Since her retirement from the Idyllwild Post Office, Veda Roubideaux spends her time making stained glass pieces and photographing the natural beauty of her mountain village.
The "Under $100 Art Fair" on Feb. 8 in Idyllwild aims to put artwork made by Idyllwild Art Alliance members like Roubideaux into the hands of attendees. The free event features pottery, paintings, photography, fiber art, jewelry, stained glass, wood and gourds.
“People can purchase creative Valentine's Day gifts without busting their budget,” says Shanna Robb, an Idyllwild Art Alliance board member. “It is truly a sweetheart of a deal.”
Roubideaux’s two art disciplines are polar opposites. Taking photographs of wildflowers and mountain scenery requires a digital camera, a vehicle and the open outdoors, while her stained glass pieces require cut glass, sharp instruments, and an indoor workspace.
For the “Under 100” art event, Roubideaux created some red hearts framed in clear glass with prices ranging from $18 to $25.
“I draw my own designs, then I match the glass to get the look I want,” she says. “Even though it may look simple, stained glass can be challenging to create.”
She buys 12-inch by 12-inch glass sheets from suppliers in Los Angeles and San Diego.
With a gold pen, she draws and cuts out the red heart. To make the frame, she draws straight lines that fan out from the heart and cuts them out individually.
“If the glass chips, then you’re lost,” she warns.
When all the pieces have been cut and arranged, she grinds them smooth, and wraps copper foil to the inside edges. She paints on flux and connects all of the pieces together with a soldering iron.
Generally, it takes Roubideaux about six hours to complete a stained glass heart, and about nine hours to make larger geometric pieces.
At her show booth, Roubideaux will also showcase a stained glass crucifix, which she made for her mother.
“My mother knitted, quilted and made her own full-length dresses. She was proud of the fact that she could use a slide ruler,” Roubideaux says.
“I remember one dress where she stenciled a fish jumping out of a pocket,” Roubideaux adds. “And then she attached a real fish hook to the collar. My mother was an intelligent, creative woman and my dad used to fish.”
In the future, Roubideaux would like to design and create stained glass pieces that have more “open” spaces. She’s also experimenting with glass boxes that shoot out colored patterns against the wall when lit.
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VIDEO: Find out a special spot Veda Roubideaux visits for her landscape photography.