Brian Finished It

I have been posting pictures of Brian Berean, my student from the  Graphic Imaging Technology program and the LISD TECH Center.  He is shown here with the finished window that he created from start to finish while working for 2.5 hours a day for about 3 weeks.

We are supposed to be installing the window any time.  I can't wait to see what it looks like once it is installed!  I will take pictures.

Pat Deere

Moving right along...

I'm pretty excited about what Brian is doing here.  Today he was able to finish cutting the glass and grind/cut the pieces to fit.  There are still some final adjustments to make and approval from Great Ideas to be sure we are fitting within the theme of this customers room.

Keep up the great work Brian.  I know she is going to be thrilled.

The rest of the story about this window is in my previous blogs!

Pat Deere

Day 29: "Are you at peace with yourself?"

365 Days of My Life As A Studio Artist: Day 29

Day 28 Donations: .739719

Donations Running Total: 29.59957

Today's Growth Idea: "Have you found someone to share your heart with?" he asked.
"Are you giving to your community?
"Are you at peace with yourself?
"Are you trying to be as human as you can be?"
These are questions Morrie Schwartz asked Mitch Album in his book, Tuesdays With Morrie. Staying focused on what is important during busy times is as important to myself and my business as anything else. Getting ready for shows is always hectic. Trying to make sure I have enough to sell, the right things to sell, that everything looks just right. Even when I am busy, taking the time to read inspirational books like this one helps me to focus on what is important in my life... not just the physical and monetary things.

My History: Moving glass is not easy. I have done it before and I am doing it again. The good thing is that I had my glass bins built , my tables built, and was starting to acquire a stock of finished glass pieces. The space I was moving into had glass walls along the whole side of the space the faced the hallway. The really hard part was moving all of that stuff down the stairs, out the door, into a truck and back out again into my new space. NOTE: Having my bins and tables built was not so good when considering they had to be disassembled before moving them and reassembling them.

Today's Business: Still getting ready for my show. I was able to borrow some walls from another business that will allow me to set up a separate space for a living room setting, a kitchen setting, and a bathroom setting. Yesterday we prepared the walls for painting and today they will get painted. I was able to finish a lot of glass yesterday and today we will polish them and pack them for the show. I started on the table inserts for my log tables and plan on finishing them today. I have one at Great Ideas Emporium in Tecumseh using my Iris Glass and glass bevels. The 4' table we are working on now incorporates beveled glass, clear textured glass, a beautiful brown agate, stones, and a border glass of brown that compliments the agate. It looks like things are starting to come together... and, it is getting exciting. It is at this point that I really need to remember to eat right, drink a lot of water, exercise, and keep my spiritual life in focus or I can get run down and sick. Getting up at 5am and working until 7pm is not always easy even though I love what I am doing.

Today's photo is my new piece called "Evergreen In The Fall". I'll be taking it to the show with me!

Pat Deere

LINKS:
Great Ideas Emporium
The Log Furniture Division

Day 15: Educating the Uneducated

365 Days Of My Life As A Studio Artist: Day 15

Day 14 Donations: $

Donations Running Total: $1.97558

Day 15 Growth Idea: Educating the Uneducated. Let me explain... Tuesday I was questioned about my knowledge of how to support stained glass by somebody who had no experience with it. My first instinct was to defend myself, and ignore his request. I knew that wasn't the best strategy. Today, as part of this "growth idea" thing, I searched the net for business strategies and read a story about a very unhappy customer who had a business owner bend over backwards to make things right. So, that is my plan. I have acquired the appropriate documentation to back up my technique. I will email it to him and the owner in the morning, follow it up with a phone call, and be prepared to answer in detail any questions left unanswered. This takes a lot more time but in the long run, I know I did the best I could to put his uneasiness to rest. I think sometimes as artists, and business owners, we forget that most people don't necessarily know the details of our business and it is our job to educate them about it.

My History: So, I am now a new business owner with an 18 month old and a brand new baby boy. As I am learning the ins and outs of caring for two babies, I am also learning the ins and outs of running a business. And, not just any business. A stained glass business is not necessarily one that people "need". I had to learn how to make customers "want" what I had.

Today's Business: Exciting! I am meeting with Julie at Great Ideas to confirm my order for futon covers, rocker covers, and draperies. I will be using these for the Cottage & Lakefront Living Show in a few weeks. The show publicist has asked for one of my crushed glass panels to use in their TV ads as part of a collection of work that is representative of what people can expect to find there this year. And, I'll be working with Dana, our office assistant about how to improve our office procedures. It just keeps getting better.

LINKS: Preservation Brief #33 Photo shown above. The Preservation and Repair of Historic Stained and Leaded Glass, Neal A. Vogel and Rolf Achilles

Great Ideas Interior Design Studio


Pat Deere

Day 9: Free Class Tonight!

365 Days Of My Life As A Studio Artist: Day 9

Day 8 Donations: $ .

Donations Running Total: $.368084

Day 9 Growth Idea: Offering a free class tonight. Sometimes people will tell me giving free classes is kind of counter productive. For me, it is very beneficial. Tonight we will be working on several projects if I get the number of students I am expecting. This is a lead came window that is almost ready for construction. Because the glass is thicker than the lead, I will have students tonight using a beveled grinder that will allow the edges to fit into the lead easier. They will be finishing a donated window that is almost done. They will be putting foil on beveled glass for kitchen cabinets that are in the process. And, we may be using the torch to create stamens for the flowers for the church window I need to finish. It is a good way for people to see if they like working with glass, and it is a good way to help me get donated items finished at a lower cost to me. The energy of the students really helps me. I think these are win/win situations.

My History: Now we are getting into 1990. My son is 3 months old. I had a brother, David, who died very young due to a heart condition. These things, although they are not directly related to glass, definitely influenced my life and the path I took, how I approach my work and my business, etc. I bring this up because my faith life is very important to me now. I was raised in the church but didn't feel close to God. This death made question a lot of things. I needed to know what I was going to do with my life. I can remember walking down the streets of Tecumseh with my sister, Stacy and my son, Matt. We were looking at a very small space in the Bidwell building... thinking, maybe I should start a small business in glass.

Today's Business: Busy day. Along with the class this evening, I have started putting together my Colorado crushed glass piece. It's 3:00am and I can't crush more clear glass because we have renters that live above my studio and they may not appreciate my sledge hammer. It's hard to stop mid-stream though. My bulletin board of current projects is almost complete. I have a lot to do! So, once done with this blog I am going to try to get some sleep so I can be ready for my 8am meeting at Great Ideas. I have to finish a mosaic sample for a customer before tomorrow. And, I think it's time to make a deposit and finish some of my current projects so I can bill them... not my strong point.

Pat Deere

LINKS: Last announcement for my Free Class tonight!

365 Days Of My Life As A Studio Artist: Day 1

DAY 1 Donations: $0

Todays %: 0

Donations Running Total: $0

DAY 1 Growth Idea: To Start This Blog

Today I have decided to take this blog in a different direction, and intersperse my current projects at the same time. I am doing this for several reasons:

REASONS FOR THIS BLOG CHANGE:
1) This is my year.
2) Writing helps me learn. It helps me to reflect about where I was and where I want to be.
3) Many people are considering starting businesses today. People are out of jobs, mothers (or fathers) want to stay home with their children. I will try to be as honest as possible about the pros and cons of the path I took, the money it cost, the emotional ups and downs, etc.
4) I have found that by blogging, it has helped push me through things in my business that I may not have done. Can't explain it... it just is.
5) I just watched Julia and Julia last night. If you haven't watched it, it is a movie about a woman who loved to write, who loved Julia Childs, and who used her daily blog to combine those loves and get her out of her slump.

GOALS WITH DAILY WRITING:
1) To do something new each day that will help my business grow, no matter how little it is.
2) To reach my goals for charitable donations based on my sales by 365 days from now.

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My History:
A little about my history, I have always loved art. As a child I would draw, paint, did a lot of pen and ink. I loved the detail work but never felt like I was as good as I wanted to be. Never felt that I was as good as other kids in my art classes. And, as a young person never thought I could use my art as a career.

I took jewelry, macrame, painting, drawing, and general art through middle school. I attended art camp. I was fortunate enough to go to Wayne Memorial High School. It is a large suburban school that offered a wide variety of classes. One of their programs was Commercial Art and I loved that class. We made magazine covers, ads for company, etc. and it helped me to realize that art can be used as a means of making money. Guess that kind of got me started! At least got me started in my brain. The confidence to follow through on my passion took much longer.

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Today's Business:
I met with Julie Rhora, an interior designer in Tecumseh (a photo from her web site is at the top of this page). I wish she and I had worked together in the past. I feel like we work very well together. She can kind of give me an idea, and I can go with it and come up with something she and her customers can get excited about.

Today, she came to my studio and home. I gave her ideas for one of her customers that who are considering sidelights and transoms for their entry. We are leaning towards a design that will utilize clear textured glass, blown glass rondels, and glass bevels. She is fortunate enough to have a long standing relationship with this customer. She believes they will love the idea... I'll let you know.

I am also having her work with me on covering our log futon, rocking chair, and window treatments. Right now they will go into my home, and will also be taking them to my Lakefront and Cottage show at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi next month. I'll post pictures when we get that far.

Future posts will be shorter. But each will include: My history, updated goals, and todays business. Until tomorrow,

Pat Deere

LINKS: Great Ideas and Interiors, Tecumseh MI

Free Spirit Art Fair & Tecumseh's Holiday Open House

The FREE SPIRIT ART FAIR is this week-end. It is one I have been looking forward to for a while. I have always had a lot of artwork that is spiritual in nature and this show will give me the opportunity to showcase that art.

On Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 10am - 5pm I will be at the Orchard Lake Community Church in Orchard Lake, MI. I have posted a couple of links to web sites and articles about the show, including one that has a map.

I'll be posting some of the new items I have made to get ready for it next week after I have time to relax a little bit again... before starting on the numerous projects that are waiting for me.

TECUMSEH's HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE is also this week-end. I have a space at Great Ideas Emporium where you can find many of my finished items ready for sale.

On November 6, 7, & 8th visit downtown Tecumseh when they celebrate their annual tradition of Open House. Local merchants will be displaying their holiday specials and savings. On Friday evening join in for the candle light shopping and be sure not to miss the 7:00 pm lighting of Streetscape for the holiday. Saturday and Sunday enjoy live entertainment while doing your shopping.

Pat Deere

LINKS: Detroit News Article and Map
Free Spirit Art Fair Flyer
Tecumseh's Holiday Open House
Great Ideas

Pictures In Glass & Great Ideas Interiors

I am so excited! Starting next week I will be renting space from Great Ideas in Tecumseh. Since my studio is in a rural area, and on a dirt road, it's not like I get a lot of walk in traffic. And, honestly, that's ok most days if I'm working on custom glass work. But this arrangement will give me an opportunity to have my finished work in a beautiful building, surrounded by beautiful things, and they are open regular hours!

Appleumpkin Festival is Friday thru Sunday the week-end of October 10th. I will be set up by then so... if you're in the area, stop by to see me and/or my work, Julie's new space at Burdicks across the street, Harold Roberts Antiques, and whatever other business are settled in by then.

Since Julie, Great Ideas owner, has moved her home interior design, home furnishings & drapery studio across the street to Burdicks, that leaves more space open for business like mine who want to get more exposure. If you have a business, or know of a business who could benefit from this kind of arrangement, contact Julie at Great Ideas. Her contact info can be found by clicking the link below. Although she has not been specific about what she is looking for to fill the space shared with Harold Roberts Antiques, she is open to the ideas you may bring and she will discuss whether she thinks it is a good situation for you and them.

I will be showcasing my new glass and copper garden sculpture, our wood furniture/stained glass line, great gift ideas from $15 on up, and of course, my custom glass work!

Pat Deere

Link: Great Ideas Interiors The photo shown above is one I created for one of Julie's customers. They have a wine cellar in their basement. This is one set of two windows that were placed on either side of the cellar door. The wine bottles were fused to fit in the window, the grapes were 3 dimensional, and the leaves were placed unevenly on the vine to give it some dimension. I wonder what we could do for you?