Day 10: ELEGANCE

elegance

noun  el·e·gance   \ˈe-li-gən(t)s\

1. 1a  :  refined grace or dignified propriety :  urbanityb  :  tasteful richness of design or ornamentation <the sumptuous elegance of the furnishings>c  :  dignified gracefulness or restrained beauty of style :  polish <the essay is marked by lucidity, wit, and elegance>d  :  scientific precision, neatness, and simplicity <the elegance of a mathematical proof>

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Day 6: WASTE

waste

Noun.    \ ˈwāst\

: loss of something valuable that occurs because too much of it is being used or because it is being used in a way that is not necessary or effective

: an action or use that results in the unnecessary loss of something valuable

: a situation in which something valuable is not being used or is being used in a way that is not appropriate or effective
WASTE is a tough one to think about when you're trying not to think about 'things'.  Probably the first visuals that come to mind are crumpled papers, recycling bins, food that rots before it is eaten, etc.  To get our minds off of the kinds of objects that waste could be, it helps to focus on the abstract words in the definition... The LOSS. the fact that it's unnecessary use, or lack of use that causes something to lose its value.   In my sketch, I wanted to give a sense of the upright usefulness, uniqueness, and value of the right side shapes before they became 'waste'. I then added the dark areas on top of them to hide their value', and added shadows as a sort of recollection of 'what was and could have been' on the left, representing the past. Little glints of the former unwasted quality are hinted at by removing a little of the dark powder.  I looked at it upside down and from each side, and decided that the way I really like it best is upside down.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I just can't mention the word 'waste' to you without also mentioning my absolute favorite art documentary, Vik Muniz's "Wasteland". Here is a link to the movie trailer  on YouTube.It's one that I could watch over and over again and I recommend it to every human. It will make you smile, cry, and cheer all at the same time. So if you need a little break from the challenge tonight and a dose of inspiration, hop on over to Netflix and give it a watch. I just might!  Xxx

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DAY 5: COMMUNICATION

Bits of sound and data: conception, transmission, reception, return...

communication

  noun  com·mu·ni·ca·tion   \kə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən\

• The act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to transmitor exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to someone else.
1. 2a  :  information transmitted or conveyedb  :  a verbal or written message
2. 3a  :  a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a  common system of symbols, signs, or behavior < the function of pheromones in insect communication >

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Day 4: CHAOS

chaos

noun  cha·os   \ˈkā-ˌäs\

: complete confusion and disorder : a state in which behavior and events are not controlled by anything.

Chaos is running rampant through my house right now! Everyone is back to school and work tomorrow, and life will settle back down to our 'normal' level of chaos... Haha.
If you're like me and enjoy a bit of trivial 'word nerd' fun, check this out from the lovely folks at Merriam-Webster.com:  How a Word for a Void Came to Mean a Confused MassA mad dash, a big scrum, a muddled jumble — all of it could be described with one word: chaos. Our most common uses of chaos today imply either a confused mass or jumble of things, or a state of utter confusion. But when chaos first entered English, it referred to the inverse of confusion: chaos first referred to a void.

The English word chaos is borrowed from the Greek word that means "abyss." In ancient Greece, Chaos was originally thought of as the abyss or emptiness that existed before things came into being, and then the word chaos was used to refer to a specific abyss: the abyss of Tartarus, the underworld. When the word chaos first came into English in the 1400s, this sense was the one that was first attested to.
Later, in the 1600s, there was renewed interest in the Classical authors, and that's when chaos gained its more familiar sense. Ovid, the great Roman thinker, thought of chaos as not a formless void from which all things were made, but as a formless, jumbled, disorganized mass. English speakers borrowed this meaning of chaos, then broadened it into the word we recognize today: one that denotes utter confusion or disorganization.

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It's Day 30, Congratulations to All of YOU!!

DAY 30 HAS ARRIVED, CONGRATULATIONS 
2015 FUSED GLASS SGRAFFITO ARTISTS!!

The First Ever Fused Glass Powder Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge is now ending, but that doesn't mean that you should stop making small efforts each day to complete SOMETHING!

 I enjoy the daily challenges (and even the frustrations) that go along with working in glass powders, and I've had a really great time working along with you during our 30 days together.  It is sad that the end is at hand, but:

Today is the day to post your gorgeous self-portraits!  

Alas, mine is not finished... I took a 'selfie' and then got insanely busy.

If yours is not finished it's OK... life happens and you can finish it over the weekend and still post it here.

Tomorrow, for Day 31:   I'll put up a link so you can share a collage of your work from the challenge.  
How might one go about making a photo collage, you might ask?.... read on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are some free websites that you can use to create a collage of your 30 in 30 challenge pieces.  It's really neat to see the progress you've all made, and WOW what progress it has been!  A visual record of everything you've created this month will be a fun thing to share.

The first one is PicMonkey.  

You can connect your photos from Facebook (and I KNOW everyone has their challenge photos ready to go on FB.  ha ha)  
Here is what the screen will look like after you hit 'collage'

The second site you can look at is for everyone who likes Instagram.  If you haven't used it before you should check it out, and then check out Flipagram, which is even betterl!  All of these options work easily and well with Facebook. 

Here is what you'll find on Flipagram.

Post your collage tomorrow, and we'll talk about what happens next :)
Great day to everyone, and THANK YOU for all your hard work this month!

Link your Self-Portrait Here

Day 26: Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge 2015

It's kind of sad that we're in the last week of the Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge already... Let's make this an EXCELLENT week for drawing with glass powders!

Today's Challenge for Monday, January 26:

Create yet another tree.... BUT!

 This time, the tree should be created upside-down.  That means that you will start at the top  of your glass with the trunk, and pull the glass toward you to make the branches.

Today you may use both hands in your work, plus the business card and your choice of tools.

Here is the 'catch'... Anything on the left side of the tree must be drawn with your left hand, and anything on the right side of the tree must be drawn with your right hand.

Even though you have full access to your 'tools' you should still use them in the appropriate hand, depending on the side you are working on.

Isn't this just a fun Monday Challenge?  

You CAN do it, it's not as difficult as you think!

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DAY 18: Show off Your Whites!

Are any of you feeling like this yet?  

If you are, you're definitely not alone.

Keep Doing it Anyway

You're all making great progress!

Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge

How are you liking the "White Challenge"?  Whites are a challenge in almost every art medium, because there are so many shades involved in making something 'look' white.  Check out the millions of shades of white paint next time you're at the hardware store!

A few of you have figured out that white powder against a dark background kind of 'disappears' after firing. The white is just not strong enough to fully cover a dark color, and it has to be applied in such large amounts to show up much at all.  

I call this 'Bathtub Syndrome'....

You know when you run a bath and then realize the water isn't hot enough? So you try to warm it up adding hot water until the tub is nearly overflowing, only to find out that it is just a bigger tubful of not quite hot enough water? darn.

It happens in painting too.  When you mix white with a color, it's best to add a little of the darker color to the white, and gradually add more color until you get the shade you like.  If you do it the other way around adding white to try to lighten a darker shade, you end up with  a LOT of paint that still isn't light enough.  Bathtub Syndrome.

Here's something for you to try if you need a "great white subject"!

It's been a busy weekend around here, I have a lovely group of ladies in town for a sgraffito workshop, extra kids spending the night, basketball games, and the dog has just delivered the head of a dead mole to me as I type this... gross. I think I'm ready for a hot bath!

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Day 5 Comparalysis... What in the World is THAT?

Comparalysis, it's a deadly thing that we all face.  Comparalysis can strike any one at any time, and if you've had the chicken pox, the Comparalysis virus is already living inside you.

Ok so what I said isn't entirely true; the chicken pox has nothing to do with it at all, but we all are at risk of falling victim to 'Comparalysis', and yes, it DOES already live inside each of us. There is a lot of fear involved in presenting yourself in a situation where you feel inexperienced.  It's disconcerting to feel like the 'newbie'. Here is another story for you...

The summer after 6th grade, my mom insisted that I learn how to play the flute so I could be in band at the start of 7th grade.  I didn't want to be in band or play the flute, I already played the violin.  I liked it, and that was enough.  Besides, all the other kids started their band instruments in 5th grade so I would be 2 years behind.  Looking back, I'm wondering if she just wanted me out of the house that summer.  She signed me up for 6 weeks of free 'learn a band instrument' classes.  ugh...  Anyway, I was the only kid above the 4th grade and it was humiliating.  It took me two weeks just to get a sound to come out of that stupid flute, even though I was trying really hard. Some of those 4th graders got it the first day.  Fast forward to the first week of 7th grade...

We're learning how to march and play at the same time, in the middle of a neighborhood street.  Mr. Kondik was the band director. (I'm mentioning his name because a tiny evil part of me is hoping he is dead, and the other bigger evil part of me is hoping he is reading this)  He split the band into two sides on the curb of the street, and made my entire section march one at a time while playing the 'fight song' down the center of the street.  To say the very least, I couldn't play the fight song sitting still if my life depended on it.  When my turn came to march down the street with that flute in front of 75, 7th-9th graders, it was not pretty.  The ridicule that followed made me want to throw that flute into the Atlantic Ocean, and I bet I could have thrown it there all the way from Ohio.  

We'll talk about the end of the story later on but for now, I have noticed a lot of folks are feeling like they'll never be able to compare their work to that of some others. This is a pretty new form of art for all of us.  Think about that!  People have been drawing with powdered glass for such a short amount of time, we are all at the beginning of discovering what the possibilities are! It doesn't matter how 'good or bad' we think our work is now!  JUST KEEP MAKING WORK. Forget about that negative feeling and get busy letting yourself create. 

(and a side note for the rest of you who think you don't know how to make a blog or upload your photos.... GET BUSY and try it again. You won't regret it.  Don't give up so easily.)

Today's Challenge is mostly the same as yesterday, and tomorrow it will be the same as today.  It's for a good reason.  This is the time when you will learn more than you thought you could, and it will pay off in the next couple of weeks.  One of our 'challenge buddies' made a comment today saying that she tore the business card and made several 'tools' with it.  Hurray for you, Janet Geise Zambai (insert fireworks and mass praises from the innovator folks)!

Nobody said you couldn't change, tear, mutilate, the business card.... I was waiting to see who would do

it first!

Feel free to demolish that business card and make it into something more 'useable' for today's challenge. Another 5 for 5 is on for today, and I forgot to mention that sifters are always ok to use, no matter what the challenge is. Check back tomorrow for further adaptations!

Here are my photos for today, again one is a sgraffito sketch, and one is an alcohol ink painting for my other challenge. I'm not happy with either of them, but I'm out of time and I want to go to bed before 1 am tonight so I can get kids to school in the morning :)

Yesterday's sketch.  I added some Tangerine Orange Opal powder , along with some Sunset Coral and Neo Lavender.  I am planning to tweak this combination, as I have never used Tangerine Orange opal before in this combination.  I'll do more in this 'scenario' and post my results.

This just plain sucks.  I had no time today and this is what I ended up with in the painting mess of a challenge.

Here we go. My sucky 5 minute sgraffito sketch. It was supposed to be me, but I don't have bangs. lol

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Day 3, Some Fabulous things are Happening Here!

Wow. I am SO impressed with the photos everyone has been posting, both here and on the FB page.  I have a feeling that by the end of the month I might  be out of a job!

It takes courage to boldly display your artwork amongst others' work that you think is better than yours.  KEEP IT COMING!  Try your best to 'lose the fear of being wrong' that is putting doubt in your mind.  Your work is good enough, and you'll start to care less about comparing yourself to others as the days of our challenge progress.

I'd like to share some work by participants who are really pushing that concept of being resourceful that we talked about yesterday, you girls rock!

Charlotte Kay does not have frit.  She is using Trader Joe's sipping Chocolate and a flour sifter.

Charlyn Moellers is traveling and has tried flour, sugar, and has settled on using baking soda.  Charlyn, you have discovered why Bullseye's stiff black doesn't work well for sgraffito.  It behaves like a mix between flour and corn starch :)

I used dirt one time when I was supposed to demo at a show and forgot to bring frit...  If you want to make art,  you'll make art with whatever you have available.

Kudos to these ladies!
Here are their photos:

Charlyn Moellers is using baking soda

Charlotte Kay is using Trader Joe's
Sipping Chocolate

Day 3 Glass sgraffito sketch, 4"x6", Unfired.

Here are my entries for today, one glass sketch, one alcohol ink painting, and one photo of the piece I fired from yesterday.  Tomorrow's challenge is to keep using only the card and fingers for a few more days!  This time, try a landscape.

Day 3 of 30 in 30 Challenge 'Yellow Rose', Alcohol Ink $20 bid

Day 2 Glass Sgraffito Sketch (fired)
I added BE 301 Pink, 0137 Fr. Vanilla frits

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