Interview with Lawatha

I was born in Heidelberg Germany while my Dad was stationed in the US Army over there, but I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I met my husband in November 1975 and however cliche' it may be, it truly was love at first sight. I was 18, he was 28. We married 2 1/2 months later. I'm sure nobody thought it would last, but it did... we just celebrated our 32nd anniversary February 12. My husband was a State Park Ranger, and we moved up and down the State of California, transferring on an average of every two years. We had two kids, Chris is now 30 and married, living in Virginia and working for the Secret Service. Lori is 28, lives in Oregon and works as a Plant Conservation Biologist.

Because we moved so often, I moved from job to job. I never had a real "career", but I did have a lot of jobs. A few of my favorites were lighthouse tour guide, photo lab technician, police/911 dispatcher, State Park dispatcher, juvenile probation intake coordinator, and court clerk.

I have always loved animals- we've had a horse, cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits and chickens, but now we're down to Casey, a golden retriever and Bailey, a little cairn terrier puppy. I've always thought if you could cross a terrier's wooly looks with a golden's loving personality, you'd have the most perfect dog.

We retired in 2003, and moved to Post Falls, ID. It didn't take long to realize half of California had moved out there with us, or so it seemed... so we sold our home and bought a little place on 3 1/2 acres on White Mud Lake, which is about 70 miles north of Spokane, WA. I can't figure out why they gave the lake such an ugly name, because it truly is a little piece of paradise. I'd like to say we're going to stay put for a while, but you never know. We have five acres in Blanchard, ID that we bought about 15 years ago, and we may decide to sell this house and build our own home out there someday.

What made you start working with glass and when?

I've always loved the beauty of glass, and back around 1980 when my children were little, I took a month-long stained glass class that covered copper foil and leaded glass. I was hooked. I made suncatchers and window panels for anybody and everybody. I played with glass for a couple of years, and then put it away until my children were teenagers. Once I broke my supplies out of the box after all those years, they could never be put away again. Glass is my passion. Getting paid to make something I love is the icing on the cake.

Does you glass inspiration come from some place special in your life?

I like to say it comes from my surroundings. My studio looks out over the lake, and I love watching the ducks, the geese, the eagles and turtles out there. The wildflowers and my flower-beds are also a great source of inspiration. But truly, I think my biggest inspiration is the glass itself. I'll see a piece of glass in a shop, and can just imagine the possibilities with it and so of course I can't leave the shop without it. Seldom do I see a pattern or make a pattern and go buy glass for it. It's usually the other way around, I'll have the glass, and then come up with something to use it with. I now collect glass like I used to collect fabric when I was quilting.

How would you describe glass?

Glass is a very seductive medium that allows me to satisfy my cravings for creative and technical challenges. I am continually inspired by the endless and awe inspiring colors available, and the multitude of techniques that you can use with glass.

Is your studio all that you want it to be?

I have everything I need, I certainly don't have everything I want. My shop started out as a corner of my husband's shop, and it now consumes over half of his shop. Someday it will be mine, all mine!!! : )

Do you prefer music or quiet when you work?

It all depends. Some days I will have the tv going in the background, other days I'll play music. Mostly soft rock, but I'll listen to anything except Dixieland Jazz. Some days it's just pleasant to have no sounds at all except the geese on the lake.

If you have a really bad glass day, what comforts you?

Playing with the dogs.

If you have a really good glass day, do you Celebrate?

Yes, by playing with the dogs.

The best part of working with glass?

Watching the transformation from a piece of glass to a piece of art. And also the myriad of techniques available for working with glass. I want to try it all... I've been wanting enamels for a year. I didn't get them for my birthday, Santa forgot to get them for me for Christmas... but I finally got an assortment for my anniversary, and so I'll play with them for a while and then I'm sure I'll move on to something new. I have a very small span of attention, and love trying new things. I'm taking classes in etching, wire-wrapping and PMC at the Glass Expo in Vegas, so you'll probably see me using those techniques in the near future.

What is the worse part of working with glass?

Finger cuts. I once had a lady tell me that was a sure sign of an amateur. Well then, there are a lot of amateurs out there, because I don't care how careful you are, if you play with glass, you're bound to get cut now and then.

And please a few words of wisdom!!!!!!

Listen to your heart. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't, show them that you can.
One of my favorite lines is from the Trisha Yearwood song "I Wanna Go Too Far"- Somebody draw the line so I can blow right past.

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