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Hand crafted kaleidoscopes of various designs. Each one individually made, with optical quality first-surface mirrors. About the artist.......... A permanent resident of Mitchell County, North Carolina, Alice Houser is originally from farm country in Illinois. The vast expansive views of corn fields have been replaced by the panoramas of mountains and valleys. Having completed a course in kaleidoscope making and design at Penland School of Crafts, Alice is looking at the world with a new perspective. Trying to capture the delicacy of a snowflake or the intense variety of fall leaves and "bottling" it in a kaleidoscope has given her a new appreciation for the infinite imagination and awesome resourcefulness of God. The craft of making kaleidoscopes is challenging in many areas and seems almost unlimited in the possibilities, inside and out. Skills in glass cutting, lens grinding, lampworking, sandblasting, working with wood, brass, hand-marbled papers, paints......these are a few of the skills that are used in each kaleidoscope. Of course, the most fun is in selecting what goes inside, resulting in a new appreciation for the notion that nothing in nature ever clashes. It seems rather ironic to carefully construct something with the most precise measurements and control of factors in order to create an object over which one has no control! But then, that's the fun of looking through a kaleidoscope. Artist's Resume......... Spotlight '97 American Craft Council Southeastern Regional Exhibit. Juried Participant. June, 1997. Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, NC. Spotlight '94. American Craft Council Southeastern Regional Exhibit. Juried Participant. June, 1994. Sawtooth Center, Winston-Salem, NC. Davidson Co. Museum of Art Judged Craft Exhibition. Third Place Award. October, 1994. Lexington, NC. Art in the Park. Juried Participant. 1994 Season. Blowing Rock, NC. Valle Country Fair. Juried Participant. October, 1994. Valle Crucis, NC. Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art: The Winter Show. Juried Participant. Since 1993. Greensboro, NC. Fall Celebration of the Arts. Merit Award, Fall, 1993. Invitational Participant, Fall, 1993. Spruce Pine, NC. Davlin's Fine Crafted Gifts: Annual National Kaleidoscope Exhibit. Participant. August, 1993 & 1994. Minneapolis, MN. Penland Craft School Gallery. One of Featured Artists in Multi-Media Show. May, 1993. Penland, NC. Hayden Gallery: Christmas & Kaleidoscope Show. Featured Artist. December, 1992. Burnsville, NC. Southern Handcraft Society: Southern Christmas Show. Juried Participant. December, 1992. Boca Raton, FL. Glass Grower's Gallery, 7th Annual Kaleidoscope Show. Selected Participant. December, 1992. Erie, PA. Professional & Guild Memberships: American Kaleidoscope Association, since 1991. Brewster Society, 1991-1996. Southern Highland Handicraft Guild, since 1993. | 
