Sunflower class

Had a blast doing my glass on glass sunflower class at Don Drumm Studios last week.  Everyone's creations turned out fabulous.  It's so much fun to see the creativity awaken with students.  I provided basically the same flower and stems and then people go wild with the background and different combinations of colors. http://Facebook.com//GlassbyLeona

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Stitch (and various other crafts) and Bitch

Like a lot of folks who take part in Stitch and Bitch, we take "stitch" to mean anything involving crafts. Last night, we had mosaic crafters, a crochet crafter, a recycled arts crafter, and even a bill-payer! Compared to some past Stitch and Bitch sessions, this one was fairly mild. This helped us finish some projects and stay on task. The evening usually starts with an air of studiousness. Observe:

Leona and Jess

 Leona and Jess were both working on mosaic mirrors. They both are such prolific mosaic artists. Both women sell their pieces at Don Drumm Studios & Gallery. And by now you are fully aware that Leona also sells from her Etsy shop. You probably can't tell from the pictures, but Jess is working on a grapevine design. So far, it's looking pretty gorgeous. Leona's is an abstract pattern, and it's off to an amazing start.

And now for something different:

Sara offers her interpretation of Stitch and Bitch by paying bills

Sara, pictured above, opted to partake in the bitching part of Stitch and Bitch by paying her bills. A lot of very weird things have happened at past Stitch and Bitch sessions, but this might take the cake. Her productivity is certainly to be admired.

Carol and Beth decided to give mosaics a try. Leona was there to help them out and answer questions. Their pieces are not finished yet, but they are shaping up to be some admirable bird baths.

Beth working on a mosaic

Carol tried to trick me when she called this a rose

 Julia uses old Christmas lights to make all sorts of creations. It's a good feeling to be able to make an enjoyable piece of art out of something that would probably be thrown away otherwise. Right now, Julia is working on a much bigger version of her Christmas light decorations. If you're curious, her recycled/upcycled art is also for sale at Don Drumm Studios & Gallery.

Julia, making an incredible creation out of old Christmas lights.

After all of this hard work, it didn't take long for the evening to turn to this:

Leona, demonstrating workplace safety by wearing her gloves all night

The session was of course accompanied by some great food. We had some honeydew melon that tasted like lemon. Pretty fantastic sounding, huh? Give it a try. There was also homemade hummus, some wine, and some sensational carrot cake.

Our next Sitch and Bitch might be next week, but it could also be next month or even two or three months from now! The great thing about it is that you can put one together whenever you want. 

A Teen Mosaic GLASS ACT: Part II

We finished up the Teen Mosaics Class at the Ellet Library about a week ago now, and I'm so excited to finally have time to blog about what a wonderful time it was. If you remember from Part I, everyone was thrilled to come back and mix the grout. I am happy to report that we had a full class of 16 very well-behaved students. I was impressed with their patience and diligence, not to mention their ability to work well with minimal instruction.

For this class, my assistant was Amy, who proved her mastery in mixing grout. It is important to achieve an icing-like consistency to ensure an even application. Some students were very specific in their color choices, which required us to mix in some paint to the grout. This was a risky undertaking, and Amy and I breathed a major sigh of relief when it worked out well. Here's Amy and a student discussing some of the steps involved in mixing the grout:

Amy says "Are you sure you need to mix colors?"

Amy and students deciding on paint colors

She is a task-master for sure! The kids loved having her there to help. I am so lucky to have such amazing helpers and friends. The students showed a great sense of color throughout the whole process. Kids at this age have such boundless creativity, and I think it has something to do with not being afraid. Adults need to remember this. Messing up is not a big deal, so there's no need to hold back just because you're worried about making a mistake.

Working on our grout

A mosaic, as I'm sure you know, is the art of creating an image with small bits of colored glass, stone, or other materials. The small pieces, known as tesserae, are used to create a unified pattern or picture. This requires some planning and a lot of concentration. A common method of making mosaics is called the direct method, which is when the individual pieces are glued onto a supporting surface. The grout, a mixture of water, cement, sand, and color tint, fills in the spaces between the glass pieces. It goes on as a thick liquid, but it doesn't take long for it to harden.

Explaining the importance of an even application

It's such a great feeling to watch a piece take shape as you work on it. The movement and flow of the individual pieces (the tesserae) has a very fancy name: Adamento. Say it out loud--it's fun. 

In the end, the grout colors accented all of the pieces very well. Their finished creations are such a reflection of their personalities. After we finished up, I took the pieces home and sealed them. I hope someone reminds all my wonderful students that their finished artwork can be picked up at the front desk of the Ellet Library. 

Thanks again to the staff at Ellet Library for providing these worthwhile activities for kids.

A Teen Mosaic GLASS ACT at the library

On Tuesday, I was honored to teach a teen mosaics class at the Ellet Library. This class is part of the Ellet Library Teens program, an outstanding program that enriches the lives of area teens in so many ways. We are so lucky to have such an amazing library system in Akron. This is the second year I have taught this class, and I was happy to have some repeat students this year. It was amazing how much they had grown and matured in just one year. I was also very thankful to have Joe, one of my trusty assistants, teach the class with me.

When we finish the class next week, I will post a more thorough description of the event, along with the completed projects. For now, these pictures will have to tide you over!

Art in Progress

Art in Progress

Working on the mosaic trees

The ever-talented Joe helps out

Picking our colors

Thanks again to the Ellet Library Teens for allowing me to teach this class!