Thursday, April 24, 2008

April Featured Artist~ LaWatha Glass

There are so many talented artists out there in the big world that a few months ago I decided to spotlight those that I stumble upon & who have turned my head for one reason or another. Jennifer at Cherry Runway jewelry was my first and then Rebecca at Art Paw (pet portraits) followed. My next featured artist (I do this at school also...the students love being highlighted) is a stained glass and fused jewelry artist from Washington. I met LaWatha on the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy where I am a member. She is talented and has kindly helped me out on a number of occassions...she probably doesn't even realize how much that meant to me. Anyways, her is a bit about her. I hope you will visit her Etsy shop.....I already know what I want!

Bella's Featured Artist~ LaWatha Glass
I live on a little lake in North Eastern Washington. Retired, I spend my days working with glass; Fused glass, copper foil and leaded stained glass. When I'm not working in the studio, I'm most likely out wandering around the yard, camera in hand, or playing with our dogs.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Ventura County in Southern California after graduating High School. There I met my husband, and 2 1/2 months later we were married. That was 32 years ago. We have two grown children who live on opposite sides of the country. Chris lives in Virginia, and Lori lives in Oregon. We have no grandchildren to spoil, but we more than make up for that by spoiling our two dogs. Casey is a 4 1/2 year old golden retriever who really is "the best dog ever". Bailey is the newest member of the family. He is a 5 month old cairn terrier who may not be the best dog ever, but he certainly makes up for it with his goofy personality.

I began working with copper foil and leaded stained glass when my children were little, back around 1980. I took a beginner's class, and fell in love with the medium of glass. Over the years, I've developed my stained glass skills, and a little over a year ago I received a kiln for Christmas. I am so hooked on fusing that I spend as much time in the shop as I can get away with. (I'm out there all the time!) I like to experiment with different techniques. If I had to define my style, I would say "divergent". Some of my favorite glass techniques include everything from colored ceramic decals to full color decals I have made using my own photography, and from hand painted and fused flowers to silhouette images. Some of my favorite things to make with glass are pendants, earrings, rings, magnets, picture frames, plates, and candle holders. There are so many ways to use glass, and I want to try them all.


I love custom orders, so if you see something in my shop or even in my sold section that you would like in a different color or different size, drop me an email. I also specialize in creating personalized photo pendants. I can put any picture you send me on glass, in sepia or color. Custom orders can take from three to fourteen days to complete, depending on the complexity and my schedule. Color pendants may take a week or so longer, as I have the images professionally made into color decals and can not begin working on the project until I receive the fusible decals from them.

I hope you will visit Lawathas etsy shop to see all that she has to offer!

2 comments:

lawatha said...

You're such a sweetheart! Thanks so much for featuring me this month. It's an honor, and I feel quite privileged.

Best wishes to you with your Etsy shop- I love your bright, colorful, cheerful beads.

Now let's see if I can remember the password so I can post a comment...

Linda said...

Thanks for commenting! I think the feature looks great. Hope you get some response.