Lightness

Today the light was perfect for painting.

A good bit of progress was made on the large (36"x36") grape painting.
It's still a lot of under-painting but the colors are starting to be where I want them.
All in all a satisfying day at the easel.

Studio desktop.

Bird Brain

True fact : I never tire of making birds.

Magic Showstopper

This one is pure magic.
It's a huge capped and cored bead.

The bead has a center of the bluest iridescent glass and fine silver deeply encased in clear.
The caps are hand cut from a vintage sterling silver plated tray. Much of the silver is worn away revealing the inner copper. The core is sterling silver tubing.

I only snapped this one terrible phone photo of it before I gave it away.
 

Love Match

A matching pair of glass heart pendants.

Both are made with Cim's 'Sangre' and fine silver foil melted in and reduced.

Torch Songs

New hearts, so many new hearts.

I've been torching like crazy getting ready for a trunk show this weekend at my local beads store.
Come see me this Saturday at Let's Bead in East Rochester, New York.

Now, for some beady info.

The heart on the left is super simple. One color of glass - Effetre pastel Ivory with a little fine silver wire wrapped around it and melted in.

The heart on the right also starts out with a base of ivory glass. Then a strip of fine silver foil was wrapped around the middle and the silver was encased with light transparent tourquoise. When you start melting things get wild.

The Old Bump & Grind

It's been a wild ride since my last post.
My sister and I dashed to Florida to help our Dad thru a health crisis. Happily he's on the mend.
I enjoyed my 'Christmas that almost wasn't' and completely over did it on New Year's Eve.

I'm back in a really nice bead making groove and have a big trunk show coming up in a week.
Check back for some beady goodness.