia Buyers' Market

We survived the snow in Philly and the challenging travel. We finally arrived at 1AM and set up for the show opening at10AM. Many buyers were absent but all in all it went well and we are busy with work. We had an incredible Valentine dinner at a new Japanese Fusion restaurant called Japas - like tapas. Then on the way home, we spent 3 1/2 hours on the tarmack before the plane managed to take off. The next day I crashed on the couch and finished my book - Middlesex. Interesting and well written. Now I'm out smelling the flowers. Good to be home again.

Off to Philadelphia!

The glass is off to Philadelphia and we will be soon. Can't wait to reconnect with our galleries!

Don't Miss Wicked!

I finally got to see Wicked in San Francisco - Once for Heather's birthday and just yesterday for my birthday. Don't miss it! Meanwhile, I will attempt to defy gravity as I prepare for Philadelphia.

Torsos in 4 Points Hotel, Guangzhou China

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It promises to be a better one. We are regrouping from the busy holidays and preparing to travel to the Philadelphia Buyers Market in February. I want to share the image of the Torsos (20" tall) that went to the 4 Points Hotel Spa in Guangzhou, China about a month ago. I wish I could go to China to see them! We have work in the Ritz Carlton in Shenzhen and the Shangri-La Hotels in Beijing and Shanghai too - Time for a road trip? Actually, I'm hoping for a trip to Italy first - gotta see the art!