Creative surge

The weeks leading up to Christmas were a frenzy of glass, flux and solder as I tried to keep up with orders for leaded glass snowflakes. I made 27 snowflakes this year, compared to 11 last year. This meant going into debt for a time, after buying supplies and waiting for people to pay me. (I might do things a little differently next year.)

I really love making unique glass creations, but the pressure of cranking them out en masse this year got to me a bit. I was happy with each of the snowflakes I made, but at points it felt more like a burden than an enjoyable creative experience, especially when debt entered the picture.

But now that the frenzy has subsided, the debt is gone and I have a whole week off (thanks to the generosity of my employer!), I have been experiencing a renewed sense of creativity, purely for the fun of it.

I put together a piece made of tiny glass scraps left over from a Christmas commission. They were too small and plentiful to foil and solder, so I glued them together. The entire piece is roughly 5x7. (I still need to clean it up and put a frame around it.)

The other night, I spent some time doodling, which I haven't done in months. I have a dozen or so doodles similar to this one. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to just lose myself in a doodle!

I've also gotten back to my harp, which has been woefully neglected since the Sanders show ended. Robb and my poor neighbor downstairs had to listen to me tune it for about an hour. (Sorry guys!)

Yesterday, I started working on a glass piece that has been in the "pattern state" for going on a couple years now. I really love this design and have a hunch that maybe some others will too... so I'll probably be making it a few times over. But I just might keep the first iteration for myself.

After all the pre-holiday artistic mass production, I'm somewhat relieved to know that my creative spark still exists. In addition to the poppies project, I plan to do some baking this week, and maybe a drawing.

I guess I'll be finishing out 2010 with a surge of creativity -- and ringing in 2011 the same way!

Analog vs. digital

Ever since the technology world flipped the digital switch, the debate of analog versus digital has been circling 'round and 'round, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

I had a discussion with Robb recently about film photography versus digital photography and a similar discussion on the topic of artistic talent, whether innate or manufactured.

B&W film photo. Grain Belt © 2000 www.emilyjcole.com

It used to be that to take good photos, one had to have a keen eye for value, color and composition. Photos shot on film involved either processing them oneself in a darkroom, or rolling the dice with a commercial developer. Either way, it was easy to tell a good photograph from the not-so-good ones.

Now, with digital technology, virtually anyone can be a talented photographer. Photo editing programs like Photoshop, Lightroom and even freebies like Google's Picasa mean that tasks like cropping, straightening, adjusting brightness/contrast/saturation, etc. can be achieved with a mouse-click and can make any old photo look like a masterful composition. All that is required of the eye is to see.

This is not necessarily a bad thing! It opens up a world of creativity to people who may never have dipped their toe in the creative waters otherwise. It does raise the bar, however, for anyone wanting to pursue a career in photography. Talented photogs either need to step it up a notch and produce great photographs, or get lost in the shuffle with the myriad of good ones. 

I used to think of myself as a decent photographer and briefly considered delving into it as a sideline profession. But not anymore. The sheer cost of keeping up with the latest and greatest technology that is required to produce great vs. good photos has, I dare say, permanently relegated me to that of a hobbyist. 

Digital sketch. Lil Wayne © 2010 SEILER

 

The same analog vs. digital conundrum holds true for painting and drawing too. I follow an über-talented art blogger named Seiler who is a successful caricaturist and artist in Chicago. He does everything digitally and can turn around a painting in a couple days and a drawing in even less time. 

Graphite drawing. Muhammad Ali © 2001 www.emilyjcole.com

When I think of the amount of time I spend drawing a portrait, I get irritated at the notion that someone else can do the same thing, minus the eraser crumbs and frustration, in half the time using a stylus and tablet with their Mac. It feels like cheating to me. And a little bit elitist. Forget about trying to compete with techno-savvy artists who can turn around multiple pieces in the time it takes to complete one portrait the old-school way. [Maybe I'm just jealous that he can afford the technology and I can't...!?]

I'm sounding like a crotchety old woman here! Perhaps the issue is less about the technology and more about finding one's niche in the market. There has been a resurgence of interest in vinyl records, tube amps, knitting, and pretty much anything "vintage" or hand-made. I suppose the same could hold true for art.

Until I win the lottery and buy all the fancy equip-

ment my heart desires, I will satisfy myself with that conclusion. At least I can rest assured that stained glass will never become digital!  

Or will it...?

$tained gla$$

I've been attempting to come up with some fresh ideas for stained glass panels, prompted by a couple people asking me about commissions and consignments. I still consider myself somewhat of a novice when it comes to crafting glass pieces. I took a class at the Visual Arts Center a few years ago and immediately fell in love with this artform.

I've always been a fan of Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Prairie Style designs. Awhile ago, I bought a book of postcards that featured Arts & Crafts tiles by Motawi Tileworks of Ann Arbor, MI. The designs are inspiring and I think they would transfer exceedingly well to glass:

I love the symmetry of these designs and I can envision them with varying color schemes and glass textures. The thought of tackling one of these panels is exhilarating. So what's to stop me from getting out the glass cutter and grinder right this minute?

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 

Creating a glass piece in the hopes that someone will not only be willing to buy it, but buy it at a price that will allow me to recoup my expenses, let alone make a small profit, is a huge leap of faith. Glass materials are not cheap, and if a design has several pieces, assembly takes hours. If I remember correctly, this 13x13 panel took some 24-odd-hours to complete:

So, what to do? Fork out the dough (i.e. bust out the credit card) and hope I can sell pieces in a timely manner? Or secure the commissions first ? The latter is a tricky proposition. I am hesitant to request deposits up front; although, if I don't, I then have to foot the bill entirely until I finish the piece and receive payment.

I tried over the holidays to sell some of my leaded glass snowflakes on etsy.com. I sold three, but at a very minuscule profit margin. I pulled my snowflakes because I didn't have the time or patience to put into marketing myself through the site. I think it's easy for one's artwork to get lost in the myriad of creations the site has to offer potential buyers. I had more success through local word of mouth and working directly with customers. I much prefer that method, although generating business that way is hit or miss.

I'm fairly new at the whole idea of having a craft and offering my work for sale. I have limited workspace (the 3'x4' table in my living room), and thus have to keep pieces small, usually 15" max. It would be fun to try a larger panel, for a transom or full window.... but that will have to wait until I have room to spread out and not worry about stepping on stray shards of glass.

In the meantime, I suppose I can take inventory of my existing glass materials and see what I can make with what I already have. I made this piece entirely out of scrap glass. One lady's scrap is another lady's masterpiece! 

P.S. If anyone has any feedback regarding business strategies,
I'm all ears!