lights!

I'm excited to show off these lights I just designed for a local restaurant . Henry & Marty's (now owned by Paul & Aaron) is in Brunswick Maine. Charlie and I stopped in last night to see the lights and have some dinner.

This is my favorite of the lights. It's a totally new design for me, and also a new way of working. After seeing them lamped I can't wait to get back into the studio and make more!!!
The inspiration here is from weaving. there is alot of layering of colors. I think it must be having my Mom close by again (she is a weaver). These pieces really remind me of pajamas. Mom does alot of rag rug weaving with whatever scraps are available. Sometimes favorite items were made "available" to her when they went to the laundry. You throw your clothes in the hamper one day, and the next week your sitting down to dinner, and Dad is looking at the place-mats (Mom makes great place-mats), and saying "Hey! those are my favorite pair of pajamas!"
There were a few of these that were studio casualties, and (in the spirit of the rag rug) they were broken into shards and recycled into mosaic cups. All the pattern is there and the softness of the color right there in your hand, I think I'll put a set of them up on etsy....

Moo, I am a cow!

Today was a gorgeous day in Maine. It was incredibly windy, which kept things nice and cool. The dog lay around all day outside, and I scored a entire car-load of bubble wrap and packaging materials at the local recycling center (bubble-wrap is a petroleum based product and has gotten quite spendy). Charlie ordered a new and different kind of glass to work with that it a third cheaper than what we've been using (we got it from Holland so as the dollar drops its cost has spiked). The other great thing about it is that it "melts" (moves from raw material to glass) a full 200 degrees lower than what we used to work with.
I know 200 degrees doesn't sound significant, but when it takes you from 2100 to 2300 (and you have to hold the furnace there for a little less than 24 hours ) It does a number on your electric bill ( a long unfathomable series of them actually!). I've recently been looking into solar panels (again). I'm shocked by two things:
How little power they generate, and how much power we use. I wish those two numbers weren't so far apart.
It's good to think of these things in terms of perspective, how they relate etc. Recently the perspective has started to seem like a mountain viewed from a chasm. ...The chasm being what we use of course. It's the amount that I'm starting to grasp in relation to how I'd generate it myself that boggles the mind. Right now I'm tangling with the figure of what 30,000.00 would buy us:
250 sq. feet of pvc that would generate: get this 2.5 weeks of our typical power bill out of an entire year.....That is with it up on the roof sucking up rays all the time! If it was just our home we'd be cool (in debt but with no electric bill at all). That is to say just fine.

OK, so lets break that up with a picture or some good news or something!


Aren't I lovely? Charlie made me. I've got a lovely sexy little udder...It's very rounded and bubble-gum pink....I do more than just look cute! I'm a pitcher.

Other good distractions today included this glowing praise via and email to Terrill:

I am in love!!! The colors are exactly what I am looking for, if this is what you are suggesting for colors you are spot on! I am so excited about the blown glass pieces featured in the show! Most of the Boutique show will focus on your blown glass!

this sort of adoration is infrequent in a business where "perfect will be just fine" (an actual moto at an SF business). As I raced around today finishing projects for clients I realized how much I really enjoy working with other peoples ideas....I like the mix of work that happens in the shop. I especially love having my powers of color perceptions praised!

Nerves:

This fri. Charlie and I are in a show at the Daniel Kany Gallery. I'm really pretty hyped up about it. My work is on the post-card, and there will be 38 artists from MCA (Maine Crafts Association) in the show. I'm really excited to meet all these artists, and it's making me giddy.
Other great studio news is that we are working towards an online shopping cart...Soon you will be able to actually see and purchase our latest work. We owe a special thanks to Whitney Smith (seen below getting Charlie ready for his transition into wedded bliss below). She has urged me to start up an page on etsy.com (She is this weeks featured artist) Thanks Whitney!!!

lights....

We've been speaking with a restaurant in the area about doing some lighting, and we've got limited pic's on our site!!! So here is a bit of what we've done: This is a sconce Terrill made while in california.

these tassels where made for a co. in LA, they are about 6 inches tall which gives you some idea of the size of the light they are attached to...




Our good friend Barbara Cushman got these meteor lights for her kitchen. this is Terrill's Design:


These are lamped to a track system which makes them really flexible, she got a second green and a clear for future use...

"starts"

I love that they call these "starts".
This is a willow tree. The smallest of five, it has the most leaves. Willows are a magical plant that loves water, and so I have been eager to have some for planting this coming spring. When the wind blew a branch down off our willow I accepted it as timely delivery and put them in water. Interestingly when they sit in water they create what can be used as a rooting hormone for other starts. I've got some lilacs soaking now, and it remains to see if those will be successful or not.
C and I are moving towards our first year anniversary of our move to maine, so starting something now feels right..

Please Welcome Our Newest Team Member: Aaron Waldman

Aaron is Terrill's younger brother. We are so thrilled to have him on board!