this is a picture of a happy beader.

Alyson Stanfield of Artbiz blog has a great post today on recycling blog posts as tags for gallery/art shows.  It made me rethink how I write about my work, because doing double duty - i.e., writing a blog and writing a tag for later – works for me.  It made me realize that while I'm rambling here I can also create histories for my pieces.  I may already have done that to some extent (I don't know, I'd have to go back and read and I'm not going to do that), but now I'll keep it in the forefront.

To that end, the fused glass came out of the kiln today less than I hoped.  My experiemental piece with no clear on top came out great.  The torso piece with clear on top came out looking like bottle glass.  And the dichroic I put on each of the pieces either disappeared (the smaller thin ones) or created a bubble or almost bubble.  Very big sigh.  I am hoping that my first two pieces weren't beginner's luck.  Anyways, I put some confetti glass and spread some random frit, and painted on one with gold (that's an experiment too) and put them back in on their armatures and we'll see how it all turns out.  If not well, then I can just throw everything back into the fuse stage and try again.  I must keep reminding myself:  this is how we learn!

Meanwhile managed to barter myself a haircut from my favorite beautician in exchange for a necklace she likes.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love barter?

Day before yesterday I got the latest copy of the magazine Artful Blogging in the mail.  Leah Piken Kolidas of Creative Every Day (if you click over to the magazine, that's her piece in the lower right hand corner) had an article in it about….creativing every day!  She included several of her regular readers' works in the article, including me, thus on page 32 they published one of my crayon drawings.  The magazine is gorgeous.  I'm delighted.  I didn't even have to do any work for this one!  Not like the 4 hours I spent today putting together a proposal for Montgomery County or the 3 hours I spent a week or so ago for a call for proposal for Prince George's County (both close by in Maryland).  I don't answer many public art calls but both of these are right down my alley – I feel confident I could do them and do them well, and if I got them I wouldn't have to worry about $$ for a while either!  So cross your fingers for me.

thought for the day: …I've often played a similar game at art galleries, museums or receptions.  It has two parts, sometimes three.  First, I ask myself which work of art I wish I'd made, and wy.  sometimes, it's a brilliant use of materials.  sometimes it's a combination of ideas and elements that play off each other dramatically…Second, I ask which work of art would I most like to own – not for its resale value, but for the pleasure of living with it.  Many successful works of art are nonetheless disturbing and hard to be around for any length of time.  These pieces…communicate in ways that may be ideal for those with a short attention span, but which ultimately run contrary to the search for personal harmony.

And third, when price lists are available, which of all the pieces in the show has the highest price tag?  In other words, which piece do I think the artists found most successful, or most difficult to make?   Larry M. Brow in IComment:  the piece you wish you made" Ceramic Monthly December 2008