Sketchbook Additions.

Some of you may be wondering if I have abandoned my blog. Have no fear, I certainly have not. I have just been quite occupied with other things currently. The school year is winding down, the weather has been beautiful and the days are growing longer. Throw in a couple of kids and a wife and well...it is not as easy to get into the "studio" (actually my basement) to get working.

All of this is certainly not a bad thing. And often times I need to be pulled in different directions. It keeps things genuine. It keeps me on my toes and also slows me down enough to notice the often overlooked things in life. For example, yesterday as I was working on windows in my shop my oldest daughter comes up to my little "speak-easy-like" window and says, "Daddy, daddy, we brought you a present". As I turn around and look toward the window I notice her little hand holding a tiny white flower she had picked for me.

Typically glanced over, not so with Ella. She finds beauty in some of life's most simple gifts. Simple. Beautiful. Eye-opening. It's times like these that I just stop and take a deep breath of life. It's times like these that I certainly become more aware of my surroundings, especially the people I love that make my days complete.

Anyway, I have also been working on series of Nursery Rhyme prints along with my regular order of art glass windows. Currently I am working on the final glass design in a series of eight that has been ongoing for the last four years. If you are interested in seeing them just go to http://www.fairoak.com/ and click on Art Glass Prairie School.

I suppose I need to back track a bit hear and give you a bit more information. I am married to my wife Christy and we have two daughters, Ella and Paige.

I am a full-time high school art teacher. I also run a small business called Schuyline Art Glass in which I make art glass windows in the Prairie School, Arts and Crafts, Bungalow and Art Nouveau styles. I also am a print maker, primarily screen prints and sometimes block printing.
I also do design work as well. I have designed candle votives, stationary, pottery, tile and furniture. On occasion I do sign painting and t-shirt design.

And most recently I have been working on cardboard with tempera. Creating artwork that challenges me in ways all the others have not been able to.

Finally, when I refer to the "shop" I mean my glass shop located in a my garage. When I say "studio" I mean the basement workspace that I paint in. Just trying to avoid further confusion. Whew.....

Anyway......................to get back to the title of this post. I am going to begin posting pages from my sketchbooks for all to see. These will be the working ideas of paintings, prints and possibly sculptures. Some of these sketches will be new and some will be from months back. But all of them will be from ideas I am using or have used in recent work.

So check back tomorrow and see what's new. Until then, onward and upward.