the joy of making

I have an installation tomorrow morning...the door to and the cabinets of, a residential wine room.  I posted the drawing here a few weeks ago.  Two of the three big projects I have been expecting have finally sent me my deposits.  So, we have one installation coming up and two jobs I am doing the art work for, the chapel in the Oklahoma heart hospital which I posted about here and the window behind the altar of the chapel we did earlier this year.  The third project I am expecting is the largest of all the three proposals and it is for another church.  This really surprises me, all this liturgical work we have been doing this past year.  We’ve done an occasional church or synagogue but have never sought after that market like some artists.  I am, however, most thankful for it.

This is the busiest we have been since last January.  It hasn’t been a good year but it hasn’t been as bad as one of our worst years either.  I’m actually glad to be a little busy after this year.  Besides the etched glass work, I have also, finally, been working on some waxes for the pate de verre.  It’s been about a year since I did any of that work.  Right now I am completing the last few pieces that didn’t get finished last year for our show...the top for the moon box, the bottom for the moon-flower box, the teapot that goes with the tea box, some of the small bowls that I had quit making.

I have not heard from the gallery that has been showing our work at the big ‘gallery only’ fine craft and glass shows.  SOFA Chicago is the first weekend of November so I’m pretty sure he is not taking our work this year.  Disappointing but we wouldn’t have gone anyway.

Kathleen over at Easy for me to say did a post today about letting things go.  Part of my comment was this:  what I need to let go of...I think I have been letting go this past year while not working in the studio on the cast glass part of what I do.  Once we started getting some notice for the pate de verre about 5 years ago, I decided I didn't want to do etching anymore and to make the switch in income to the cast glass.  It didn't happen, it hasn't happened.  The work doesn't sell that well and as I began to meet and make friends with gallery artists who were selling, it became very stressful for me.  I lost some of my self confidence, maybe even a lot.  Even Husband commented on it.  Every major show we did and then didn't sell anything while red dots were sprouting all around our work only depressed me more.  I was not having fun.  And fun and self fulfillment was the reason we started doing the pate de verre in the first place.  So I'm letting go of the desire/expectation of being a gallery artist.  I am thankful for any work we get...etched glass or the occasional sale of a cast piece.  And the cast work does sell, slowly, eventually.

I haven’t really given up on it so much as let go of trying to make it happen, having that be the focus.  I think I was happier before I got so invested in ‘making it’ as a gallery artist.  I’m ready now to just let go, give it up to the universe, to turn my thoughts back to the joy of making.