Do you see beads everywhere?

August 23, 2006....Sometimes, I see beads in everything! I look at the most mundane things and am inspired to make beads! On a walk through Chinatown in Toronto last week, the fruit and vegetables on the street were so vibrant with color that I had to take a few pictures. It said glass to me! I'm grateful and fortunate that something as routine as a walk on vacation can provide such inspiration - as long as I'm willing to stop and look at it.

Hands and Mudras.....

August 22, 2006.....I'm back from vacation....we went to Toronto for a few days. Very busy visiting many different sites - was alot of fun!

Last Friday, we spent the afternoon at the Royal Ontario Museum or ROM as it's called. A wonderful new Asian exhibit had recently opened and was full of wonderful sculpture. I'm always fascinated with hands. Many of the hands were broken off - so we don't know exactly which handshape it was. But each handshape has significance and is called a "mudra." The first picture shows buddha as an infant/toddler - seems that there a few representations of the buddha as a baby. His hand is outstretched in a particular handshape. The sculpture's description didn't explain which mudra this was,though. I spent a few hours just going through this one exhibit - there was so much to see! I'm not going to show all but just a brief glimpse of the buddhas and the handshapes. Fascinating!

Travels....August 18, 2006

I'm off on a vacation for a few days to Toronto in Ontario Canada. Spent yesterday walking the streets of Chinatown - found some interesting dyed leaf shell beads that I decided I hadn't seen anywhere before - so scooped them up to bring home. Wandering the streets with my family, we look lots of pictures of street vendors and food markets. Lots of very colorful fruit and vegetables. I didn't bring my USB cable with me so I can't upload any pictures yet. When I get back home in a few days, I'll post some pictures.

We'll be visiting the Royal Ontario Museum today and hopefully get a chance to see the St. Lawrence Market. Tomorrow, the zoo and then home! I promise lots of great pictures to share!

Hard work....August 14, 2006

Good morning! I'm in a great mood today despite the fact that it's a paperwork day! I'm excited to announce that my work has been accepted into the "Once Upon a Bead" show at THE GALLERY in Hunter, New York. The show is hosted by the Catskill Mountain Foundation and features beads made of all types of materials, glass, ceramic, etc. The show will run from September 30th to November 12th, 2006. All beads at the show will be for sale.

If you've been reading my blog, this is one of the series of applications I've been working on this summer. Hard work does pay off!

So, in honor of the upcoming show, I've posted on of the "Chakra" hands that I make. The fingers have all of the colors of the rainbow representing the chakras. I use the pearly yellow for the palm - I really love the color - so bright and energetic. I've been making some variations on the chakra hand theme and using a cobalt blue for the palm. A very soothing color - gives the hand a whole different feel. Funny how changing one element can lend an entirely different tone. That's what keeps me interested in creating!

Development and Comfort....August 11, 2006

I'm developing a new series of beads and that means that while they're in development, the beads are not show-able. During a torch session, I'll make a few of the new series beads and then make a variation on one of my current series. It's comforting to go back to something I can make with confidence after working on new techniques/styles.

I've created slight variations on my hand beads. In the Cosmic Hand bead, I've made a separate "bail bead" and created the hand hanging from it. The flame-hand was inspired by a fellow beadmaker, Jim Anspach, who creates "fire and ice" beads with small flames. He was kind enough to post directions on how to create the flames. I used his tutorial to place the flames in the palm of my hand!

Homage to Favorite Artist Picasso -Copying?

August 7, 2006....I did a series of beads awhile ago that were a HOMAGE to certain artists. The goal in creating the beads were to look like the artist's work. I've posted my homage to Picasso which is very recognizable as Picasso - that's was the point. I don't say I came up with the artwork, the image - it's a tribute to the artist.

I really love the paintings that Picasso did of this woman - she's so languid - I can feel the adoration he might have felt for her coming through the painting. So, I entitled it Picasso's Amour. I wanted to be out there with where the image came from.

There's nothing that gets some people more red in the face than these beads! I'm sure it was the subject of a long, sharply critical thread on one of the glass boards when I posted a picture of it there. I only scanned a few of the posts because I could feel the anger.

It never occurred to me that someone might think it was improper. It was a homage, a tribute. The image on the bead was supposed to look like Picasso paintings. If you recognized the style, the name - then you were a Picasso admirer like me.

I love these beads so much and are so excited to show them that I put one or two of the homage beads out at a bead show - one person picked it up and looked at me and said - this is Picasso! I said yes it is! (with a smile on my face - I thought she understood it! - Fellow Picasso lovers! Wrong!) She grumbled under her breath about copyright infringement - huffed and walked away.

Interesting.

The point was to look like Picasso - it was obvious to her - so does that mean I copied or achieved my goal?

Well, it matters not how everyone else feels about the bead. In the end, it's how I feel about them. I love them. I love Picasso's paintings in this style. I'd be happy to send a percentage of the money from the sale of the homage beads to the estate of Picasso but I don't sell the beads - selling isn't the reason I make glass in the first place. I've just given this one away but the rest I'll keep in my private collection - just more for me!

How to's and To Do's....

I've written a "how to" article for the online forum WetCanvas! It will appear in the Glass Art section. It's an easy tutorial on what to do with the left over bits of glass rod from flameworking/beadmaking. The finished project is a textured piece of glass, about 1.5 inches square. They look woven, but they're not. I love the look of them!

I've decided to start using a "to do" list - bought a dry eraser board and have placed it directly in front of me at my desk. To Do lists have never worked well for me - I tend to write a list that has 15 or 20 things on it that need to get done. After I write a list that long, I'm too overwhelmed with what I have to do - so I don't do any of it! LOL! Instead of writing a very long list, I force myself to write 2-3 things at a time. I've been doing that this week and haven't felt overwhelmed yet! I actually gone things done! Truth be told - I got things done before but for some reason, I feel more of a sense of accomplishment when I can erase items from the list!

Glasscaster Podcast Review.....August 3, 2006

Finally there is a podcast out for flameworkers/lampworkers! Hurrah! Thanks to Marcie Davis for bringing a radio show for flameworkers to our computers and iPods! Before Glasscaster, there was/is GlassTalk Radio but since I am a MacHead, I was never able to get it to run on my Mac. Missed out on alot of great interviews but Glasscaster will fill that void nicely!

In this show entitled "The Life of an Artist: Is it for You?" Marcie has lined up some of the flameworking greats, Paul Stankard and Fred Birkhill. Davis interviewed both at the annual Flameworking Conference held at Salem Community College in New Jersey.

Glasscaster opens with some catchy instrumental music which fades as Davis begins the show and interview with Stankard. Davis is an excellent interviewer, she asks the questions that all of us are thinking. The first time I listened to the show, what stood out for me were the voices of Davis, Stankard and Birkhill. No disrespect intended to either Davis or Stankard, but both voices were fairly monotone making them difficult to listen to for the entire 21:50 minutes of the Stankard interview. In person, their voices would be supported by seeing the person, their gestures, facial expression, etc. and I doubt I would have felt their voices were monotone. On a radio show, the voices have to carry the listeners' interest and I felt myself wanting more inflection, more "personality" because I couldn't see them. In contrast, when Davis began the interview with Birkhill, his voice was full of personality, inflection and enthusiasm. His excitement about flameworking became my excitement and I wanted to hear more than 15 minutes!

Voices aside, the show was engaging and the questions thoughtful. While being interviewed, Stankard mentions several books that he feels an asipiring artist should read. I've posted most of them below with either summaries or links to summaries for those who are interested.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man James Joyce

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man


Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence Robert Pirseg (first published 1974, 25th Anniversary edition, 1999) From the back cover:

A narration of a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by a father and his son. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintencance becomes a personal and philogophical odyssey into fundamental questions of how to live. The narrator’s relationship with his son leads to a powerful self-reconing: the craft of motorcycle maintenance leads to an austerely beautiful process for reconcliling science, relition and humanism. Resonant with the confusion of existence, this class is a touching and transcendent book of life.

The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property– by Lewis Hyde first published 1979 – Literary Criticism/Sociology – from back cover:

The gift is an inquiry into the place of creativity in our market-oriented society. Starting with the premise that the work of art is a gift and not a commodity. Lewis Hyde’s revolutionary book ranges across anthropology, literature, economics, and psychology to show how the “commerce of the creative spirit” functions in the lives of artists and in the culture as a whole.


Ayn Rand – The Fountainhead. From the back cover:

When it was first published in 1943, the fountainhead, Ayn Rand’s daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy,, Objectivisim, won immediate world wide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him.



Robert Hughes – American Visions excerpt at: American Visions

Earnest Gombich – The Story of Art

(I have the last book, The Story of Art and it is a readable art history book. Lots of pictures of the artwork Gombich describes. His writing style is accessible and not full of professional jargon. Worth the $30.00 I paid for the hard cover off Amazon. )

I must admit to being puzzled about some of the book recommendations. I am not sure how Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair makes one a significantly better artist. However, art is subjective and a whole variety of things can make one a good artist. Although I may or may not agree with the recommendations, I will agree if Stankard feels reading it made him a better artist, then by all means read it! No one can argue with the beauty of his paperweights and his skill as an artist.

After about 22 minutes, the show transitions to Birkhill. I'd like to hear a little more of the instrumental music between the interviews - it would help to bring back listeners who may have drifted off. However, the minute Birkhill starts to speak, he draws you in with his voice - he's excited and his love of flameworking comes through the earphones. Birkhill's portion of the show addresses the title - The Life of An Artist - is it for you? best. He describes his own journey and how art can be a compulsion - something you can't NOT do! Many of the listeners will feel the same. It was interesting to hear how his "failures" at other careers lead him to his current and successful career as a glass artist. At the end of Birkhill's interview, Davis promises to interview him again in the future. I look forward to hearing more.

Glasscaster gets a thumbs up and thanks to Marcie Davis for all the hard work it takes to put a podcast together. I look forward to future shows.

You can subscribe to Glasscaster through the iTunes store:

Glasscaster Hot Glass Talk in a High Tech World!

or via Marcie Davis's site: Glasscaster Hot Glass Talk in a High Tech World!

Ivory Glyphs....

Working on a series - this is Ivory Glyphs. I see this as an outgrowth of the Ancient Star Maps series - it's all part of the same vision I'm working on inspired by petroglyphs, archeological beads and how they were used as talismans and communication. The Star Map beads are made differently than the Ivory Glyphs - Ivory Glyphs is manipulated amber glass whereas the Star Maps are enameled. Let me know what you think of these!

Project Samples.....

A few weeks ago, I was working feverishly to finish the proposals and send in samples for 2007's Bead and Button Show. I wanted to show a few of the samples from the proposed classes. This one is entitled "Wired Squares" It uses the Primary Colored Square beads that I are available on my website listed in the left menu. The beads were inspired by Kandinsky's Color Studies and were one of the first beads I ever made. I still love them!

Pink Alabastro glass....

Pink is a difficult color to achieve in glass - the gold used to make pink can be lost in the heat that is necessary to make the glass. I find that it's also a difficult color to photograph! The color looks washed out in the photo - it's a soft pink in person, a little deeper color than in the picture.

I used medium pink "alabastro" glass to sculpt a nude and wrap a dichroic glass stringer to create the illusion of stardust. The alabastro glass has a reputation for being fussy - the glass rod breaks apart in the flame. I worked the glass much cooler than I do the other glass so the whole process took longer than it normally does. The results are worth it!

Auras - for fun

I'm still working on applications...so today's fun is a little "test" I took to find out what color my "aura" is. I'm not sure the questions asked truly captured who I am because while answering I found I wanted to take part of answer "A" and answer "C" - but that wasn't an option. So the analysis was a little syrupy - I edited out the "goo" and left what I thought had captured a little bit of who I am. I was thrilled to be even remotely like the Dalai Lama - a human being I have the utmost respect for - I am so amazed by his teachings. As an aside - I'll actually be able to see him lecture in September - very much looking forward to it! Anyways, my aura is BLUE.

Back to the applications!

Your Aura is Blue

Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. Famous blues include: the Dalai Lama, Oprah

What Color Is Your Aura?

Beads between applications....

I've got another application I'm working on that will be sent out this weekend. In the meantime, I've been working very early in the morning before it gets too hot (90+). I set out the colors I'll work with for the session and for the past week or so, I've been working with yellow, red, ocean, lime and parrot green. The yellow has a golden shampoo glass quality - it's not made anymore and when Frantz (glass supplier) was selling off all they had, I bought as much as I could afford. It doesn't photograph well so you can see the shampoo-ness of it, but it is just gorgeous!
I'll post more later, I have to get out into the studio now to do some work.....

Sample projects and Applications.....

I've created a variation on the Lucky Knots and Lampwork necklace - a bracelet that has a button clasp using a disk bead. I've been fooling around with this for awhile to figure out exactly how to knot so that the disk bead lies nicely on the wrist. This is the sample that was sent to B&B yesterday. I like it alot!

I'll be working on another application today - getting pictures prepared to send in. Then on to another one that will be due by the 31st. I have to remember to send in my application and table fee for Urban Glass before August 1. Lots to do!

I don't tend to talk about my applications - I don't like to "jinx" it. But if I put it out there, then it forces me to do it. My perfectionism in my work makes me second guess myself -seeing flaws in the work that only I see but making me feel that the work is imperfect so therefore I should not submit it. The work is perfectly acceptable! So, talking about it to others prods me over that perfectionism hump that can get in my way.

Masks, Post Office, then on to the next project!

New masks today from the mask series....I'm running out of clever names for these. If you have any suggestions, please post them! Not sure I like the one without any "eyes" although it conveys the idea of a mask better than one with eyes. Hmmm... thinking out loud now....Maybe it should be a mask built onto a background color?....
I've got to go to the post office to mail sample projects to Bead &Button for next year's show. I've proposed 7 classes including the Lucky Knots and Lampwork necklace that I taught at Beadfest in 2005. I'm rummaging around for a box and going through the list to make sure I included everything they asked for. I don't like going to the post office but sometimes, you just gotta do it!
After I'm done at the PO today, I'm on to the next set of images I have to submit! Let me know what you think of the masks!

Ack! and Argh!

I'm going crazy here trying to send in all of the applications and slides for various juried shows or publications! I realized I missed one this morning and I only have a few days to get everything in order! Ack! Today's post is short because I have to get to work on those things. I really don't want to miss the deadlines! ACK!

Today's picture is Enamels-Gone-Wrong! I was working in jade-like opalino green when I decided it needed enamels to highlight the relief of the face. WRONG! The enamels clumped when I sifted. ARGH!

Applications for next year's shows and ETSY....

I've been working on applications for next year's shows. Bead and Button requests that you submit a minimum of 6 class proposals. You apply on-line and then you have to send the finished product to their offices....it stays there for 6 months. Oh, and by the way, if they lose your work or damage it, it's not their fault. You're supposed to add a rider to your insurance to cover any damages that might be incurred. Don't know what to say about that. It doesn't seem right but then again, I'm not Bead and Button. AND it's not deterring me from sending in 6 proposals and the accompanying pieces to go with it! There's just sometimes that you feel like the little guy and this is definitely one of those times! :-)

Today's eye candy is one of the finished projects that I am proposing...Lucky Knots and Lampwork. This is the original design, a single handmade lampworked bead as the centerpiece of a knotted rope. I taught this class at Beadfest 2005 in Philadelphia. I really enjoyed teaching the class - I learned more from the students I think than they learned from me!

I've proposed a few other classes that I'll post later on in the week.

I've opened an etsy.com shop (link at the left). I want to put a variety of things in the shop and will do so over the next couple of weeks. I've got soap dishes and cutting boards that I've been developing. Right now, I've got some beads and earrings. Look for the housewares later on in the month!

Lampworkers, flameworkers Blogs are Boring???

July 10, 2006....Yesterday I watched a news piece on bloggers. Apparently to be popular in the "blogosphere" or should I say to have anyone even READ your blog, you have to be opininated, snarky, nasty and gossipy! Hmmmm, I guess you could call me "Pollyanna" at best (does anyone even know who Pollyanna is anymore?) ...anyways, nasty and snarky is not what my blog is usually about. In fact, it's not usually what any of the lampworkers, flameworkers I know are about in their blogs! If you want people to read your blog, you're not supposed to talk about your kids, kitties or dogs!

I wonder if glass is included in the boring category? Hmmmm.....Ok, I know that not everyone finds glass interesting and not everyone interested in glass will find all of the technical details interesting. Sometimes, even those of us who love the artsy and the technical parts of glass can be bored with some of the flameworkers blog posts! Take a look at Halefire's Saturday, June 3, 2006 update: HalefireGlass Update

Halefire, I LOVE your glass but a post and picture of your AC is just crossing the line! (Insert snoring here)

This is said all in fun...and in the interest of improving our collective blogs! Afterall, if we're boring then no one will read our blogs and then how do we get the word of our work out? I'm thinking maybe I should give out a Lampworkers/Flameworkers Snoozer award? I don't think I can be completely opinionated and snarky but maybe just slightly opinionated and snarky to be interesting.

Podcasting

Ok, so I've been considering doing a podcast since there's nothing really out there for lampworkers. There's GlassTalk radio but I've never been able to listen to it on my Mac. Anyways, I've been listening to some of the casts, Podcast Pickle, CastOn (knitting), CraftyChica, Crochet...some of them are more entertaining than others but am I the only one whose eyes are glazing over after about 10 minutes? The casts feel very long even though they aren't (20-30 minutes). Easy for me to criticize, I havent' done one yet! So props to those who are but one piece of advice. Keep it short - don't feel like you have to do 30 minutes if you've only enough script for 15.

On to the picture for today....a newly made set of earrings. Mango orange is my color for the summer! It's in the flameworked disks, beads and in these earrings. When I go to the yarn shop, I'm heading straight for the orange bins of yarn. Don't ask me why, it is what it is!

Cleaning, listening and enamels continued.....

July 7, 2006....I cleaned my studio the other day from the "winter clutter." During the coldest part of the year, I can't really work in my unheated studio. During that time, any supplies and equipment I order usually gets stored in the studio but not organized and put away properly. I save that until it warms up. Yeah, I know it's been warm for a few months now but I didn't clean and organize until the other day. Never really tops on my list of things to do, I'd rather be melting glass!

I've had a few situations happen recently where I've noticed that some people can talk and simply not be heard. You know that someone is me (grin), I offered to send half a rod of the Doublehelix Krono to anyone who would send their address. Now, mind you, it is THE glass to have right now and is very pricey. I thought I might be overwhelmed with addresses but only 1 person sent me a pm. Fascinating! Makes me wonder what is it that makes people listen or pay attention. People are a real puzzle aren't they? (smile)

On to today's beads - this is the last of my most recent foray into enamels. A base of enamel (any color) will make the color laid on top of it web. A new "discovery" for me - it is well known that the intense black will web on anice white but this is different. The brown enamel base caused the dark topaz to web. With the blue tab bead, you can see "webbing" all around and under the blue. The webbing here causes the dots to be surrounded and look like paisleys. This application of "webbing" is new to me. I'd like to be able to control it better for certain effects that I have in mind. Stay tuned - you'll see more of this!

Reactive Glass.....

July 4th, 2006....today's beads are made with a "reactive" glass. The maker of the glass - Doublehelix glassworks - creates a glass that has alot of metals in it so that when you melt it in the flame, the metals create crystals that create colors. You can get shading in the reactive glass that can be very difficult to create with the regular glass rods. When I put a layer of clear over the reactive glass, it created a slight orangey-yellow line around the dots in some places. Silver will turn glass yellow - I'm assuming that's what caused the line.

I'm also playing with different ways to photograph the beads. I played with this concept a couple of years ago - not sure why I stopped because I really like it! Also have made some large holed beads - the hole is 1/4 inch in diameter. I see the large holed beads called "charms." An apt name - I do find them charming!

Knotting and musings....

I've posted pictures of the Chinese knotting necklaces that I've been making over the past 2 years. I'm playing with this knot to make something a little bit different with it. Hope to finish it by the end of the weekend and post next week. This one is done in pink and handformed hearts on the lampworked beads. I call it My Heart is in Knots (or something like that - I can't remember exactly - but it's on the picture). I have this particular necklace up for sale at CindyGimbronebeads.com. Click on the title and it will take you the website.
It's going to be hot today. I woke up at 5:30 am and it was almost 70 degrees. So, my post will be quick as I have to get out and do my morning walk before 7 am. I know I know! What am I crazy for getting up that early and walking? I am a morning person - I do all my best work before 12:00 noon. Just how I am. So, I have to cut it short this morning - I want to be in the studio by 8 am and work before it gets unbearable!

New glass color!

A new glass color! The glass factory in Italy has come up with a new shade of green - parrot green! Sitting at the torch with the color, the glass wanted to be a mask bead. I've been trying faces on and off for a few years. Usually, I'm not completely satisfied with the result. This one is cute - the green is just perfect with the other contrasting colors.

I'll be working in the studio today. It's a good day to work - temperature won't go above 75 degrees Farenheit so it won't be too hot. After my morning walk, I'll be at the torch. Yipppee!

Circles, circles, circles

I'm staying with the circle theme as I said yesterday! There is little or no texture left in these off mandrel pendants. One of them has tiny dots of accent red and the other has a shiny iridescent raised heart. These are between 25mm - 27mm (1 inch) in diameter. What do you think of the accent red on the circle? What about the shiny raised heart?

Besides Beads....

June 27, 2006....what else do I do? Today, I'm going to digress for a bit and show you another craft I work in...crochet.

During the past few years, I've re-learned how to crochet. I say re-learned because I crocheted during the '70's when I was a teenager and crocheted garments were "groovy." I stopped crocheting when I went to college because I never seemed to have any time! I carried my yarn stash around with me for years before I finally got rid of it.

Then beading came very popular again and along with it - crochet! All of a sudden I was seeing these lovely crocheted beaded ropes! I wanted to do that! Made several attempts on my own (boy were they AWFUL!) with no luck. So, I signed up to take a basic class with larger yarn (not thread) to see if I could get my skills back. I took the beginner class, the intermediate class, the summer poncho class (I posted a picture of the poncho last year along with the beads I made to go with it), the fall poncho class and was off making my own garments again. I've designed my own very basic shrug and am working on a pair of socks. The beaded rope? Well, I still haven't master that yet. But I've moved onto thread.

Today's picture is one of the 3 crochet projects I have going. It's cotton thread in a size 3. All different sizes but the same shape, a circle - circles, very bead-like don't you think? My initial plan was to make a scarf that would go from large circles down to small ones with tiny circles as fringe. I may still do that but making the circles is addictive. I can make one or two circles every evening and feel like I've accomplished something! Pairing the colored circle with the black outline makes the color pop.

Circles have been my theme lately. I'm making the flameworked glass circles and at the same time have been making the crocheted circles. Somehow, they'll come together but you and I will have to stay tuned to see where the circles lead me!

June 26, 2006 Results of the weekend's experiements!

I woke up at 4:15 this morning and I just can't go back to sleep. So, I thought I'd just get up and post to the blog! Crazy, isn't it?! Most would roll over and go back to sleep - I just couldn't. Laid there for about an hour and then just had to get up and do something!

I worked all weekend on "new" techniques for me. It takes awhile to come up with something that is worth showing, though. Sometimes, I come up with a bead that looks fabulous and when you photograph it close up, you see little teeny things you didn't see before! Geez, now I know why models are so obsessive about their physical appearance! When you get photographed you see things that you just don't see in real life! So anyways, it can take several weeks of practice on a technique before I come up with something presentable. I do have a bead that I really like to show you today!

Today's bead I'm calling, Enameled Kronos. No, it's not very creative but that's what it is! I rolled a base bead of whatever transparent glass I had lying on the bench in white enamel (powdered glass). Dotted on the Kronos - let me tell you, it was difficult to strike because if I used my usual reducing flame, it caused the white enamel to go gray-black. So, I had to wave the bead in and out of the flame, let it cool almost to cracking and then re-heat. Making this bead took alot longer than it normally does. I like the look of it and it's a nice barrel shape. I've been carrying it around in my pocket all weekend. Definitely "pocket worthy."

Who is Lampwork Diva and why is she a Diva?

I probably should have explained "Lampwork Diva" in the very beginning when I started the blog but I didn't. The longer I have the blog, the more I realize I should explain "the Diva."

The lampwork part of the Diva, comes from the art/craft I have chosen, flameworked glass. The word "lampwork" is a traditional term used to describe the torches or "lamps" that the ancient and traditional flameworkers used - therefore the word "lampwork."

The Diva comes from wanting to create an online persona that would jump out of the computer at you - a woman, full of confidence and able to create beautiful flameworked glass. She's loosely based on my paternal grandmother and my father's sister. My grandmother, according to my parents, was a full fledged DIVA - she only wanted the BEST of everything. My father's sister was a bootlegger in the 1930's. She loved risk and could hold her own with the men. She was a DAME.

My own personality is a little quieter than either of the women in my father's family. But I do admire the confidence that they both carried - a little like Matahari in the picture I posted today. The confidence these women exude is the confidence that I have in my flameworked glass. I express that confidence through Lampwork Diva - she loves glass and she's confident that you will appreciate her art.

Experiments Continue.....

More experiments with the faux boro beads. This time the beads were made with an opague or pastel base and then the stringer laid over top of that and encased in clear. Someone on the boards had suggested that using a pastel base made the beads brighter and I agree.

If you've been reading regularly, I've been experimenting with this faux boro technique for a few weeks. I don't know what it says about my personality but I really like to go through most all of the possible combinations of a bead before I move on to another techique. I like to explore the technique fully. I like to understand everything about the process. It will come in handy later.

Memberships and Indecision

June 17, 2006.....I realize that I don't have my memberships listed anywhere on my sites. I haven't figured out how to add pictures to my templates so I haven't added the logos. Soooo, thought I'd mentioned them here. I'm a member of the International Society of Glassbeadmakers (ISGB) and the Glass Art Society. I haven't gone to either of their conferences - in fact the Glass Art Society is meeting in St. Louis this weekend - mostly because of the locations. A little too far away and not enough $$. I'm shooting next year for the ISGB if it's on the East Coast.

I am undecided about this frit from Val Cox, "Bora Bora." I think it's too dark - I was light on the frit but still it looks very dark to me. This was a test bead to see how the frit looked against the background. It's encased to give it depth. It does have that kind of boro hazy feel to it. Wondering what you think?

The Flow Magazine, "Thoughtful" and new work....

Got my proofs today for the special women's section of The Flow magazine. I hadn't heard from the editor for so long that I thought I wasn't going to make it into the women's issue. Seems that there was such an overwhelming response that things have just taken a lot longer. They have included one of the painted beads focal - Thoughtful in Red. It is one of only two that I made and is the only one with a red background. I sold it a couple of years ago to a private collector. I made a second one with an aqua background that I sold just recently at the Urban Glass Show in NYC. Thoughtful is part of the Every Woman series of painted beads - I'd like every woman to see themselves in one of the beads - so I make a wide variety of faces to reflect the wide variety of women.
I've posted pictures of the new off mandrel work I've created in the past few weeks. I'm experimenting with texture in the off mandrel pieces. The one above is a floating eye - the eye is such a powerful symbol and the basis of understanding American Sign Language (remember I'm a free lance sign language interpreter in my other life!). Not sure how I'm feeling about leaving the ridges in the piece, though. In person, it feels like texture but in a photo, I'm not sure it looks that way. Any comments?

The disks were made to be sewn onto a felted wool bag I made - just a different way to use and show off the beads!.

Glass Disks and To Bead and Button or not?......

I've got a couple of things I'm thinking about today, the eye candy for the day, the glass disks and the 2007 Bead and Button show.... first the eye candy!
I've been working more and more off hand or "off mandrel", today's eye candy is just that - glass disks inspired by Kandinsky's color study done in circles - but all done without a bead hole. I like this kind of glass art but I can't tell you more than that about why I am moving in that direction. It's an intuitive process for me so I can't verbalize it or explain it very well yet but I like creating things that aren't beads. I still like the beads but I want the glass that I create to stand on it's own and not necessarily be a part of a finished composition. I want it to be THE composition.
On to the next topic....the 2007 Bead and Button show....The Bead and Button Show is the most well known venue for selling beads. I haven't ever tried to go in an capacity, as a buyer or as a seller or as an instructor. I played with the idea last year but missed the deadline to submit. My bad. So, right now, I am shooting to submit for 2007 as an instructor and as a vendor. As an instructor, they suggest that you submit proposals for 6 classes or 4 workshops! That's alot of classes and workshops! Not sure what that means other than I have to get busy and develop more proposals! I have 3 but better work on more!

June 11, 2006....Reactions and colors

As I said in an earlier post, my glass hasn't been about the reactions and colors I could get in the beads, it's been about what I could create in the medium....but in the interest of expanding and growing, I've been working on color and reactions. This set of beads is more a study in color with a little emphasis on the reactions. The copper green will behave in a particular way when layered onto the purple/orchid and opal yellow. I've had the opal yellow and the copper green for about 2 years now. I wasn't crazy about the colors or the fact that the copper green had to be "cleaned" of its rusty devitrification each time I made a bead. I've gotten a better handle on the copper green now and know how to work it in the flame. The copper green will absorb into the base color and create a fine line of concentrated color....a nice effect!

Research: Roses in Frederick Law Olmstead Park

Yesterday around lunchtime, I found myself with about an hour to kill. I took a walk in the city's park to do a little glass research. Wow, what gem! Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (the same person who designed Central Park in NYC), the park is really a horticultural sanctuary in the middle of a city. I took pictures of the roses in the rose garden and wandered along a few of the park paths. You can click on the title and it will take you to a site on Olmstead - the first American landscape architect - click on the "works" and it will take you to the various sites that show his actual parks and park systems.

I was in the rose garden taking pictures to understand better how to create the roses and flowers in glass. Glass is a perfect medium for sculpting flowers because of the vibrancy of the colors, the ability of the glass to reflect light and the fluidity of the glass which allows it to be formed into detailed representations. I don't always do enough of this kind of research - to figure out how the living thing is "built" before I try to "build" a representation in glass. It was a good day of research - look how beautiful these flowers are!

June 4, 2006....Cindy Gimbrone Beads Website

Ok, so I have the blog about flamework glass beads and DUH! I haven't linked to the site! I've finally fixed that with tonight's title: Cindy Gimbrone Beads....you can click on the title and it will take you to my glass bead website. Originally, I intended to develp two lines of glass products, one a line of auction beads that would be low priced (lampwork diva) and the other a high end. Well, I've decided after about a year, that I can't separate the two lines from myself the artist. It seemed like a good idea in theory but in practice, it hasn't worked very well to try to separate the lines. So, I'm going to stop trying! First step has been to add a linked title!

Today's bead posting are more of the faux borosilicate beads in a transparent green. I like the light, summery look to these beads. I've got some more faux boro beads sitting on the desk as I type. I'll take some pictures tomorrow morning when I'm fresh - I'm just not a night person! I know - you're going to look at the time I posted the blog and say, "Jeeesh! Cindy, it's only 8:30!" Yep, I know! My engine starts to slow down around now. I wake up early, 5:30 am or so and get my best work done! Godd pictures in the morning!

June 2, 2006......

I woke up waaaayyyyyyy too early this morning! 4 am. Not sure why just woke up and was awake. Been noodling around with the cindygimbronebeads website and was able to customize it a little more. I've been able to add my logo/business card to the header. It repeats itself but I'd rather have just one big card as the header - I'll keep working on it.

Weekend coming up so I'll be able to work at the torch this weekend. I really need to clean and re-organize. I posted a picture a few days ago of my workbench and you can see I really need to do something! I just love to try to have EVERYTHING at my fingertips!
Posted a couple of pictures of beads I've made in the fairly recent past. I really love the flower ring. The finding was made by Catherine Ondrey and unfortunately, she isn't making them anymore. The ring is mine - I made it especially for me - so sorry to those who'd like to purchase it. It's a great ring!

The red flower is a one of a kind. Unfortunately, it met with an early demise - the customer who bought it contacted me days after she bought it to tell me it had lost one of its petals (yes it was properly annealed). Having guaranteed it for the first 7 days, I remade one for her free of charge and it is in her possession as I write this. It was a one of a kind - a test the market - do people like this flower? Would they buy it? It was the first thing sold off my table at Urban Glass. I may make a few more during the summer. If you like it, then keep your eyes out for the possibility that a few will appear on my website.

Cooler weather allows me to work at the torch and with fusing glass at the same time. I feel so productive when I can do that! It's making me want another kiln, though. A small one to use for jewelry pieces. I have a large one (15" across) for plates and cutting boards, but it does take quite awhile to ramp up and fuse and then anneal. I'll be perusing the websites for small "test" kilns - I'm feeling the need. I think that the new torch idea is out for this year. To upgrade, I want to buy a generator and that is around $2K. Yikes! Don't feel I can justify that at this point. I need to generate more $$ before I can invest in the whole upgrade - I really really really want to do goblets, though and I'll need more fire-power!