Have you discovered Val Cox frits – OMG!

I went to a show in Massachusetts in November. My booth was set up next to Wes Fleming, and I showed him some iris opal dark brown frit, which used to be made by Arrow Springs. “Do you know where I can get more? I am at the bottom of my jar.” Wes suggested go talk to Val Cox.  I stood there like a lump. “I dare you to go talk to Val Cox,” Wes said.

So, I tiptoed across the show floor, and peered at her orderly rows of jars. She and I started talking. I showed Val what I was making, and what I was reaching for in imitating stone with glass, to give my tortoises earthy and fine jewelry qualities. She started grabbing jars, and baggies, and making suggestions. I went home with four or five jars and as many sample baggies.

There were no test paddles on her table of these frits. So I had no idea what I had.

O  M  G!!!!!

The following Monday, I opened my jars, and spilled the lovely confetti into frit dishes, and started making just test paddles. Holy guacamole, they were the most beautiful, luscious undefinable mosaics.

Now I know why she doesn’t have any test paddles – because every color I put these on looked completely different!  I felt like I was Dorothy down the rabbit hole!

Day one I made turtles and tortoises . And they were so rich and satisfying!

Day two I made visionary fish – and wow! Did they pop with colors and textures I’d never seen before!

So – if you’re looking for a new experience in lampworking – go to Valcoxfrit.com and start ordering samples. You’ll be ready to buy jars in a day or two- I certainly am!

Joyce Scott - Glass Artist? Artist in Glass

Joyce Scott does not consider herself a glass artist. She is an artist who works with glass.

Joyce works in glass thru another artist – a flame worker. She sits by, says, “I want a woman , well endowed, just the torso, I’ll add the other parts in beadwork later.” Then she directs the creation with comments like, “Don’t do that. What if you just kind of let go?”  And memorably, “I am an African American Woman – that butt is not big enough.”

During her lectures and presentations, these are the quotes that made it to my notebook.

“There are no mistakes, only opportunity.”

“This is your opportunity to do what YOU want.”

“Be fearless in the studio.”

“I know that’s stupid, but I’m doing it.” I nod in agreement – so much of creativity is a journey with some really really incredibly stupid first steps. Yet there is no journey at all without daring to be ridiculous, uncool, and unwise.

 “For your collectors to walk the journey with you, you have to make new work.”

“If you don’t know how to do it, learn how to do it.”

“You should be attracted to your weaknesses, usually we run from weaknesses.”

Joyce maintained that anything we are terrible at we must learn to do. I talked to her for a long time about how to approach galleries, how to get the foot in the door. I believed there was a secret password, some shortcut to entry. She said, no, just call and do what they tell you .

I went home, picked up the phone and called the Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shop. I said I was an artist, I wanted to talk to someone about getting my work for sale in their stores. They asked me which of five phone numbers I would like, or would I like the address for product development? I dove for that address. It was like a lifeline, I would send them stuff, never hear back, and be safely a failure, deal over! Easy! Simple! And exactly what I expected. An escape!

I hung up with my address in hand and could see my entire past of gallery soliciting attempts. I was looking for a way to fail. I was hunting, desperate, for a way out of the pressure of being evaluated, treated like garbage, and essentially having the door hit me in the metaphorical butt with every rejection.

  And I found myself with a pile of barriers I had erected for myself.  I am terrible on the phone. I will not get anywhere doing this. I am a failure and here is the proof, one call and a gallery owner has sent me whimpering to the dog house.  I am not worth their time, these people sell Remington bronze originals, I am not in this league. I have orders, I don’t have time for this, I am too pressured to be creative, I have to feed my tortoises!

I learned from Joyce Scott that it may be hard, but I can still do it anyway. I may even suck at it, but I can do it anyway. My excuses are just that. They are only solid barriers if I believe in them.

Midnight Earrings

“Honey?”

“mmmm.”

“Honey, are you awake?”

“mmmm.”

“Honey, what do you think of these earrings?”

“It’s dark in here.”

“I’ve been up all night making these. They need to be ready for the show. What do you think? Do you think the glass drops are too long for the fishhook earrings? Or do you think they are simply fantastic, major overdrive statement jewelry.”

“I’m sleeping.”

“I think they’re just too long. I just spent three hours opening jump rings and closing jump rings, making these fish earrings too big, and the acorn earrings too small. I think I’m going to go back, and open all those jump rings again, and switch the fish hooks and the French ear hooks. The long dangles need the short earwire, the short acorns need the long fish hooks. What do you think, Hun?”

“I hate earrings.”

“But then have I created a whole set of earrings that are the same length essentially. Instead of having short and medium and really long, as some women have short necks, medium necks, and long necks. Or are long earrings just IN and everything should be sort of pumped up, you know, today’s short is yesterday’s hanging down to the navel.”

“Earrings give me a choking feeling.”

“Just tell me straight, you’re beating around the bush. You think one dangle on one earwire – boring! They need the third heat. The third heat! What can I do to punch these things up?”

“I hate jewelry.”

“You just won’t tell me what you really think, will you. You’re trying to be nice. What you really want to say is, ‘Those earrings make you look fat.’ That’s what’s behind this, isn’t it? You’re thinking I don’t have the neck to make these earrings work, and they make me look like a fat schlub. “

“Take those seriously sexy earrings off, and go to bed, hun.”

“Mmm. Seriously sexy? Are they really seriously sexy? Maybe I could get some sleep tonight.”

“Seriously sexy.”

“Maybe I did some good work tonight. Cool. Yeah. These are great. Yeah. I’m gonna get my PJs. Thank you honey. I knew I could talk to you. I just knew, all I have to do is run this past my honey, and I’ll know just where I stand.  Awesome. Tucson is going to be great! Love you hun. Good night.”

“Goooood night hun.”