lipstick & smoke

another bead from monday's session at the torch.
this barrel shaped focal bead is 2 3/4" long.

coral, sage, dark ivory & intense black encased in straw yellow.

what am i listening to?

antony & the johnsons - bird guhl

coral whorls

this barrel focal bead is almost 2 1/4" long.



coral, dark ivory, intense black & light topaz



i made 5 monster sized focals monday evening, all over 2" long, more pics tomorrow.

big sigh...

aaahhh, finally, i got to the torch yesterday.
two weeks without flame?
of course i was cranky.

i haven't seen them yet, they're still in the kiln,
but baby, they're huge.
in the meantime, until i get them cleaned and photographed.
here are some autumn entertainment links ...

"the saddest music in the world"
the guild of funerary violinists
the perfect soundtrack for this cold, clammy, gray weather.

and to balance out the somber -
and because the neighborhood squirrels have lost their minds.
photographing squirrels

gratuitous photographs of the family dogs

napoleon p. oodle



kiki p. oodle (named after kiki de montparnasse, not kiki dee)

overly long barrel bead

'vinyard song'

a 2 1/4" long barrel bead.
dark ivory on each end with a line of silvered ivory stringer.
in the middle- raku frit on olive green encased with transparent olive green.

a whole neckace of these would be great...

gray waves

a small set, perfect for a bracelet.
gray waves.



first, make a round bead with dark ivory on one side and opaque dark gray on the other.
then, add a line of silvered ivory stringer around the middle and twist using an ivory stringer.
finally, gently pancake flatten the bead into a lozenge shape and bake.

the color gray is so elegant, more beads should be made with it.

dessert tulips

these are sort of like tulips, if you filled a white tulip up with soft strawberry mousse.



they are made with a center of rose quartz from messy glass and that was wrapped, and shaped, with a coating of plain old moretti white.

twisted hearts

one of my favorite shapes to make is a twisted heart.

the first one was an accident, i merged two spacers i was trying to make on the same mandrel. never one to admit defeat at the flame i smudged on some more glass and gave the thing a little twist at the end...
and viola - my twisted heart.

here's a somewhat pathetic how-to from my bead sketchbook.



1. make bead #1
2. make bead # 2, leaving a small space between them.
3. make a nice ball of glass at the end of your rod and touch it to the far left underside of the left bead.
4. gently paint the glass over to the far right of the right bead, and then back to the left bead and down to a point, then flame cut the rod from the bead.
*remember to keep flashing it all in and out of the flame so it doesn't crack*



5. now the bead should look something like a drippy, lumpen heart.
6. heat the bottom half of the heart until pliable. grasp the tip of the heart with your tweezers, as if you were going to make a twistie, and give the end a couple of turns and release your tweezers.
7. flame polish and flame anneal, then into the kiln.

examples:

carnelian long blossoms

these are made from my favorite color of glass - opalino carnelian.




each bead is 1 1/4" long and has a ruffle of encased adventurine.
they are going to be some beautiful earrings.

thankyou, thankyou

thanks to all my friends who came to the public market today for artist's row and hung with me.

thanks to all the complete strangers who wanted to buy a pair of my earrings, loose beads or some bit of my flameworked glass.

but,
thanks above all to the complete strangers who bought my paintings. there is nothing more incredible than when someone you don't know wants one of your images in their home.

p.s. thanks to 'lady nature' for keeping the rain away, no matter that the forecast called for precipitation all day.

p.p.s thanks to maria friske for, once again, running this marvelous event with the help of the friends of the public market.

son of mexican refried voodoo

so, i made some more mexican voodoo pendants.



enough already you say?
but, but, but, everyone loves these delicious little dirtbags.



and besides, they are the perfect use for stray beads.
go here to see a rogue's gallery of skull pendants.

new bracelets

getting ready for a show this weekend.



'fallen leaves' flameworked beads, freshwater pearls, amber,



'fire garden' flameworked beads, dyed turquoise nuggets, coral & sterling silver findings



'sky stones & gray pearls' flameworked beads, mexican turquoise, freshwater pearls & sterling silver findings

making the jewelery is almost as enjoyable as torching the beads... almost.

class with Sally Prasch

i took the most amazing class yesterday-
murrine making with Sally Prasch.
go to her website and prepare to be amazed by her work.



a Sally Prasch bead

yes, there could be pictures by putting the murrine in the scanner,
but then you would see my pitiful first murrine.
i figure it's like the harmonica, no one needs to hear you the first time you play the harmonica.
no one needs to see my first murrine.

but just you wait 'til i get this all figured out...