Good Morning,

I've been missing in action for a couple of days. While I may be "the master of my fate" and "the captain of my soul" there comes a point in a sculpting project that the clay becomes the boss of me. So I've spent the past couple of days being bossed around by a beige lump. Today I decide to share a different medium with you. This etched stone work may be heavy and cold but it is far more flexible than the clay. You can work on it for a while then walk away for a week or longer  if you need to . When you come back it is patiently waiting and happy to see you. So maybe it's not such cold stone after all. I hope you enjoy the work. Have a great weekend. I have to run...the clay is calling.

Sara 

Hi there,

Today's  photos are of a little paint project I did recently. When I started dabbling in art my medium was watercolor. I moved on to acrylic and when I decided to make art my career I opted for something functional to help secure a flow of income. I find some people are more willing to spend money on art when they can justify it as a building expense. I mostly do tile and glass work now but for certain clients I will still do a mural or decorative paint finish. I have some fun before and after photos that I will save for another day. For now I hope you enjoy the nursery.

Sara

For some strange reason I have an affinity for aquatic creatures. The reason it's strange is that I'm not a big fan of getting wet and I am a fairly weak swimmer. I love depicting sea life in my art. There is something so magical and delicate in these creatures. I am particularly fond of the jelly fish because of an incident in Mexico a few years back. We were snorkeling and ended up in a school of tiny red jelly fish. They looked like beautiful little chrysanthemums pulsing in the water. It wasn't until later that we learned they were spawning and had left some of their delicate larva in our skin. We were sick and very itchy for about 6 weeks but the only lasting affect was the connection we now feel with jelly fish. We can't blame them since we were the ones invading their territory.

These two tiles were created using a method called Pate De Vere (past of glass). They look fuzzy but the photos are not out of focus. This technique creates a soft fuzzy appearance. There is a full description of the process on my website for anyone who is interested. 

hasta manana 

These latest images are a grouping of ceramic mosaic stepping stones I created. They were commissioned by our local garden club and were placed in the reading garden at the new library. There are 30 of them 13 tiles have the letters of the alphabet as their center panel. The others are a stylized kaleidoscope design. The black iron sculpture behind the tiles is a kaleidoscope created by another local artist, hence my choice for the pattern. The completed pieces weigh 230 lb each. It was certainly a workout.

Hi All,

Today spring arrived in the snowy Mid-West. We are expecting a high of 63 degrees. A temp we haven't seen since last October. In honor of the warm air and sunshine I have uploaded some photos of my garden. These are pictures of a fountain that I designed and my husband and I built. I applied the pattern on the fountain floor with acid stain and it has endured several years of sun and chlorine without fading. The fountain head is 6' tall and stands on a 30 pedestal. It is made of stoneware and is approximately 150 years old. I wish I could say that I had sculpted it but I have not achieved that skill level yet. The pool was built like a swimming pool with the pump and filter system plumbed underground. The pump is housed in the basement. The fountain is 30" deep with half of the wall above ground and half below. There is also an underwater light. We have been know to float on air mattresses sipping cocktails on steamy summer afternoons. Today isn't going to be warm enough for that but I am headed into the yard to start the spring clean-up. An eqyually joyful task in my opinion. Have a great day and breath the fresh air!

Sara 

Hi All,

I am new to blogging so I thought I would introduce myself. My name is Sara. I live in Bay City MI, a town of about 32,000. It's a decent little place with a strong sense of community and a lot of activity. There is a river that runs through the middle of it dividing the town into East & West. We have several festivals on the river during the spring and summer months. The river is home to several marinas and there are a few dockside restaurants. Lake freighters as big as 1000 feet cruise through the middle of town. It's a pretty awesome sight. We also have a beautiful historic district with huge Victorian homes built during the lumbering boom.

One of my reasons for joining this group is to get some input from it's members on the subject of retail sales. I am a full time artist but my work has been limited to commissions up to this point. Most of my work is architectural, large windows and tile work for residential and commercial installation. Now that construction has slowed and everyone is tightening their wallets I am thinking I need to branch out into retail sales.

One of the areas I'm curious about is Ebay. I'd like input from anyone willing to share their experience for better or worse. 

I look forward to hearing your remarks.

Sara