Looking for Inspiration

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 (NIV)

The bad news is I have to work on Saturday. The good news is I took this afternoon off instead. In this economy, no one gets overtime and comp time is discouraged. So, I came home early to do what I would have done on Saturday, fuse some glass. It is finally cool enough to make me feel like working in the garage again. I have two projects that needed to get done by middle of next week. Both are for charity auctions, one for a local private school and one for the local cancer society. I was asked to do them and not only am I glad to help those organizations, but I hope it will spread the word about my artwork and perhaps I will pick up some commissions. I wanted the pieces to be unique and eye-catching. I also wanted them to be appealing to the people who will attend each auction. I combed through all the books I had, looked around on the Internet and kept my eyes open for ideas while on vacation. We went into a lot of art galleries and glass shops. I spotted some new techniques, discovered what was in fashion and saw some beautiful pieces. Still, I kept on looking for just the right pattern. I decided to do something fun for the private school fundraiser, and a friend helped me pick out a multicolored fish pattern from a new glass fusing book. We decided on greens and blues for the fish and a clear iridescent piece of glass for mounting. I will put it in a rectangular wrought iron frame. It is cooling in the kiln now, and I am praying that it does not crack. I am having trouble figuring out why some of my recent pieces are cracking in the lower left hand corner. Tonight, I tried a new firing schedule; hopefully that will stop the problem. The cancer society design was harder to create. I wanted something inspiring, something that pictured a survivor, and of course with pink the color of the movement to find a cure for breast cancer, I wanted to use that color as well. Finally, in a stained glass pattern book, I checked out from our library, I found the design above. For all those who have fought or are fighting that disease, what better symbol than a road cutting through the mountains towards the sun? I had some lovely pink and purple glass that just suited the scene. What you see above is the piece before firing. I hope it turns out as well as I imagine it will and that someone buys it and loves it for what it inspires them to do and be. Speaking of inspiring, I love the verse above and will include it on the tag with the artwork when it goes to auction. The words remind me that even when my path takes me through perilous peaks, God goes with me and His love never fails.