Peacock Beads Thursday, Jul 9 2009

Peacock Bead Set

 

Peacock Procession Closeup

The idea of the peacock bead is one that has been marinating in the back of my mind for a pretty long time. Actually the term “marinating” is a bit too gentle. . . ”Simmering” is more like it because it seems the idea stayed warm, even though a part of me just wanted to give up and move on.  When I first started making them, the peacocks were arranged on an ivory background. I liked them, but to me, they screamed, “HEY!! LOOK AT ME!! LOOK AT ME!!!  I”M A PEACOCK!!” Which to me, was sort of okay because peacocks carry themselves in a way that seems almost arrogant. Kind of like, they are looking at all of God’s other creatures and thinking, “Yeah, I’m sexier and more beautiful than you. My feathers are magically artistic and yours just keep warm.” Still, that’s not how I wanted to portray them, when it came right down to it.  When my work makes an abrupt statement, I always feel less than satisfied. I knew I wouldn’t get where I was going with my peacock idea unless I brought down the contrast volume a bit. What I really wanted was to portray the peacock in a way that was graceful and proud, yet subtle. Finally, I think my ideas were well communicated when I made the “Peacock Procession” set. This is a good thing, because I was totally ready to throw in the towel and move on to something else. I dunno what. . .Maybe beads that look “Stewie” from the Family Guy? lol

Overnight, I received a couple of emails, asking me what glasses were used to create these beads. So, I thought I’d share a bit about them here. The base glass is Double Helix, “Nix”. Nix is a fabulous silver glass because it shifts in blues and greens and sometimes I’ve seen a lovely irid purple. The peacock’s bodies were made with Double Helix’s “Triton”. The feathers were made using several different striking browns, (”Striking Color” and a little “Da Vinci”, by “Precision”), layered with blue and green transparents. As for the process, well, each bead took me about an hour and half to two hours so I can’t even attempt to try and explain the hows. I will tell you this though, the stringer was literally hair thin and I had to keep chasing them around my counter top because my fan was blowing them all over the place. LOL!! Ah. . .Fun times can always be had in my studio.

On a personal note, I did my first round of baby twin boy shopping!! (I wasn’t shopping for babies, I was shopping for stuff for babies.) I bought blankies and booties that look like little puppies. It was SO much fun, but this is a very small drop in the bucket. I intend to greet these little ones with lots of gifts from grandma. The babies are due in December, but we are expecting them sometime in November, since Twins rarely go to full term. Poor Ashley, she’s already showing pretty good. . .I can’t wait to see the belly a couple of months from now!

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Blah, blah, blog, blah, blah. . Thursday, Jul 2 2009

This blog hangs over my head as something I need to do more often. Those of you that read what I write know that I’m constantly saying I’m going to do better but I never do. I try to find things to talk about but it’s difficult . . .I just can’t think of stuff to write about, other than my everyday life and I’m pretty sure accounts of it would bore you to a quiet slumber. (Please forgive me if your boss plucks you on the back of the head for snoozing on the job.) For example, yesterday I went to have an echo cardiogram, followed by a trip to the post office and then topped off by a fun shopping adventure at my local grocery market. This trip was the highlight of my week. . . Obviously, I don’t get out much. lol

Yesterday when I returned home, I listed my new beads for sale and then was thinking about how nice it would be to just take the afternoon off.  That’s what I did. I made a roast for dinner, thinking that I’d do some cleaning as it cooked. The entire time, all I could think about was how I hadn’t made any beads that day. I obsessed on it and for some reason, I didn’t get far in my cleaning. I kept staring out into space thinking, “I could go make beads while the roast is cooking and get a jump on tomorrow’s torch day. The next thing I knew, the roast was done and my bedroom floor still hadn’t been vacuumed. When the oven timer went off, I was thinking, “WHERE DID THE LAST TWO HOURS GO?!!”) This morning, I realize where it went.  Good ole “karma” stole the moment from me because I refused to live within it. Sooooo, let THAT be a lesson to us all. Carpe Diem, I say! I’m getting ready to seize the torch and my silly bedroom floor can wait another day or two.

Crimson Kisses

Yesterday I listed a new set of beads that I’m pretty proud of, although I never know what response I’m going to get when I work in tones of red. Unfortunately, I can’ resist because red it is one of my favorite colors. The surface dots are made of Double Helix’s TerraNova 2. As layers are added to the bead, I have to continuously strike and restrike the glass to obtain the deep crimson tone with striations of dark purple. Working them tends to be painfully long but in my opinion, the outcome is worth the extra time at the torch.  I just ordered some Bali beads so I think I need to make some extra beads for bracelets before I forgot how I made them! I know I should make notes, but really, I am already slack enough in the area of organization. The last thing I need is to require myself to write more things down when I’m already avoiding every obligation to plan other important stuff. Requiring myself to make notes at the torch might be that ONE little thing that piles on top of all of the other stuff, ultimately causing my head to blow up.  Not only that, but one of the things I love about what I do is the impromptu way of which I get to create my work.  Mark brought home four note pads yesterday and handed me two of them. I think he wants me to write some stuff and luckily, I don’t think he expects torch notes. lol

Now I’m off to the torch. . .Carpe Diem!!!!

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Catherine Howard Beads Monday, Jun 29 2009

I want to tell you all a little story that I bet some of you can identify with. When I first started making beads, I struggled. Inspiration wasn’t really difficult for me, but communicating my ideas in glass was. I just didn’t have the skill, experience or knowledge of the more difficult techniques. Sometimes, I surfed the fora galleries for inspiration, looking for beautiful work by veteran bead makers. If I saw a set of beads that really touched me, I would print the picture and take it to the torch so that I could copy them and learn the techniques that they used. I promise, no harm was done to the artists!  The beads that I made were never sold by me in any venue and I only did this during my first year at the torch as hobby bead maker.   My sole purpose was education and had I not done this, I’d never have learned many of the techniques that I use today. Ultimately, my intent was to harvest and master as many techniques as I could so that I could better communicate my personal sources of inspiration.

Ya know, we artist tend to get pretty touchy about where our inspiration or ideas actually come from. . .We’d like to think that all of our ideas are totally original and all our own. I try very hard to be original in my work, but without the influence of others, my work would be BORING and much less creative. This statement leads me to the purpose of this post. Catherine Howard was an artist that gave me much, although she never knew it. I saw her work a couple of years ago on Beadartists.org when she was doing business under the name “Valentine Beads”. I absolutely ADORED her work. I couldn’t afford to buy it, but I sure did enjoy looking at it because it touched my soul and made me feel a sort of kindredness to her. . .It was as though I could see myself in her work. As a matter of fact, she was actually the artist that inspired me to use goldstone for the first time. I printed and copied one set of her beads. Boy, they sure didn’t look as good as hers. Mine were SO bad, but that day I learned several things. I learned that intricate work takes a long time and lots of patience. I also learned that Catherine was one hell of a master and that I would be in her debt for the things that she unknowingly taught me.

I am not really one to randomly send emails to people that I don’t know, but I did want to email Ms. Valentine Beads to let her know how much she had inspired me. By the time I got around to doing it, she was no longer selling and I had no way of contacting her. Later, I found out that her name was Catherine Howard. I wrote it down, remembered it and have always hoped that I would see her back on Ebay, selling her gorgeous creations.   I am thrilled to now realize that her gorgeous work is available again. Because her business name has changed, I think a lot of people don’t realize she is back. . .Here is a link to her current auctions .

Catherine, thank you and welcome back to the wonderful world of lampwork!

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ISGB Bead and Button Ad Sunday, Jun 28 2009

I was answering my emails the other day and I had this email from a lovely fellow lampie, named Tena. . .She wrote me to tell me that she saw my bead in Bead and Button magazine in the ISGB’s ad. Well, I was all excited and my dear husband went to buy a copy of the new B&B but couldn’t find one. The next day, Tena sent me another email with a jpeg attachment. . .She had scanned the ad and sent it to me. (Another big thank you, plus a hug from me to you, Ms. Tena).

I’m writing about this because I am so incredibly honored that the ISGB chose to use my bead for this ad. I can’t possibly think of a higher professional honor. I remember seeing the ISGB’s ads in various publications  and thinking, “Wow, what an honor for that artist. . .I hope one day I can make beads that are worthy of that honor.” Back then, I didn’t even have an ISGB membership. I didn’t know much about the organization, although I knew of their prestige. With each year that passed, I came a little closer to joining but didn’t, due to either my financial circumstance or just my own habitual procrastination.

One day, I received an email from Marcy Lamberson, (Studio Marcy). I swear, she is one of the sweetest and most darling people I’ve met. . .Oh and CUTE as the day is long too! Anyway, she wanted to do an article on me for the ISGB’s artist spotlight in their publication called the “GlassBead”.  Marcy was very organized and professional and her article was beautifully written.  (Thank you Marcy and of course, many thanks also going to the ISGB and it’s VOLUNTARY editorial staff.) I didn’t know when my article would be printed, so I was shocked when I opened my copy of GlassBead Spring 09′ issue and saw that my bead was on the cover and I had an eight page spread! As a glass bead artist, the moment that I first read and looked at the article will always be a huge benchmark in my career. It was an incredible honor and as of today, I am still savoring that moment. I expect that I will continue to do so for sometime to come.

Just when I though I had finally received what I considered to be one of the highest honors as a glass artist, Tena sent me this ad. . .Thank you again, Tena and thank you ISGB!!!!!

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Back from Vacation. . . Wednesday, Jun 17 2009

Actually, I’ve been back for a couple of days but am just now getting back into the swing of no longer being on vacation. Monday I worked all day long to restore the wireless connection on my laptop. Although I don’t have a clue how it happened, my wireless device went missing due to corrupted drivers. Finally, yesterday I was able to return to the torch and today life feels restored to normal. I love vacation but there’s nothing like coming home. . .Hopefully, I’ll have some new beads by the weekend.  

As some of you know, Mark and I are going to be grandparents to twin baby boys! Ashley is grateful, but I think she’s a little scared too. This is her first pregnancy and she doesn’t know what to expect. Twins are new experience for me also. Ashley is young and healthy so I know she’ll do fine. I guess I can go shopping for babies A and B now that we know that they are boys. I’m very excited and I know what we are going to have so much fun with these little guys! Way to go kids!!

 

Zack and Ashley's Baby Boys

Disney was a blast but boy was it HOT. We visited Epcot, Disney and another of the theme parks while we were there, but only at night and early in the morning. It’s simply too hot to do it any other way. Two days in row I got sick from heat exhaustion. My own stupidity though. . .I have always been very sensitive to high heat and humidity and should have known not to push myself too much. It aggravates my heart and makes me faint and sometimes even terribly nauseous. Still, even with those issues to deal with, I had a lot of fun. Disney truly is the most magical place on earth. The most fun for me was watching our niece and nephews enjoy themselves. Spending time with the family was also wonderful, but I wish we had more time with them. The trip flew fast and there wasn’t much time for all of us to really catch-up.

Castle

Now THIS was a magical moment indeed. . .Mark and I watched the fireworks as they exploded over the castle. Since this was my first trip to Disney, I felt like a little girl as I watched them. I remember being a kid and watching Walt Disney each Sunday evening and the shows intro always captivated me. I wondered what it would be like to actually see Tinkerbell fly around the castle. At age 38, I finally got to witness it first hand. Tinkerbell didn’t exactly fly around the castle. It was more of a cable suspended trick that made her look as though she was flying down from the castle as the fireworks were being set off. (Thank you Dad and Debbie!) I must admit that I watched through tear-filled eyes because for a second, I remembered what it was like to be 8 years old.

Disney Parade

Teacups!!!!!

We stayed in the Wilderness Lodge and I can’t say enough about this resort. It was FANTASTIC! The staff was friendly and helpful, the food was great and atmosphere was out of this world. . . 

 

Wilderness Lodge Resort Lobby

Wilderness Lodge Lobby

Wilderness Lodge Garden

M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E

The coolest spider web EVER

In the spirit of Disney. . .Have a “magical” day!!!

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Disney Vacation. . .Woohoo!! Friday, Jun 5 2009

I say, “woohoo”, but that’s my attempt to help myself become more excited about this trip. After all, I haven’t taken a trip anywhere for about three years. As a full time sole proprietor, vacations are just not in my scope of reality. I don’t even take weekends off and random days off are few and far between. I’m feeling overwhelmed and anxious but I’m sure we’ll have a blast! (A BIG thanks to my father in law for coordinating this fantastic vacation!) A big part of my husbands family will be there. . .We haven’t seen them in three years (they live in Cali), so seeing them again will be very wonderful!

Today I will be listing the last of my available work on my website. Anything purchased between today, (June 5th) and Monday, (June 8th) will ship by Tuesday (June 9th).   We are leaving for Floriada on June 10th, returning home on June 15th. During that time, my online store will be open, but nothing purchased will ship until June 16th. I will be making beads today through Monday and all of them will go up for auction on Tuesday and the auctions will run while I’m on vacation. I’m taking my laptop on the road with me and will be checking email when the opportunity arises.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

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New Lampies. . . Monday, Jun 1 2009

Okay, I finally following up as promised, although I’m a little late in doing so. This really is a just a follow up learning idea for those that wanted to try making all of those spacers. . .I think once your confident in your ability to make them, the next step should be learning how to shape your glass beads. As I was thinking about a shaping exercise that may help you become familiar with the process, I remembered that Kimberly Affleck released a tutorial months ago that teaches how to create and properly shape a barrel bead without using tools. Given that Kimberly has such a wonderful reputation as a glass bead maker and a teacher, I’m sure this tutorial will be a fantastic resource for new bead makers. You can read more about here tutorial here.  Once you’ve got the shaping down pat, move on to working with color and trying simple designs. This is where the book that I suggested a few blog posts back comes into mind, “Making Glass Beads”, by Cindy Jenkins. I learned a lot from this book and I think it’s a great resource. I still have mine and it’s doubtful that I’ll ever part with it.

At this point, I hope that I’ve given some of you new folks a little bit of help at least. If any of you have  questions, feel free to ask them here in my blog. I’ll answer them as quickly as I can. Happy torching!!

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Full Blum Beads Thursday, May 28 2009

I’m in a total stupor. . .I think it’s this South Beach phase one thing that I’m doing.  My goodness, how I took carbs for granted. I keep telling myself that this is for the best and when my two weeks of diet bondage transitions into something more tolerable, I’ll feel better for having put myself through this two weeks of hell. It’s not the food that I miss. I’m on day four and all cravings for food have disappeared. I just feel crappy and have ZERO energy, which makes my workouts that much more difficult to bear. Bet if someone holding a chilled glass of pinot were to stand in front of my treadmill, I’d huff it for an hour with no problem as long as I could actually have the glass when my hour was over with. Either that, or I’d simply step off of the little moving belt thingy, punch their lights out and chug that chilled delightful goodness in one mammoth sized GULP. I miss my nightly glass of PINOT G!!!!! Oh well. . .maybe I’ll learn some new habits and I’ll also learn how to properly deal with my aggressions when I can’t have what I want. lol

Enough about my diet woes. . . Seems like I’ll always have them. I finished the first set and focals in my hydrangea series. The first set is called “Full Blum” after Cheri Blum. I guess it’s sort of my way of acknowledging her for the inspiration that she gave me all of the many times that I’ve admired her hydrangea work. For the most part, I know that blue is what most of you love most, but I wanted to start with brown, simply because I love brown. Well, not just any brown, but really warm burnt sienna brown for it’s reddish undertones. This first set and focal has an enamel base and multiple layers of tiny florets that makeup the hydrangea bloom. I didn’t want the hydrangea to be full on blue, but more of slate blue with gray and off-white petals to bring attention to points of light and shadow. I really love them, but I’m sure most of you will prefer the blue.

Full Blum Bead Set

 

Full Blum Lampwork Focal No. 1

Full Blum Focal Bead No. 2

In closing, I wanted to let you new lampworkers know that I’ve not forgotten about you. . .It’s just been SO long since I started making beads that I couldn’t much remember the best way of learning the basics outside of my spacers suggestion. I’m still thinking and will put up a post for you new folks within a few days.

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Lost the bet. . . Tuesday, May 26 2009

Only a few days into this “I’m going to blog every single day” bet with my husband and already, I’ve blown it. Blogging is a job in and of itself. I’m actually doing today’s blog as I site here eating my lunch. (Nothing too delicious. . .Mark and I just started the South Beach diet and are doing the 2 week induction.) I wish I could hire a personal blogger. On Sunday, I was thinking about what I’d like to say and couldn’t come up with a thing. Yesterday was more of the same, plus I needed to get busy working on some beads since I was sick on Sunday and didn’t get to torch. 

This morning I listed another set in the Classical Rome Series with thoughts of making another set today also. My plans were ruined when I walked outside to look at my hydrangeas. They are gorgeous and the bushes are now filled with so many blooms. Some are blue and some are almost white with gray shadows. The scenery kicked off a flurry of ideas. . .I found myself wondering how I could celebrate the hydrangea in a style similar to the Classical Rome Series. Then, I found myself thinking of Cheri Blum’s work. Her hydrangea paintings were my favorite. I loved the washes that she used as backgrounds because they reminded me so much of old world murals and aged stone. So, this highly celebrated, yet terribly missed artist has once again inspired me. Today I’m working on hydrangea beads. (Thank you, Cheri).

Hope you are all enjoying this Tuesday, which to me feels like a Monday.

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Classical Rome No. 1 Focals Saturday, May 23 2009

Classical Rome No. 1, Focal Bead No. 1

 

Classical Rome No. 1, Lampwork Focal No. 2

My favorite of the Classical Rome beads was the Classical Rome Bead Set No. 1. Yesterday after I finished blogging, I was a very inspired to create a couple of mural like focals in the colors and style of the original bead set. At first, I thought I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew. These beads are kind of difficult for me to create because they are coated in enamels. UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I have NEVER enjoyed working in enamels. The face mask that I wear drives me NUTS. Plus, if you’ve a lampworker and you’ve worked with enamels in the past, you KNOW how soupy they become on an opaque surface. The enamel bubbles on the surface and if worked too hot and can pretty much eat up any stringer work that’s applied to the surface. I’m used to working slow, gentle, easy-does-it, but I’m finding that those standard practices must be seriously adhered to when working with this devilish enamel stuff. I think it’s worth it though. I’m thrilled with how these two focals turned out. When I took focal no. 1 out of the kiln this morning, I thought “Gah, that looks messy!!” but the thought was gone as quickly as it came to mind.  I believe it’s actually very well in line with the spirit of the ancient murals that I’m trying to depict. Well, I’m off to the torch now. . .I have been this excited to make beads in  long time so I’m going to take full advantage of my wanna-make-more-beads euphoria! Hope you all have a lovely weekend!!!

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