Studio Happy Snaps

Let the painting begin!

Ask me how lucky I feel.

Cream Puff Swan

I was busy eating this when I should have been in my studio making glass beads.

Devilishly Good Vibe

They say, "the devil is in the details."

Little bits of my new studio.
I'm painting and making glass like mad, I promise there will be pictures of new work soon.

Tomato Season

My favorite season is not spring, summer, autumn or winter.

The best season of the year is what I call 'tomato season.'
August, September and early October.
When the only thing on the menu, that I am interested in, is tomato sandwiches.

Happiness is a big bowl of tomatoes on my kitchen counter.

A Summer Boquet

A fistful of glass buttons fresh out of my kiln.

All of these will be made into elastic ponytail holders.
Everyone, who has hair, loves these stinking things. I sold the last one I had right out of my hair.
It was kind of weird and awkward.
 

Studio Glamour Shots

Without further ado I am posting some photographs of my new studio.

I'm so in love with it I am going to marry it.

After A One Month Delay...

Everything is up and running.

My torch is clamped down and the hoses have been leak checked and hooked up. My beloved giant easel is reassembled and in place. My new studio is ready for bear. Where did that saying come from and what on earth does it mean?

It's a lovely late summer day here and I am ready for a full session in my new studio.

If you missed me and my silly blog - I had a month long detour in Florida.
My father is recovering nicely and I am happy to be home.

Winging It

Ready or not, here I come. Home!

A New View

A new studio - a new view.
Painting and lampworking in the same space should be glorious.
Lots of cross-pollination (that's a floral painting joke).

There's lots of train action outside my four huge windows. Coupling and uncoupling.

Moving in and setting up last week was slow going - it was so stinkin' hot.
But after the wild thunderstorms of Friday night the weather yesterday was lovely. I spent the entire afternoon unpacking and sorting all my glass rods. Tomorrow I will hook up my trusty torch and will have a functional studio once again.

Poodle Fur Necklace

I had a mess of clear beads kicking around from when I was learning to make hollow beads.
A couple dozen practice beads, most of them are real clunkers with very little 'hollow' to to them.
I'm still not very good at making hollow beads but most of these are atrocious. I really did not want to throw them away and they were too terrible for the dollar bead bowl.

One day I got this weird idea.
At first I rejected it but it  kept clanging around up there in my brain.
I would make a reliquary necklace.
Filling each bead with something near and dear. It took some planning - I had to enlist my dog groomer. She already thinks I am nuts so why not ask her to save some clippings for me?

Using my dapping block and disc cutter I made some fancy bead caps from vintage buttons.
To see how click here.

Then I stuffed the crappy hollow beads with fur clippings from both my poodles and hammered the whole thing together.

Viola! A necklace only a crazy old poodle lady would wear.

The Steel Wool Trick

I hate touching steel wool and I loathe the way it makes my fingers smell.
Yet I need to use steel wool all the time, especially when working with blackened steel wire..

I keep the wad of steel wool into a plastic "snack size" baggie.

When I need to buff up a piece of wire I just push it down into the steel wool inside the bag. Wiggle and scrub the wire around while pinching it from the outside of the bag. It works great when cleaning headpins.

No touching nasty steel wool ever again.

#320 - A Blank Slate

It's a beautiful, long rectangular space with four tall windows that face the railroad yard.

In these photos I am standing in the doorway taking it all in.

One half will be for glass making and the other for painting. So much promise.

The chair? A leave behind from the last occupant.

Parked in the doorway is the first load of my crap to be moved in.

Flora

Just out and about with my camera.

(snug as a bug on a wet bud)

Looking for flowers that might end up as paintings.