Publicizing and Advertising Your Art Accomplishments

When I have a sculpture accepted for a juried show, I promote the event and typically include a photo or two of the sculpture on my website and/or blog.

However when I have photos of my work due to come out in magazine or book, in contrast to a juried exhibition, I make it a rule not to post photos of the accepted works on my blog or website. While I mention it on my resume and on my website schedule of exhibitions and events (i.e., "2010 Art Glass Today, Edited by Jeffrey Snyder, Schiffer Publishing), I never go as far as to say for example "I had four photos accepted for the upcoming magazine story, book, etc. and here are the photos."

To do so takes away the surprise of the publication. And if your friends, family, clients and the entire world already know which of your art works are going to be in the book, there really is no incentive for them or others to purchase the book or buy the magazine to read the article. As an artist you want to create anticipation for your work and what you are doing next. You can still find ways to promote an upcoming book or magazine without need of "giving it all away."

If you look at the resumes of experienced artists, the standard practice and unwritten protocol is to simply reference the upcoming publication as mentioned above and at most, include ONE photo.

Australia Testing Recycled Glass Mix In Pavement

"A Doncaster East footpath will be made with recycled glass and crushed brick in state-first trial aimed at reusing waste."

"Manningham Council’s new Andersons Creek sustainable pathway is being constructed using a recycled materials mix developed by Swinburne University researchers. If successful, the pavement could help clear the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of crushed brick and glass sitting unused in Victoria. It would also avoid mining virgin stone presently used in foothpath construction."

"Swinburne University civil and geotechnical engineering associate professor Arul Arulrajah said the use of recycled materials would go a long way to reducing brick and glass stockpiles. “In Victoria alone, about 1.4 million tonnes of crushed brick and 250,000 tonnes of non-recyclable glass end up in landfill every year,” Dr Arulrajah, a Lower Templestowe resident, said."

"In the Manningham pavement trial, more than 12 tonnes of recycled glass will be used in the 240m path. Councillor Meg Downie said traditional footpath and bicycle path materials were becoming scarce in some areas. “It makes sense to use recycled crushed glass and crushed brick/concrete in these applications to ... make our pathways more sustainable,” Cr Downie said."

"The trial is a joint initiative between the council, the Municipal and Association of Victoria (MAV) and the Packaging Stewardship Forum of the Australian Food and Grocery Council, which represents a number of beverage companies and their packaging firms."

Read the original story at http://manningham-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/manningham-council-testing-recycled-glass-mix-in-pavement/

Recycled Glass Wall

I am a big fan of using recycled glass in the garden as art with a serious message. I came across this beautiful recycled glass and steel mesh wall that is illuminated from within. It is located in Dallas, Texas.

Project name: House in the Garden
Project location: Dallas, Texas
Architect: Cunningham Architects
Landscape Architect: Hocker Design Group
Photography: James F. Wilson and Gisela Borghi

Read the full story at the Contemporist at: http://www.contemporist.com/2010/06/24/house-in-the-garden-by-cunningham-architects/

Glassline Paint for Glass

Glassline makes a series of paints in 3.5 oz. bottles that are compatible with float, 90 COE and 96 COE glass. I have applied this paint directly to the inside of a cast plaster and silica mold and the glass casting does pick up some of the color but not uniformly. The difficulty is that the paints can be fired up to 1500 degrees an I am typically firing recycled glass over 1500 degrees so some of the color flakes off. You also have to use a large amount of the paint so a 3.5 oz bottle does not last very long. However, if you use too much paint, the paint layer will crack.

The paints work great if you are placing them between multiple layers of glass or using them to outline a design. They can also be spray painted onto glass by mixing with water which I have not yet tried.

Try them out at:

http://www.sundanceglass.com/glassline-glass-line-pens-paints-fusing.htm

Slight Extension for Park Installation

Since the metal fabrication is still ongoing, we are expecting to have everything installed by mid July. I will provide some installation photos when we start to work on the site.

Cutting Glass Bottles with a Wet Tile Saw

I have seen a number of craft and interior design projects on ETSY that are using rings cut from recycled glass bottles. I tried it recently and my glass rings were not very even but it did work.

There is a step by step instruction at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-use-a-wet-tile-saw-to-cut-glass-bottles/

Weisenbach Recycled Products

Weisenbach Recycled Products of Columbus, Ohio creates a variety of beautiful and useful products made from sources such as recycled currency, newsprint, denim, tire rubber and glass.

Each week, Weisenbach Recycled Products picks up 500 lbs. of empty glass bottles from 5 popular establishments. The glass is crushed, melted, and crafted into beautiful art pieces for the company's exclusive line of recognition awards.

Check out their website at:

http://www.recycledproducts.com/