old words in a new font: Jazz, welcome, and breathe in Chelsea Studio

Breathe in Chelsea Studio Font. Lettering by Wayne Stratz. Background by Margaret Almon. Order your word of choice here

Jazz in Chelsea Studio Font. Lettering by Wayne Stratz. Background by Margaret Almon. Order your word of choice here

Welcome in Chelsea Studio Font. Lettering by Wayne Stratz. Background by Margaret Almon. Order your word of choice here

With All Due Respect to Robert Indiana's Design, Our Take on Love

Original Lettering design by Robert Indiana
Adaptation and Letters by Wayne Stratz
Peachy background by Margaret Almon

Becky Eldredge, the person who inspired the sunflower

I do not need 1000's of more followers, what I need to do is make wonderful connections with a few of the ones I have on twitter. Becky Eldredge seemed like a fine person to get connected with. I had fanned her page on Facebook, followed her on Twitter, and read her thoughts at her website.

Then one day she sent out a tweet asking for prayer requests. I asked for some directed towards my students. She asked about my job. A connection had been made. Yes, it is across state lines and we may never meet, but I will keep an eye out for chances. My hope is that she leads a retreat at the Jesuit Center. She does things like that. My hope is that I will one day read the book she is writing.

Yes, it is ours. She recently wrote to me responding to the word collaboration. She mentioned synergy. People saw this as one of MY best pieces, but truth be told, it would not be in this world without Becky.

First ~ she desired a piece of art celebrating sunflowers

Second ~ she shared some photos she had taken of sunflowers and when I fell in love with a flower emerging into fullness... we realized that we both love the word, unfolding

Third ~ she wrote to me about why sunflowers are important to her.

Fourth ~ she agreed with me that the design should emerge while I was on a retreat and patiently waited for that retreat to come along. I took Becky's photo and words on that retreat.

If it is one of my best pieces, it is because of the spiritual connection between plant and human, which led to this photo.

Thanks, for helping me to be a better artist.

 

Commissioning a Collage From Abby Sernoff

I have been thinking about celebrating this piece of art for too long, but hey here I am finally doing it. Maybe it was finally commissioning a new piece of art (a gift to myself for a big birthday) that finally got me into the studio to get an image of this jazz tree.

Abby managed to get music, botany, birds and orange into this piece of work. Nothing like hitting many of my interests and showing she made it for me. Check out the post she wrote about the piece and Abby explained how it was somewhat a collaboration between us and while you are at it, you can see her other great art on etsy.

 

W is for Welcome ~ the a to z of one word messages

Welcome Sign
background by Margaret Almon
lettering by Wayne Stratz

Welcome is one fine word to call out when some emerges into your life. In my classroom, at church, at home, or in our booth at a show. 

Welcome. 

A simple way to say, "Yes. Your presence is desired."

Welcome Sign
background by Margaret Almon
lettering by Wayne Stratz

Welcome Sign
background by Margaret Almon
lettering by Wayne Stratz

U is for Up ~ the a to z of one word messages

Up, an Alexander word
Words and design (including big white pieces) by Wayne Stratz
Blue background and tower of color by Margaret Almon

OK, I wish I had two words to show you. My word is unfolding. It is my tagline. It is how I see my life.

Margaret digs up. It is a word used by those who have learned the Alexander Technique.  Margaret turned to this when she had a reoccurrence of back pain. It has helped her immensely and is still meeting with a master of the technique. Curious, check Imogen Ragone's site. To those with training this one word is a gentle reminder of how to align themselves. 

What word gets you aligned with this world?

Why choose between paths when one can be infinite. Mosaics and a quote by Paulo Coehlo

first journey
Wayne Stratz and Margaret Almon

Mosaic Woman created these last year.  I drew the design and we did them as different ways to view the project.  What I did in big pieces in the first path, Margaret did in her style the second way.  and vise versa.  

While there are many quotes about a good path and a bad path, I am glad I found this one when I went searching:

“In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two 

leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same 

path are alike.”  Paulo Coehlo

second journey
by Margaret Almon and Wayne Stratz

Here and Now, of Ingrid Jensen and Nutmeg Designs

This past week in the midst of many things, we decided to create two new mandalas for our show in Kutztown, and while they did not sell, they did catch some eyes/spirit of people.

I drew the design while I was on brief moment of silence at the Jesuit Center and decided to purposefully allow the music of a favored musician flow through me as I worked with paper and pencil.  It was drawn with the hope of it being a collaboration with Margaret.  One in which we could travel in two paths.  In the Here version, I cut out the swirl design in iridized gray glass and then Margaret created the orange background including some dichroic glass in the center.   

Mandalas by Nutmeg Designs

In the Now version, I cut out the the blue background pieces and then Margaret created the blue green design, which again included dichroic glass.

Mandalas by Nutmeg Designs

We discovered Ingrid Jensen when we travelled to a jazz fesitval in New Jersey.  She ended the show and up we went to buy a CD, Here and Now.  Since that day we have bought more of her music, both as a leader and as a person chosen by others who love her playing and desire to have her in their band.  

Hear her interviewed and playing trumpet...

21 words , 21 mosaics

Hope in the Dessert
Wayne Stratz and Margaret Almon

There is something emerging in the two studio one bedroom row of Nutmeg Designs.  Margaret and I are planning a big project and you can help us by letting us know what words you would like us to create out of glass...


Thanks for sharing your opinion (remember, hit submit)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Words: Collaborations with Margaret Almon

Welcome Sign in Blue and Violet by Nutmeg Designs

Hope Spiral in Spring Green and Blue by Nutmeg Designs

Imagine Mosaic by Nutmeg Designs

Joy Mandala by Nutmeg Designs

Crunch Time: Pebble Hill Show Approaches

two mosaics, same design,
two different routes
by Wayne Stratz and Margaret Almon

Though a week is left before the opening reception (Sunday, February 5th from 12:15 till 2:00);  Mosaic Woman and I have been spending the week gathering the chosen pieces, writing descriptions for them, filling out the official show paperwork (listing every piece), photographing new pieces, gathering hardware to hang everything, packing it up...

because tomorrow afternoon we will go to the gallery and create our largest display ever and what you can see...    Details here.

But what a creative month led to this time period of doing stuff outside of our studio.  At the Michener Museum we saw a quilt that inspired a thought, "what if I designed a piece, but only glued down the background and allowed Mosaic Woman to take over."  So I did with some creamy white glass, but I thought, "Why waste the other pattern pieces," so I cut the design out of orange glass and glued it on a separate piece of slate.

So now all I have to do is name them, price them, write tags, pack them, and hang them at Pebble Hill.  Oh yeah, there is the not quite finished Sophia Spiral Mandala in my studio and ...

Not so long ago a man asked me what prayer I had when it came to Nutmeg Designs.  My Response: To be surrounded by friends and Family at Pebble Hill.

imagining Hope, again

 The bad news floats between my friend and I.

I sit in her office, then she asks me to create a gift of hope.  In the past I have done stained glass pieces to bring her hope for healing, but mosaic comes to mind as I take in the news of our mutual friend's health concerns.  As the day goes on, a  design comes to mind, and when this happens it is always a rough draft.  I imagine a rectangular piece of slate. Hope fills the bottom left.  Below it I swoop a base out of glass.  At the top right is a swirl that flows across the top.  I imagine Mosaic Woman filling that swirl with warm colors.

Then we make it happen.

finally, I play with iMovie and consider the vlog

still got lots to learn, but surely would love your feedback on my directorial debut:




Thanks

...

The Fruits of the Spirit Emerge

So our good friend Suzanne Halstead had a vision, and we were part of it. The Halsteads have been our friends ever since I finally got myself to church camp when I was in my mid 30's (before I stepped into Wernersville, I walked at Mensch Mill).

Suzanne imagined the nine fruits of spirit adorning a wall that came with their house and is next to a labyrinth, which did not come with the house.

So Mosaic Woman and I imagined doing such a project and ideas floated about, then Suzanne and Gary came over for a business meeting which involved some homemade pizza (yes, we treat our clients well). Then we showed them glass that we felt would work well for mosaics, and they chose colors to match the fruit.

We are waiting for the panels, but I decided that it would be best to have the longest word set to go, so I pulled out the orange glass and by the time I go to bed tonight, it will be set to go, and with the scraps.... ahhh I have imagined two "faithfulness" projects of my own.

and the shortest fruit, a long time fave of ours... Joy!

S is for Signs: House Numbers That Show off Your Address

Our collaborations are getting around: Two in California, one in Wisconsin, and several here in southeast Pennsylvania. Here are some samples. Get info about buying your house a number.

Crafting on Thursdays--- a growing collaboration

Today I drove to Ambler where I met a man who proved to be a happy client. No photo of that collaboration, because his wife will open it on Christmas Day. I designed the lettering then cut out 42 pieces of glass to spell out what the client wrote down on a slip of paper. Mosaic Woman took those pieces and creates a mosaic. This is the collaboration that produced a JOY, HOPE, JAZZ, GARDEN, and House Numbers.



The photo above is an example of one style of picture frame made by Mosaic Woman. A couple of years ago one was bought at a craft show. Several weeks ago the client e-mailed us to ask for 25 frames. At that point we were in the midst of Holiday craft show delirium, but as I did with the above mentioned project, I encouraged her to take on the commission. I said I would help, and help I did. I painted the wooden frames. I was given several types of glass of one color (she did red, green, blue, and earth tone frames) and I nipped and nipped and nipped to produce tiny pieces. Then I cut out 4x6 pieces of clear glass for each frame and helped to put them all together.

We did it while creating new projects to take to shows. The shows are made so much easier because we are in this together. When the show ends we both have our jobs to do to get the booth torn down into the pieces that will fill the Fit. We do this slowly and mindfully. And so far peacefully.

We are in this together. We are Nutmeg Designs and we break glass.

The Man of Hope

I try to see myself as a man of hope, but somethings surely test your reserve.

Loving the word, I did a collaboration with Mosaic Woman in which I designed and cut out the letters and she made a mosaic. Now we also made ones that said JOY and sold a few, we made a few that said GARDEN and sold one.

The three HOPE's did nothing. So we donated one to a good cause and I kept tweeting about the others. Nothing.

In July I sat in the 95 degree heat all day inside our booth and as I looked at one of the HOPE panels, all I felt was despair. Seeing imperfections that obviously were causing them not to sell.

This past week Rosie Whimsy , who makes wonderful skirts and such by hand, was so inspired by our pink HOPE mosaic that she made an Etsy treasury called 'The Color of Hope" It did not sell.

Hope was also fading in general because over at Etsy, our shop slowed down after MW was laid off, But sometimes you need a Friday the 13th to pick things up. We have sold 7 items in 9 days. and yes... a HOPE sold today, as did a JOY, as well as two pendants to a good friend.

not much HOPE left... only the one at the top of the post