At Work, No Words

Can you hear the music playing in the background? Busy busy busy today!

Road Trip: Corning Museum of Glass

Road Trip! I've just printed mapquest directions from my house to the Corning Museum of Glass (CMOG). I love the Glass Flowers that are usually housed at Harvard University but the flowers are on the road and at CMOG this summer. Whoo Hoo! Ok, yeah, I've got to get a life but as a flamework glass artist - those flowers are a masterpiece!

I was downloading info for the museum when I clicked on the link for Flamework Live!. CMOG has re-created the torch of the Czech glass artists who made the flowers in the 1800's. Cool. Take a look at that - how'd you like to have that mounted on your bench at home? The museum acquired an 1800's era flameworking table from the Czech Republic. The oxygen comes from that bellows underneath the bench. Can't wait to see that in person!

Lots of glass to see today - I'll post about it when I get back. Can't wait to see the Harvard Glass Flowers!



(All photos from the CMOG website)

Pictures worth a thousand beads!

Yes, I know - a trite saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" but in this case, it's worth a thousand beads because that's what I'm making in these pictures - beads and spirals! During Wednesday's demo at AirSep, the company photographer made the rounds taking pictures of the celebration for the company. He usually takes pictures of oxygen concentrators and generators but on Wednesday, he had some different subjects to photograph - a nice mix for him that day. His name is Phil and he kindly shared the photos he took while I was making beads. Cool, huh? Thanks for sending me the photos, Phil!

I've never seen my minor torch from this angle - the candles look good!

I made the fingerless glove that I'm wearing to protect my left hand from the heat of the flame. It was a frequently asked question - isn't your hand too close to the flame? Isn't it hot? How do you hold your hand so close to the flame?

The glove protects my hand but I also have gotten used to the heat. I've built up a tolerance to the heat on my hand.

Have you built up a tolerance to something?

Upgrading and fingerless gloves....

A new oxygen generator arrived at my door on Friday. It's phase one of upgrading my studio equipment. Tomorrow, I'm getting on the phone to order a larger torch. I've been talking about upgrading for a year - exactly. Last Urban Glass Bead Expo, I was asking all of the other lampworkers what torch they used, how did they work , etc. etc. I've been doing that for a year now all the while saving up some money to buy. Tomorrow is the day!

I crocheted myself a cotton fingerless glove to wear while torching - it protects my hand from the infrared that comes from the torch - makes a big difference. I had to crochet it short in the fingers so that the mandrel doesn't get caught up in the glove while I'm turning the bead. Love it!