california or bust

I have been invited down to California for another sale! I'm very excited. I'll be on the set of a TV show. Oooh la la! So, keep your eyes peeled for a Laura James original on your favorite celeb!

make a difference thursday

It's make a difference Thursday...this week check out http://www.witness.org/

Their motto: See it, Film it, Change it.

Witness is a human rights organization founded by Peter Gabriel (musician) and the Reebok Human Rights Foundation. WITNESS uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. Empowering people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting public engagement and policy change.

Access to resources and strategies that empower and engage the voice and agency of communities and individuals; Continued learning and sharing of knowledge to promote innovation and to advance human rights; and Diversity of voices in all aspects of our work.

The Hub (http://hub.witness.org/ ) is a new multi-lingual online portal dedicated to human rights media and action. It provides the opportunity for individuals, organizations, networks and groups around the world to bring their human rights stories and campaigns to global attention and to mobilize action to protect and promote human rights.

thirty one

It's official!!! I'll be participating in Thirty One!
the art show/art extravaganza brain child of Flora S. Bowley.
This is a photo of the Thirty! show that happened in December 2007. It was amazing!
There are 900 pieces of original art on those walls!!!
So mark your calendars, you won't want to miss the show on
Friday, August 1st 2008.

I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting show.

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This is one of my pieces called "multitude" and it's acrylic painting
on wood with kilnformed glass. The dimensions are 7 1/4" x 7 1/4"

See my previous post about Thirty One

memorial day

Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday that is observed on the last Monday of May (observed in 2008 on May 26). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to include those who died in any war or military action.

According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.

Rocketboom on Memorial Day

beneath the surface

The ocean has always been very important to me. At one point in my life I seriously considered becoming a marine biologist, so I was really excited when Sharkwater arrived today from Netflix.
I love sharks. Always have. I am fascinated by their beauty and drawn to them by something I can't explain. The oceans have always been very near and dear to me and I grow more and more concerned about the atrocities that are going on there. After watching the amazing award winning documentary Sharkwater I am profoundly moved and more sick than ever at the sinister illegal slaughter of sharks. Imagine swimming around in your ocean and being plucked out, your fins cut off, while still alive and then being tossed back into the ocean to drown. It's just way, way beyond unconscionable.

Rob Stewart has made an incredible film and I urge you to watch this eye opening and thought provoking glimpse at this very serious situation, and more importantly, to get involved in the preservation of our oceans and the precious eco-system that we need to survive.

Check out Rob Stewart's Blog:

Here's a little excerpt from the blog:

"Based on our resource usage, it’s estimated that we would need 6 planet earths to sustain life. We waste 54 billion pounds of fish each year while 8 million people die of starvation. 90% of all large predators in the oceans are gone, and in the next 40 years every fishery will have collapsed, and a few billion people will be underwater.

Our relationship with the natural world is not working. We as a species haven’t realized that life depends on life. Conservation is the most important issue humanity has ever faced, as it is the preservation of human life on earth. Ecosystems and species will be fine as they have been for millions of years.

Sharks survived 5 major extinctions, watching life on earth rebuild 5 times. Sharks will be fine, it’s whether humans will survive, and how many future generations will live in lack, starvation and crisis because of our failure to wake up in time."

I was really thrilled to see that Whole Foods had stopped carrying Shark products. Thanks Whole Foods!

Have extra time? Volunteer with Sea Shepherd.

http://www.seashepherd.org/

Other links:
Saving Sharks - http://www.savingsharks.com/
COARE - Center for Oceanic Awareness, Research, and Education - http://www.coare.org/
Sea Choice - http://www.seachoice.org/
The Ocean Conservancy - http://www.oceanconservancy.org

bead expo

I forgot I had these pictures on my phone...so here are some pictures of my table at the Bead Expo here in Portland. Since I was a late entry they made a sign for my table...and added a little picture of me on the first "a" in Laura.

And the Bead Expo from my vantage point...

a friend's experience of the earthquake in china

A dear friend is in China, more specifically in Chengdu, working as a teacher. When the news of the earthquake broke I was very concerned, obviously, and soon she'd written an email to all of us letting us know she was ok. Phew! She and her husband are safe.

She's written a vivid blog post about her experience of it:
http://viewfromtheteahouse.wordpress.com/2008/05/17/china-earthquake/

I love the way she writes.

emerge 2008

Every other year Bullseye Glass sponsors a juried kiln-glass exhibition for emerging artists. Hundreds of emerging kiln glass artists submit their work and only a very few make it. This year's finalists have been chosen and their work is now on display at the Resource Center.


I went by the Resource Center today to get a few things for my Thirty One! submissions and saw the Emerge show in real life and I am in awe. So many inspiring artists making such amazing things. I'm excited about the reception this Saturday for Emerge 2008.


Here is a link to the Finalist Gallery.

Yes, all of these pieces are made of GLASS! It's hard to believe I know, but it's true!

mom you ROCK!

I am so lucky. I scored an off the charts mom. She is the most amazing woman I know. She's been totally supportive of my creative and artistic tendencies every day of my life. When I said I wanted to go to college for acting -- without skipping a beat she said, "I think you should honey, you're amazing!" -- and so I went to college and earned my BFA in Acting.

I am the woman I am today in large part to the unwavering support of my awesome mama. Through thick and thin she's been there. She instilled in me, a "go for it, you'll never know if you don't try" attitude -- and thank goodness for that! I am confident because she thought I was the best and I know I can do anything because she told me I could!

She loves the new glass art and has been selling my pendants like hotcakes to the ladies of the El Dorado County Office of Education. I'd also like to thank them for their support...my most faithful fans and loving supporters.

I love you mom! I couldn't do it without you!!! You're the best!


My mom was up for the weekend and we went to the Multnomah Falls...My mom loves the outdoors! And she did Improv too. WAY TO GO MOM!

Thanks to all the moms out there that are encouraging your daughters to be GREAT!

rocketboom

Here's a little something for you. Random? Yes. And it made me laugh.

http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/rb_08_may_08

Enjoy!

thrity one

YEAH! I'm so excited that my friend Flora (an amazing artist) is curating another totally rad show Thirty One!

In December Thirty! was a HUGE success. The premise: Thirty Artists that had thirty days to make 30 paintings that sold for thirty dollars. Each artist was given 8"x8" wood panels to make their work on. The result was amazing. There was a line around the block to get in, most of the paintings sold and overall it was the most exciting art event I've ever been to.

So now, it's thirty one artists who make thirty one paintings in thirty one days and they are sold for thirty one dollars! How totally rad is that? I'll be working on some pieces to submit. In the meantime, if you know anyone who's interested here's a link to the blog:

http://www.thirtyshows.blogspot.com/

You won't want to miss this art extravaganza!!!

may

Whoa! It's MAY!!!! So much to do...so much to do!!!

A great tool to stay on top of things, Google Alerts. After Lani (Bulleye Glass Blog) mentioned that she found my blog through her Google Alerts I added a few of my own. I love it that Google will just deliver to your inbox tidbits that you request from the WORLD WIDE WEB! Yeeha! What a time saver.

Go to Google Alerts and set up your own customized alerts on whatever you want to monitor.

Love it!