Deep Blue Teardrop Silver Pendant

teardrop pendant

deep blue dichroic fused glass

silver-plate (over copper) w/chain

1.5 by 1.5 inches

$40

2011

ArtEAST Small Works – opening reception tonight!

http://jacobyartscenter.org/exhibition.html

5-8 PM tonight, october 7, Alton IL

Witness this phoenix take flight – my public debut in mixed media…

An Unclaimed Gift of Love

OK, I don’t know if this is art or not, or what kind, but it was something I had to do to work through grieving for my friend Jim. It is called “A gift of Love – Unclaimed”. Not useful or functional and I have no idea what to “do” with it, but I made it with love and to remember my friend.

It is a slab of stained glass, rough-edged on one edge (leftovers from when they make glass – they roll it out like taffy & they chop off squares – this is the rough jagged edge leftover.) It is blues & greens & golds, all colors Jim liked. They are muted until you hold it up to the light and then light shines through & you see the textures, swirls & mottling & such). It’s about 2 feet long & 4-5 inches high. I wire-wrapped it so it could be hung.

In the middle of the glass I glued a piece of fused glass that is cobalt-midnight blue & has the words to the Serenity Prayer on it in gold lettering, about 3 X 4 inches. This is a gift I sent to Jim, to let him know we loved him and cared about him (I figured by then that he was sick and maybe couldn’t respond, or might have dementia, but it would still be a tangible token of love from his friends. I didn’t know he was already gone by then.)

This piece of glass was returned to me in its padded mailing envelope, which was all marked up by the postal people, with codes & checkmarks & dates of when they tried to deliver it, but finally decided it was “Unclaimed” – and sent it back to me. (Env. has my return address on it, with a Human Rights campaign (GLBT rights group) label.) It also has a big red FRAGILE – GLASS – HANDLE with CARE sticker on it. I thought this envelope told a story, so I attached it to the slab of glass. (I wired an agate on the glass, and glued the envelope to the stone – the envelope hangs down.)

I epoxied some other things on the slab – one is a fused glass piece with a rodeo cowboy on it (Jim loved rodeo). I glued a piece of yellow glass on it that says “Find a Cure” and a metal red ribbon pin (Jim had HIV-AIDS). Also a brass dragonfly (symbol of eternal life) & another piece of yellow glass that says “Jim”. There’s also a little bit I cut off from a magnet I had that says “Life is short”.

I really like the idea of using a piece of real everyday life (canceled envelope) to tell a story, and I did it in glass because Jim was always so encouraging about my glass experiments….

So I don’t know if that is art or craft, but it was a labor of love and from my heart…

ARTEAST STUDIO TOUR: Oct. 16 & 17

Treat yourself to this free artist studio tour!

http://www.arteasttour.com/ (general info)

http://www.arteasttour.com/tourmap.html (tour map)

For additional information:
email: arteasttour01@hotmail.com

Kerry Ellen’s Corner: 

This year I will be showing my handmade fused glass jewelry at By Design, 136 Front Street, in Alton, Illinois.  Owner Lillian Bates describes By Design as “custom couture clothing and fiber art”: visit http://www.lillianbydesign.com/.

 Kerry Ellen, Glass Artist

Fused Glass Jewelry and More

(Pendants, Necklaces, Earrings,

Small Dishes and Tiles)

Showing at:  { By Design,

136 Front Street, Alton, Illinois

ARTIST STATEMENT:

For me, glass is all about transformation.  You take simple sand, heat it up, and it becomes glass, which can either be liquid or solid, clear or opaque, rough or smooth, cold or hot.  Glass is stronger after it has been fired in the kiln. Dichroic glass both transmits and reflects color.  Sometimes it changes colors after it has been heated: I’ve put in bright orange glass, and when it cooled off, it was neon green. When I open the kiln to see how everything “cooked”, usually, it’s like Christmas morning, full of happy surprises! But if I don’t like the way a piece turned out, I just recycle it and try again. Glass gives you second chances…

13th Annual ARTEAST Studio Tours – October 16 & 17 – 11 -5

Kerry Ellen: Telephone: (618) 463-1507; email: kvwordsmith@hotmail.com;
web site: kerryellen.wordpress.com; etsy store: etsy.com/shop/kvwordsmith

fey favorite

from my private collection,

for the fairies, by Fairy Kerry

Fairy image on white glass on sparkling emerald glass, with purple, green, and pink beaded necklace and earrings

baked butterfly dish

fused glass dish

by Kerry Ellen