A blog dedicated to the creativity and the challenges of making and designing with handmade art glass (lampwork) beads.
About This Blog
This blog reflects the thoughts, passions and struggles of a glass bead artist whose day job is manufacturing food safe rubber stamps. I share the joys and challenges of making lampwork glass beads and rubber stamping. ALL images here are copyrighted unless otherwise stated and may not be used without permission!Contact Holly
Several amazing sales venues have popped up on Facebook expressly for artisan lampwork! I always share my current sales on my fan page there. But you can usually find me on any of the following groups:
Now that the Fire Divas Easter / Passover Challenge is over, I can write about that bead. I was so so proud of this two piece set, called The Eggster Bunny. I could not believe how perfectly balanced she is! I sat the body on my desk and stared at it for days!
When I made the set, I wanted a bunny - (chocolate, of course!) based on an egg shape. My intention was to wire wrap the top and bottom with my usual Swarovski bits dangling from the bottom. But seeing how this little gal could sit up on her own, I knew I had to keep that feature. After all, I enjoyed seeing her sit on my desk...wouldn't her future owner???
So I wrapped a spiral so the wire would come up out of the center, keeping her bottom flat. I did a double loop bail and split it to carry on the big ears theme...but it also looks rather "heartish."
OMG! I forgot to blog today! Wow! I will blame it on the exhaustion from the staph infection. Still ongoing... don't play with spiders!
But on to fun glassy stuff! I mentioned last week that I was going to the So Cal Flame Surfers meeting and that there would be a demo in a traveling lampwork studio. Katie O'Meara and Brian Mortensen are two Alaska based artists the winter in warmer climes and have built a studio in the back of their motorhome. It was really something to see!
This is a shot of Katie working. They travel with their glass in those cases under the table. I think they said they were gun cases. The padding inside protects the glass from shifting during travel. The table Katie is working on folds up and latches in place. The ladder in the back goes up to a huge skylight. Apparently this motorhome was designed for race fans who like to gather on top of the trailer. The right side of the room features two more folding tables. When they are traveling, the kiln sits on the floor. Underneath is the second table is a freezer full of Alaskan seafood. Brian barbecues while they are on the road. Strapped to the back of the wall are the oxygen tanks.
The propane is moved outside when they are torching. These are two of Brian & Katie's boro collaborations. Gorgeous!
This just proves that you don't have to give up your love of glass to take to the open road!
I SO wish I were one of those beadmakers who plans and schedules things. I know some that have a year-round schedule that goes something like this:
January - Easter beads February - Florals for Mother's Day March - Masculine Organics / Red White & Blue April - Ice Cream Cones / Picnic / Lady Bugs May - Fall Colors June - Halloween July - More Fall Colors August - Thanksgiving September - Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa October - Snowmen / Snowflakes November - Hearts December - St. Patty's Beads
I sadly do no think this way. And here I sit on St. Patty's Day with a lovely green bracelet sitting on my desk, waiting to be photographed and a to do list taped to the wall next to me that reads "move Irish stamps to the home page" (for my rubber stamp site).
There always seems to be more time and some more pressing issue that needs my attention. Today, a huge rubber stamp order and taxes will suck my time away and my torch will remain cold. SIGH....
So, you other beadmakers / designers out there: How DO you do it??? Stay ahead of the curve? Any tips???
In the meantime... Since everyone is a little Irish today, here's some green goodies that did get listed in spite of my pitiful efforts!Happy Saint Patrick's Day (or is it Easter??):
Fellow Fire Diva Theresa Ehlers is this month's Diva of the Month. Just in case you don't follow my series on that blog, (but you do, DON'T YOU?) I wanted to post my favorite questionnaire from the series here. It's about all the glassy things a bead artist does and I often ask these questions to other artists as well.
I actually started beading first, and loved it. I used to watch the show That’s Clever, and one day a lampworker was on. I never knew it was possible to make your own beads! Once I tried it I was hooked – but that’s usually how it goes!
Many glass artists have training in other art mediums. Do you? If yes, please explain.
Nope. Unless you count the two sketching/charcoal drawing classes I took in High School.
Describe the first bead you made that you were really proud of? Are you still proud of it now? (Please send a photo if you have one.)
Customer's private collection.
It was actually a set. Believe it or not I just sold it this winter. It was a set of rounds made of ivory and light turquoise.
What inspires you?
The glass and warm weather.
Do you have a plan when you sit down to torch? Do you sketch beads or have photos around for reference?
Sometimes I have an idea in my head, but I try not to do that. It never comes out the way I pictured it, and then I get frustrated. Most of the time I just go with what feels right at the moment.
Photography seems to be a key element for any glass artist. What type of camera / lightbox set up do you use?
I just bought a new camera – a Kodak easyshare. It is 10mp whereas my last one was only four. It’s a huge difference! I also use a white light box I bought on Ebay for $10, and I stuck it inside a cardboard box to keep the light in. For lighting I have a desktop lamp with a very bright fluorescent bulb aimed into the light box.
If the issue of finances (i.e. will it sell?) were of no consequence, what would you spend your time making?
The same thing I make now. I just make what I like, and if someone else likes it, that’s great! If not, oh well. Eventually someone will come looking for it.
What kind of jewelry do you wear? Everyday vs. out on the town?
Everyday. I almost always have lampwork around my neck, even if it is as simple as a focal on a cord or chain.
What is the one skill you wish came easier to you?
Shaping beads freehand (like rounds). It takes me way too long so I just don’t bother. I’m much too impatient.
What do you love about marketing your business? What’s the hardest part of marketing it?
The thing I love most is seeing my work on display online in my shops, on twitter, and on facebook. I like to be able to look at my creations. It gives me motivation and ideas. It’s much easier to look online than to pull out all my containers and look at the beads themselves! I enjoy web design, too, so creating my site was really fun.
The hard part is reaching people and setting prices, especially in this economy. I think because it is difficult to reach people now, I am having a hard time establishing a name for myself and proving that my work is worth buying.
More Diva news this week! The Fire Divas Quarterly Jewelry Challenge upon us and this time, the theme for this challenge is Spring! Show off your beautiful Spring themed jewelry creations featuring Fire Divas' lampwork. Head over to the Flickr site to see many beautiful jewelry pieces made with Fire Divas' lampwork to inspire you! You have the chance to win these incredible prizes from the Fire Divas:
All submissions must feature Fire Divas' lampwork. We require the name of the Fire Diva who made the beads used in the submitted piece, so if you submit something, please be ready to provide that information.
We will allow one submission per person per contest, and a maximum of two photos per submission. Entries may be submitted here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/firedivachallenge/) for approval, no later than April 15, 2010. Please include, in the comments section, the following: Information about the beads: Description of the piece: Inspiration for the piece: Submissions will not be approved without all of this information.
Fire Divas reserve the right to approve or reject any submissions.
Fire Divas reserve the right to modify or cancel the challenge at any time.
The winners will be determined by an open poll which does not allow multiple votes.
Ok, go have fun creating, and good luck to all who enter!
A rare weekend post. It's just as well because it's a fun Glassy weekend here in LA LA land. The Southern California Flame Surfers are meeting at Pacific Artglass tomorrow and it is sure to be fun! Kati O'Meara and Brian Mortensen will demo and allow the Flame Surfers to tour their Magic Glass Bus... a traveling studio!! I will post about that later next week.
But today, I want to share with you the incredible creations by my fellow Fire Divas for the Fire Divas Easter/Passover Challenge! We've allowed plenty of time to shop for those Easter and Passover beads. Below are the entries; take a good look at all that eye candy and then vote for your favorite on the right side of the Fire Divas Blog!
Entry 1:
Entry 2:
Entry 3:
Entry 4:
Entry 5:
Entry 6:
Entry 7:
Entry 8:
Entry 9:
------------- And the official announcement of the Fire Divas 2nd Jewelry Challenge is up! I will repost that next week but, jewelry designers, start making those fantastic creations for spring with your Diva beads! There are some fabulous prizes!!!
As a special, limited time offer, I am going to place a check out button here on the blog for $30 dollars OFF the list price of this necklace, provided you check out through Revolution Money Exchange. This is the only free way for vendors like myself to receive money. Other online payment systems and credit card processors take a nice chunk of artisans hard earned money and this is my way of educating the public and other artisans about this fantastic service!
So there are two buttons there: One for RME ($65.00) and one for PP at full retail (95.00)! Let's see what happens!
I rarely seem to be content with my first attempt at a design. There are often several versions before I'm happy and that violet I shared yesterday was no exception.
As these first attempts are often the ones I wear or donate to Beads of Courage (through the So Cal Flame Surfers), you guys rarely get to see behind the curtain.
The Violets for My Sisters came about when I was making some beads to take to my sorority's 25th anniversary party. I made several beads but in the end I knew the violet would strike a cord with "the girls" who are now grown women. And as I wanted to give it to a sister who extended herself in a most gracious way to me, it had to be special.
Whenever I begin a sculptural piece, I hit google images for examples of what I want to make. I try to find as many images from different angles as I can. I open a word doc and right click and paste them into one doc, dragging the corners to fit 4 - 6 on one page. I print that out and tape it to the right of my torch... on the wall, far away from the flame.
Then I select my colors, pull stringers, give some thought to structure (How will it hang? Will one side be too heavy? Along with the more obvious, "Where do I begin?"), pull any special tools and start.
At first, I really wanted an opaque glass for a base. But the fact of the matter is... no one makes a pretty opaque purple. (Before you other bead makers jump in here - there is a boutique glass company that makes a glorious opaque purple. But that color is so inconsistent; I refuse to spend more money for an unpredictable product.) For that reason alone, this bead was rejected.
Still I wore this for a few days to be sure the structure was something I could go on with. I wanted to make sure the design didn't flop when worn. I had taken care to balance this bead by adding extra glass to the back side to to prevent that but wearing it was the only way to be sure. Once I knew the bead worked structurally, I was ready to address color.
Extra glass was added to the back to keep the bead from flipping.
The second bead broke (I dropped it on my tile floor.) and it's just as well. I used a larger mandrel, wanting a more dramatic sized bead. And even though I took care to add more glass to the back, it was still front heavy as it had petals only on one side like the first. But I knew the transparent color was the perfect choice. See? There's something to learn at every turn!
For the final version, I went back to a 1/16 mandrel for a smaller bead hole and on a whim, decided to add petals to both sides. This was quite a feat in the flames! I had to make a bead, keep it warm while pulling petals and adding them one by one. 10 petals!
In the end, I was so pleased that the bead stood upright on its own making it the perfect stand-alone piece for a shelf or desktop or it can be worn without flipping.
I knew it! It was coming...I smelled it in the wind. It always happens. I'm talking about that crash that inevitably comes after I've stretched and grown a bit.
And I have been stretching and growing. My last torch sessions before I left yielded some amazing beads! I was so proud. I can't show you all of them... they are for a contest and I don't like bragging about a bead here and then asking my readers to go vote somewhere. That would be stacking the deck and I don't care for that. But I will show you one of them:
Violet for My Sisters
This bead is a thing of wonder and I will be posting more about it in a few weeks, once the contest with the other beads is over (That bead is NOTHING like this. It's NOT a flower.)
I will explain one little bit about this bead. It has 10 petals, which were added one at a time, all the while keeping this big bead warm and happy. When I finished this and put it in the kiln and took a breath - I nearly cried! I made exactly one bead that night...this one. No breakage, no flat fish...just one perfect bead.
There are times as an artist I feel so blessed. But my first art form is actually writing. I've used these skills to earn a living time and time again. And just as in lampwork, there are times the words seem to flow out of my fingertips and onto the screen in a most magical way... like I am irrelevant to the process. Like some Higher Power (believe whateveryou want here. I'm NOT here to force my beliefs on anyone...I just know what I feel.) has taken control and I'm merely the vessel.
This bead (and those others I'm DYING to show someone) and this recent blog post felt that way for me. And when I'm riding that high, I know a crash is coming. It seems that whenever I get too big for my egotistical britches, the Universe will take me down a peg and put me in my place... No matter how grateful I am for my gifts, the crash always comes.
Yet I was so full of ideas as I eagerly hit the torch last night and everything went awry. Every color test I ran was a complete failure. The color of glass I really "need" for that project in my head...isn't even made! I turned the torch off after an hour, hung my head and came into the house. I need to rethink that project.
And just as certain as I am about this crash, I am equally as certain that I will go on. I will baby myself. I will have a torch session where I only make things I've made over and over...success guaranteed. Then I will expand and feel my oats with new color combos or play with size and scale. And soon, this crash will be behind me - just one more low in the rhythm of life - and I will keeping working at a medium I love.
Here are the rules, so please pass this award along…. The rules for accepting the Sunshine Award are: - Put the logo on your blog or within your post. - Pass the award onto 12 bloggers. - Link the nominees within your post. - Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog. - Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.
(Can I just say??? I HATE this part!)
1) Janel of Janel Dudley Beads - Janel is a fellow Fire Diva and she is PURE sunshine to that group. Always thinking, doing, plugging (other's work more often than her own!). I love her sunny disposition and both her blogs!
2) Ema of Ema K Designs - Another Diva. Ema posts on Mondays and her posts always make me think and stretch a bit. She is an inspiration always!
3) Donna of I'm No Prima Donna - Yes, another Diva but, I've known Donna personally for years and she is single handedly responsible for bringing TOP NOTCH beadmakers to Southern California to teach! Her shop rocks and so do the teachers she attracts! And I've been nagging her to blog on a more public forum and she leapt right in. I'm so proud of her because I think she has a lot to say (and having cute dogs for blog fodder never hurts!)
4) Lauren of Maybeads - OK...just one more Diva (what can I say? I find ALL the Divas inspiring! I love Lauren's shiny view of the world and especially all things murrini! Her beads make me smile!
5) Keiara of Keiara's Keep - Her photo always makes me smile - I always longed for purple hair! And her beads ROCK!
6) Lezlie of Lezlie B's Beady Reflections - a/k/a Cankeep - Lezlie is on of the first beadmakers I followed religiously when I even before I became aware of what lampwork was! My pal, Becky Meverden had been given a Sock Monkey glass bead from Lezlie to give to Carol Duvall. It was a stunner. Lezlie is to this day one of my favorites. I adore her work for the simple reason she seems to follow her muse whether her muse is cute one day or organic the next. As someone who has a fickle muse myself, I love that about her. I love that she keeps me guessing! I treasure the pieces of hers I own.
7) Becky of The Constant Crafter- Becky is a long time friend from my Carol days. She's a talent polymer clay designer and jewelry designer and has been known to make beads on occaision! Watching her grow from a rather shy lady into a media savvy pro has been one fun trip!
8) Lori of Pretty Things- A very inspiring blog by renown jewelry designer Lori Anderson. She reviews books, post bits of inspiration and shares her design journey.
9) The Art Bead Scene - This is a group blog and I just love it. Devoted entirely to the use of artist made beads, there is always something exciting to see and the contests just wow me every month. They also make me stretch as an artist! And they are SO on top of the latest trends!
10) Sylvie of Sylvie Bead Journal- Sylvie is an amazing teacher and has such an eye for whimsy. I love to see what she's up to. Her coffee addiction is a thing of wonder as much as her beads!
11) Lx (Louis) from Powder French - Lou was one of the art directors on Carol Duvall. He's one of those guys that not only thinks outside the box, he recycles the box and uses something else entirely. He works in many artistic media and his take on the world is always thought provoking and exciting.
12) Twinkie from Twinkie Tiny Dog- Please overlook the fact that she's my "God-dog-ther," her blogs are so funny and always make me smile. If you've never explored the world of dog blogs.... Twinkie is a fine place to start!
So... check out some new blogs and see what you are missing! And to all of the above: Thanks SO much for bringing a little sunshine into my life!
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