Professional Artist Tent For Sale!

{Click image to view larger}

It's been a couple of years since I have participated in an art show and I've been thinking long and hard about whether or not I will do one again...and I am 99.9% sure I won't, so I am selling my awesome artist tent. This tent has only been set up about a dozen times and is in really great condition. There are a couple of small holes that have been patched and a bit of normal wear and tear. This is one of the most popular tents, a Flourish Trimline Canopy, used by artists all over the country. The informational flyer below shows the tent set up at the Dogwood Arts Festival Art Fair a couple of years ago. It comes with two awnings - one is 30 inches and helps keep the sun (and rain!) out of the front side of the tent and the rear 54-inch awning is perfect if you have room behind your tent to set your chair outside or to allow for some covered storage.

I don't really want to ship the tent because it is big and bulky, but if you are interested and don't live locally, we will ship it for an additional cost. Please contact my husband, Allan, at 865-659-3273 or allan@almphoto.com if you are interested. We will accept cash, money order or credit card.

Please share the flyer with anyone you think may be interested. A used artist tent is a great way to save money when you're getting into art shows.

Thank you!
Lisa

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Sticks. And Wind. And Rain. | Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair | April 25 - 27, 2014

Sticks. And wind. And Rain.

The Dogwood Art DeTour this past weekend was a lot of fun and I met some new art lovers who had not been to the glass studio on previous Art DeTours. I worked on a couple of different projects during the Art DeTour so folks could see how I create the fused glass goodness and ask me questions. I love explaining my craft and showing people around the studio. Sometimes the Art DeTour takes place after the Dogwood Art Festival Market Square Art Fair, but this year it was before, so I hope a lot of those folks come by to see me there, and anyone who couldn't make it to the Art DeTour will come by as well.

Here is how I sum up the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair:

"This event has more art than you can shake a stick at and all the food on a stick you can eat."

You can quote me on that if you'd like. It's true though. But of course there is also the wind. And the rain. But you've already heard all about Mother Nature's annual Dogwood Arts Festival temper tantrum here.

Anyway, here is a list of all the artists who will be exhibiting at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair on April 25th through 27th. Mark you calendar for this free, fun, family-friendly event! There is lots of entertainment as well as food demonstrations and wine tastings.

I'll be sharing some of the fresh fused glass goodness that will be available at the Art Fair over the next week, so be sure to pop over to the Sassy Glass Studio Facebook page and Twitter to see them. Also, if you aren't already subscribed to the newsletter, do that now too. You don't want to miss anything!

I look forward to seeing you at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair! I'll be located across from Latitude 35, more or less, so I'll be easy to spot.

ON A SIDE NOTE:

Now is the time to sign up for Fused Glass Classes! The weather is perfect to work in the studio and open the doors to the sounds of the birds. Click the links to find out more information on Beginner Fused Glass Class and Intermediate Fused Glass Class!

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Dogwood Art DeTour | April 12 & 13, 2014

Want a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating fused glass goodness? Or maybe you just want to see where I work. Or just want to watch me work. {I know, you think all that beautiful glass is the work of fairies and gnomes!} You'll have just such an opportunity on April 12 and 13! I'm thrilled to have Sassy Glass Studio on the Dogwood Art DeTour again this year along with 19 other working studios. The complete list is here and each location will have maps available too.

Sassy Glass Studio on the Art DeTour a couple of years ago

I'll have lots of fused glass art for sale {you'll get to see new pieces before their public debut at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair on April 25-27!} and you'll have the chance to enter a drawing for a $25 gift certificate. But only if you come by and see me. So mark your calendar, check the listing of artist studios on the DeTour and plan a fun art filled day. If I were going on the DeTour I would map out my day to include a breakfast, lunch and cocktail/dinner stop along the way!

Visit my Etsy shop to get a preview of items currently available and check back for new pieces that haven't made it there yet! If you see something you like and want to purchase now and pick it up on the DeTour, let me know and I will remove the shipping charge on Etsy.

I look forward to seeing you on the Art DeTour! Come see my work AND come see me work!!

ON A SIDE NOTE:

Now is the time to sign up for Fused Glass Classes! The weather is perfect to work in the studio and open the doors to the sounds of the birds. Click the links to find out more information on Beginner Fused Glass Class and Intermediate Fused Glass Class!

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Dogwood Arts Festival | April is for art. And wind. And rain.

This year marks my seventh year participating in the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair. The event runs over the weekend of April 25 through 27 and takes place in Downtown Knoxville. There is a wide variety of art as well great food, think funnels cakes and corndogs, as well as lots of entertainment. Preceding the Art Fair is the Dogwood Art DeTour which is a self-guided tour of Knoxville area artist studios open to the public on April 12 and 13. This is a great opportunity for you to come and watch me work. Or just chat. I usually do a lot more talking than working during the DeTour. Don't miss either event!

April is for art. And wind. And rain.
What's most interesting about this being my seventh year is that my first year was almost my last. The weather was crazy and my tent exploded in a downdraft. I refer to the explosion as the 'tent incident' and share the tale with other artists setting up for the Dogwood Arts Festival Art Fair for the first time. I don't do it to scare, just to educate on the dangers of wind. An article appropriately titled, 'Festival faces twists and turns', appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Saturday, April 12 2008 in which I said "Yeah, the weather's bad, but we've been able to work with it." and as if in spite of this comment my tent incident occurred late Saturday afternoon. The tent incident prompted my husband, Allan, to go into research mode to find out what sort of tent would withstand the crazy weather in East Tennessee. This research resulted in us obtaining what I now refer to as the "mondo artist tent" shown below. We asked the guys picking up the trash if they would take the busted up tent away and they did! We did; however, keep the broom sticks we used to hold the busted tent together.

It's certainly a sturdy tent. And it is pretty too. And it is very good at keeping the rain out. Like in 2011 when it rained really hard and everyone left early, except for me and Allan. Because we were the only ones who stuck around, we got on the WATE news that night. You wouldn't believe how many friends saw the report and texted me that evening. And the next day people searched me out just to say they saw me on the news. The moral here is to never leave early. Unless there is a hurricane warning and then it is probably a good idea to vacate.

Back to the wind. There was another year when the wind was a problem for Sassy Glass Studio. Take a peek at this fantastic post from Moxley-Carmichael's 'The Blue Streak' back in 2010 about how the Dogwood Arts Festival has improved and has real art. {A side note: it really was bad for a few years. Shew!} Anyway, shortly after Cynthia Moxley photographed the gorgeous blue art panel in the photo above, it blew over onto the ground and broke. Crazy wind strikes again!

This is the last wind story I promise. The first few years I exhibited at the Dogwood Festival Art Fair people would ask why I didn't have anything with dogwoods. So after years of being asked, I finally made some fused glass vases, plates and pendants. I should have known there was trouble brewing when I created these pieces. First of all it was difficult to figure out how to make a realistic looking dogwood from glass and second, I wondered if they would actually sell. Well, they didn't sell. But only because they never had a chance. I had a great display right at the front of my booth so everyone would see the pieces. This was also the perfect place for the wind to catch the table, lift it off the ground and slam it down. Yes, the glass broke. I lost most of the dogwood pieces. And that was the end of creating fused glass dogwood art for me.

 

So, as you can see, April is a month filled with art and wind and rain. But don't let the weather keep you from coming out to the Dogwood Art Festival events this year and checking out all of the fabulous art. We artists are a hardy bunch and we'll be there rain or shine. Or wind.

ON A SIDE NOTE:
There are still a few more days to celebrate!
March is National Craft Month and there are three ways you can celebrate in Sassy Style! Find our more in this post. This is the only opportunity this year to save on fused glass classes!

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Fresh Fused Glass Goodness | New blog series

It's been a busy month in the studio between the reorganization and redesign and creating new pieces for upcoming shows. I love sharing photos of the new pieces I create, often with some background on how it was created and the creative thought process behind it, and decided to create a series "Fresh fused glass goodness" that will appear on a regular basis on the blog. This will be a great way for me to share the process of creating some of my work. This is the first post in the series featuring some of the pieces I have created over the last month or so. The glass studio doesn't have a heating/cooling system so I have to fire up the space heater when I am going to work out there, which means I don't get as much studio time when it is very cold. But Spring is on its way and I'll be creating more fused glass goodness in preparation of the Dogwood Art DeTour and Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair in April.

These pieces below have been created using what I refer to as "remainder glass". This is the glass that is leftover when I cut squares and circles. I stacked the pieces into circles and squares to create "new" pieces of clear glass and then I added additional glass embellishments and accents. The pieces were them full fused and then slumped or draped into or over molds. I love how thick and heavy these pieces are! Let me know what you think of this new process. I love getting feedback!

ON A SIDE NOTE:
Sassy Glass Studio will be at the Ironwood Art Fair on Friday, March 14th from 5pm to ?? and Saturday, March 15th from 10am to 4pm. Find out more information here.

March is National Craft Month and there are three ways you can celebrate in Sassy Style! Find our more in this post.

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Fusography | Show off your fabulous photos!

{ Fusography }

It's a word I made up to describe the pieces I create by permanently fusing a full-color {or not} image, whether it be a photograph or other graphic, to a one-of-a-kind fused glass piece. Several years ago, probably more like four years ago, I set out to find a way to combine my two passion/professions: photography and fused glass art. There were plenty of decals you could DIY, assuming you could lay your hands on just the right type of laser printer, but these decals would only fire to a sepia tone. I wanted COLOR!

So I spent a lot of time Googling full-color decals and a multitude of combinations thereof until I found In Plain Sight Art. I was so excited when I found them. They are artists who print exactly the type of decal I needed! And it wasn't ridiculously expensive. And they are super easy to work with.

My first decal order was of artwork by a friend {see finished bowl below}. I was super nervous about messing something up and it took me several weeks to get up to courage to actually create the piece. I wrote a step-by-step post about Fusography a while back outlining the whole process. It's not for the beginner or anyone not having a great attention to detail. The step of getting the decal off the backing paper and onto the glass is tedious and if not done right, can ruin the whole piece. My patience is tested every time. I sweat while working to get the decals off the backing paper and onto the glass without any bubbles.

I've been sharing photos of Fusography pieces I have created and I have had a lot of fused glass artists ask me about the decals, but I have yet to find another artist {besides the creative geniuses over at In Plain Sight Art} sharing art they have made using the decals. Of course, you need to have a digitally programmable kiln and many fused glass artists don't use one, but I figured somebody out there was doing the same thing I am.

One of my business goals for 2014 is to increase exposure of Fusography, get more custom orders for it and experiment with different types of designs and techniques. It's unique and since it gives customers the option of using their images, whether they are professional images they have permission to print, Instagram photos, mobile phone photos, or photos of photos. See...lots of possibilities! I bet right now you are thinking of some images you would love to have on coasters or pendants. Custom created fused glass art is a fantastic gift idea, but it is even more awesome when you embellish it with a photo of someone special or your own photography.

Here are the decals on order right now! I just uploaded this image file to In Plain Sight Art and I will have them by the weekend. As you can see I can add a lot of images to one sheet! There are several images on here for customers, but a lot of them are for new pieces I am creating for the Etsy shop and for the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair and Dogwood Art DeTour coming up in April.

Next up with Fusography is a video tutorial sharing the entire process from creating the decal sheet, placing the order, fabricating the fused glass blanks for the decals, firing and finishing pieces. I'm excited to share one of my passions!

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Dogwood Art Festival events continue this weekend!

This weekend {April 20 and 21, 2013} the Dogwood Arts Festival presents another fabulous art opportunity for the Knoxville community - Dogwood Art DeTour. Sassy Glass Studio will be on the tour which takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. The studio will be open to the public and you will be able to watch me work, purchase fused glass art as well as ask questions or just see if I have mowed my lawn {which I have!}.

My new lawn mower! Needed to get the lawn mowed before the Art DeTour!

Here is a link to the complete list of artists and studios participating in the Art DeTour. Directions to Sassy Glass Studio can found below.

Sassy Glass StudioLisa Gifford Mueller – Fused glass

5000 Parkdale Road
Knoxville, TN 37912
(865) 406-3870
Directions: From 1-75 N, take the Merchants Dr. exit 108. Turn right on Merchants Dr., and then left onto Parkdale Road. Second driveway on the right up Parkdale Road from the traffic light intersection of Parkdale Road and Cedar Lane.

There are 16 studios on the tour with several featuring multiple artists. I will be working on a new project, so be sure to drop by and find out what it is!

There will be signs directing visitors to the various studios. My studio is at the end of my driveway in the lower level of the building at the back.

I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

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Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair | Sassy Glass Studio

This weekend Knoxville celebrates the arrival of Spring with the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair. Over 80 artists will be exhibiting in this juried art fair showcasing everything from jewelry to pottery to photography and of course, fused glass art. Artists tents are situated on Market Square and in the grassy area of Krutch Park extension between Krutch Park and Gay Street. This is a fun, family-friendly, and best of all, free event with a wide variety of entertainment through out each day of the Art Fair. There will also be food vendors serving up everything from corndogs to funnel cakes. Or you can take advantage of the numerous restaurants Downtown has to offer. Park in one of the parking garages centrally located to Market Square {free after 6pm and all weekend} and walk to the Art Fair and grab dinner while you are out. I highly recommend Blue Coast Grille/Margarita Loft's southwestern fare and margaritas and Rita's Ice for gelati or Italian ice.

Sassy Glass Studio's booth is located on Market Square directly across from Oodles, near Latitude 35. Latitude 35 is also a great choice for brunch, lunch or dinner. The patio is covered and offers a relaxing respite from wandering the Art Fair. Market Square will be hopping all weekend and the weather will be fantastic, so be sure to come on Downtown and see what local and regional artists have to offer.

Dates and times

Friday, April 12, 2013 from 11 am to 9 pm

Saturday, April 13, 2013 from 10 am to 9 pm

Sunday, April 14, 2013 from 11 am to 5 pm

I look forward to seeing you at the Art Fair and don't forget that Sassy Glass Studio is on the Dogwood Art DeTour next weekend {April 20 and 21} from 10 am to 5 pm each day. Come watch me work, check out my studio, ask questions about fused glass classes or purchase fused glass art.

Find Sassy Glass Studio on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

It's gonna be a Sassy new year!

Happy Sassy New Year!

Over the last year, I spend  lot of time focusing on my photography business, ALM Photo {no pun intended} and not on Sassy Glass Studio. There is no real reason why this happened, except that my husband and I work together in ALM Photo and if he was heading to the office, I would go along with him without considering whether I needed to spend time in the glass studio. I spent very little time creating new art in 2012 and my Etsy shop was nearly bare. If I was out in the glass studio, I was creating new pieces just to have something to sell at the Market Square Farmers' Market which runs each Saturday starting in May until the end of December.

Toward the end of 2012, I started paying attention to how I was using my time between both of my businesses, my personal life and taking time away from work to relax and renew. I didn't like what I saw. Too much time in the office, not enough time working in my businesses, too much time working on them and too much time doing what other people wanted me to do. I started making notes, both written and mental, on these observations and decided there had to be a change.

Starting with this blog post, you can expect to see more frequent posts about Sassy Glass Studio, about me, about what I am creating, about where you can find my work, about where I am working on getting my work into and maybe even about my pets. My point is, you will be more from me. And I hope you like it. Life is too short not to wake up every day and do what I love. I love photography and fused glass art and I've decided one isn't going to get more attention that the other.

Come join me on my journey in 2013 to...

Be more creative!

Be more active!

Be more social!

Be more productive!

Be more awesome!

Oh, and be sure to follow me on all of my favorite social media platforms listed over here ---->>>

And visit my other website where I will list all of workshops and a mix of all the awesome things I am doing throughout the year >> kittyfantastic.com <<.

Art in April | Dogwood Arts Festival events

Is it really March already? I can't believe I haven't posted anything since before the holidays. If you live in the Southeast you have probably been experiencing the same crazy weather I have been here in Knoxville. Tornadoes, snow and balmy 70 degree days all in the same week got me thinking about the saying "In like a lion and out like a lamb" that I learned as a child. I found this post from the Farmers' Almanac website of interest and thought I would share it below. April is right around the corner and with it come the events of the Dogwood Arts Festival including the Market Square Art Fair taking place on April 13 through 15 and the Art DeTour on April 28 and 29.. I participate in both of these events and always cross my fingers that the weather will be cooperative. It rarely is, but I can hope, can't I?
 

Mark your calendar for the Dogwood Arts Festival events and come on out and visit me and Sassy Glass Studio. Both events are free and lots of fun. I mean, how could watching me work in my glass studio not be fun! I look forward to seeing you soon!

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The Truth Behind “In Like a Lion out Like a Lamb”

by Sandi Duncan | Monday, March 1st, 2010 | From: Weather

“If March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb?”

Is there any truth to this saying??? Weather sayings are as colorful as our imagination. While many sayings are based on careful observations and turn out to be accurate, others are merely rhymes or beliefs of the people who came before us.

Those people often believed that bad spirits could affect the weather adversely, so they were cautious as to what they did or did not do in certain situations. Those beliefs often included ideas that there should be a balance in weather and life. So, if a month came in bad (like a lion), it should go out good and calm (like a lamb).

With March being such a changeable month, in which we can see warm spring-like temperatures or late-season snowstorms, you can understand how this saying might hold true in some instances. We can only hope that if March starts off cold and stormy it will end warm and sunny, but the key word is hope. However, this saying seems be to more of a rhyme  rather than a true weather predictor.

Some other March related lore includes:

A dry March and a wet May?Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.

As it rains in March so it rains in June.

March winds and April showers? Bring forth May flowers.

What will the weather be like in March?  Check out your forecasts here.

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Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair | April 15th through 17th

The dogwoods are in full bloom and that can only mean one thing...it's Dogwood Arts time in East Tennessee! Sassy Glass Studio is participating in the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair for the fourth year in a row this weekend, Friday through Sunday. This year we'll be located right on Market Square near Latitude 35 and not far from the entertainment stage. Be sure to stop by and say Hello! We'll have lots of fresh fused glass goodness, information about classes and where to find Sassy Glass Studio this Summer available too.
The Art Fair is on Friday, April 15th from 10am to 8pm; Saturday, April 16th from 10am to 8pm and Sunday, April 17th from 11am to 5pm.

The Dogwood Arts Festival is free and family-friendly with lots of entertainment and food {corn dogs and funnel cake!}. See you there!

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Click on the location link and get directions to the Market Square parking garage. Parking is free on weekends and after 6pm weeknights.

Sassy Glass Studio | Eleven O'Clock Rock | April 8, 2011

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Visit the Etsy shop at SassyGlassStudio.etsy.com
Visit us at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair coming up April 15 to 17.

March is National Craft Month | Creative Business Workshop | Fused Glass Classes

Would you love to learn how to create your own one-of-a-kind fused glass art? Or are you an artist looking to make money selling your creations? Either way, I have you covered. March is National Craft Month and it's not too late to get your craft on at Sassy Glass Studio. We have something for those who create and for those your want to create. See you soon!



First, I want to let you know I am offering a Creative Business Workshop in conjunction with a collaboration of my two creative businesses, ALM Photo and Sassy Glass Studio. This full-day workshop is only $79 and will teach you how to take your creative business to the next level and is perfect for artists who have been selling their art at shows and fairs for years or for new craftspeople getting started selling on Etsy. Lots of emphasis will be placed on pricing, marketing, customer retention and creating your brand. You will also learn some tips and tricks for photographing your work to catch the customer's eye in a sea of handmade goodness. You can register for the class here or contact me at lisa@sassyglassstudio.com or 865-406-3870.

Second, Spring is a great time to schedule a Beginner Fused Glass Class {or Intermediate if you have already taken the Beginner Class} and learn how to create some amazing art of your own. Who knows maybe you'll be signing up for the Creative Business Workshop next time around. Classes are taught on  your schedule so you don't have to rearrange your life just to take the class. Bring some friends and save on your class fee. Find out more or register for class here.

APRIL IS FULL OF DOGWOOD ARTS FESTIVAL EVENTS...

Drop by Sassy Glass Studio the weekend of April 2nd and 3rd from 10am to 5pm for the Dogwood Arts Festival Artists DeTour and check out the studio and watch me work. Or just come and say Hello and ask questions. It's an opportunity for me to open my doors to the public and share my creativity with the world. There will some specials and a giveaway for two so be sure to come by and register.

Sassy Glass Studio will also be at the Dogwood Arts Festival Market Square Art Fair April 15-17. The event is 10am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. Lots of great local artisans and craftspeople will be selling their handmade goodness. Plus there are always corn dogs and funnel cakes. And who doesn't love one of those?

Lastly, don't forget Sassy Glass Studio is your local source for handmade custom created gifts for any occasion. Call to make an appointment to drop by the Studio or to place an order for some one-of-a-kind fused glass art.

This just in...Sassy Glass Studio will be participating in the Market Square Farmers Market most Saturdays and many Wednesdays. Check the calendar on the blog or the Facebook page for the schedule. So excited to be a part of one of Knoxville's favorite things to do on Saturday morning.

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My 'Aha Moment' :: Teaching Fused Glass Classes

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Megan who works for the company that is producing Mutual of Omaha’s “proud sponsor of life’s aha moments” campaign. She asked me to share my 'aha moment' in a short videotaped segment that will eventually be posted on their website. I didn't realize participating could potentially lead to being chosen to appear in a commercial, I just thought it would be fun and a good excuse to go downtown to Market Square and enjoy a Mochachino from Rita's Italian Ice.

Deciding on my 'aha moment' was not difficult. I knew I wanted to talk about how much I love teaching people to create their own fused glass art. Teaching has become a really important part of my life and it was a true 'aha moment'. My appointment for taping coincided with the arrival of writer Nicholas Hunt and photographer Michael Patrick of the Knoxville News Sentinel so I was fortunate to be part of the article that appeared the next day in the newspaper and on-line. Here is the photograph from the article. See the link below to read the entire article.

Read more about my 'aha moment' and others in this Knoxville News Sentinel article.

Here are some of the photographs of the 'aha moment'-mobile and the film "clapper" I received as a momento of my experience.

It was really flattering to be asked to participate and I will be sure to share the videotape of my 'aha moment' when it is available. And you can bet that is my 'moment' makes it to the finals I will counting on your vote!

Find out more about Sassy Glass Studio on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and check out our one-of-a-kind fused glass art on Etsy.