January 3, 2010 at 8:51 pm (CiM, Creation is Messy, glass, lampwork)
Tags: CiM, creativity, glass, glass art, lampwork
Again, it’s been a while. Time away seems to have increased my confidence at the torch, perhaps not surprisingly. I realize, again, that there is no reason to be cautious with melted glass. If it doesn’t work, you haven’t lost much: some time and a few pennies’ worth of glass. The rewards of taking risks and experimenting are incalculable.
The Creation is Messy (CiM) glass I got at Frantz is delightful to work with. The colors are beautiful, it is stiff and malleable, and easy to sculpt. David asked me to do fireballs, and I had fun using CiM (gunmetal), Effrete (fire red), and Vetrofond (tangerine sparkle). How lucky they all have the same COE (104)!
For the fireballs: I used gunmetal (black) for the round base bead (for one of them I used a special millefiore and raked it through the black, which accounts for the bit of green you can see in the photo). I encased part of the base bead with red, then encased part of that with tangerine sparkle. I let all the glass melt and droop, then used a smasher to flatten the droop. I used glass scissors to cut it into sections, then used tweezers to pull the shapes. I added dots to one of the fireballs, and encased the head of the other one with clear glass.
I used the new CIM rose quartz, electric avenue blue, and celadon for the pastel dot beads. I couldn’t believe how the dots didn’t melt flat as I worked on the bead, and I was able to pull corners on green dots so easily. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the base bead heated well enough as I worked (for a good 10 minutes), and it cracked (although it is still intact, it WILL break eventually). I love how the dots at the center of the green look like reduction glass. They are really just rose on blue on ivory dots. I did bubbles on the corners of the green, which you may not be able to see in the photographs.
I am very excited to enter a new phase of beadmaking. The fun will come from having better control of my technique, and I do feel steadier and more confident.
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May 20, 2009 at 5:20 pm (glass, jewelry, lampwork, Vetrofond)
Tags: beads, creativity, glass art, lampwork beads, process, Vetrofond
Well, I was going to test whether Vetrofond can be sculpted into forms as easily as Bullseye, and got distracted. Really like these beads, and will do more sets in different colors. The trick is to get them the same size.
I woke up yesterday morning thinking about how to do a necklace bead along the same lines, and got this in my head. Happy that the execution worked, even while chatting simultaneously to my roomie Robin.
The colors for both actually do match, but they were edited in different programs 😉
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January 21, 2008 at 11:17 pm (fusing, glass, lampwork)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
The new cabochons are fabulous. Looks like I got the right size clear overlay piece, and very little bubbling action. Not that I mind bubbles. The backs are much cleaner using kiln paper as opposed to setting the pieces onto the kiln-washed holder, but I like having the texture on the back from the wash. For now, paper is good since I need to “cold fuse” pin backs to the pieces.
I’m particularly pleased that for this application, the fusing program in the Jen-Ken users manual works quite well.
The result of David’s experiment with a metal washer filled with frit was…encouraging. The metal did not take to the high heat too well, but the glass didn’t break apart from the metal upon cooling, which was what we expected to happen. This could be a very interesting direction, if we can find affordable metal of high enough quality to withstand the heat.
My yaller beads look pretty nice. More tonight.
When I started this blog, I resolved to do at least one bead per day when I’m home, no matter how busy/crazy. Last night was a challenge, as I was cold and tired. But once the torch went “whoosh” I got a lot warmer!
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January 21, 2008 at 3:41 am (fusing, glass, lampwork, studio)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
Spent a very satisfying and productive Saturday at our friends’ house in Berkeley (Hothouse), and returned early this AM with a mostly built and tested kaleidoscope — prettifying will happen this week, but the device works, and that was my goal for the weekend.
After getting home, we decided that cleaning the “lab” might be the best use of our time. The lab is a project room that tends to become a junk magnet. We need space to work on the kaleidoscope and other things, so *zing* into cleaning mode. Incidentally, my glass studio has been set up in one corner of one end of the (very large) room since I started lampworking.
During the course of the cleaning, we completely re-vamped my studio! I am so pleased to have my glass-cutting surface freed from the kiln, which is now on an appropriate surface (a tile-covered table). I have a second credenza-type cabinet for storing sheet glass when I finally get my Bullseye assortment, er, assorted.
This is my lampwork station. Cleaner than usual.
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January 18, 2008 at 9:49 pm (fusing, glass, kaleidoscope, lampwork)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
A new cylinder of gas. A discussion with Jackie at KMG about oxy-propane, and the possibility of switching when a new studio is in the picture. A discussion about boro glass, and how Moretti and Vetrifond and others are offering a similar color palette. An attempt to re-create the wedding cake bead that didn’t work and became a rectangle instead (and not a very good one, either). The need to clean and prepare my used mandrels for the next round of 40 beads. (I made a whole lot of beads this past 2-3 weeks! Hooray. Making up for lost time August – December 2007.)
For Edwardian weekend, I have loads of fused glass to design/assemble/fire (6 cabochons [designed, at least, and 3 assembled] and GoreyScope2 disc [not yet designed, even]). PLUS building Goreyscope2 and making costumery. Good thing I work well under deadline.
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January 16, 2008 at 11:37 pm (fusing, glass, lampwork, studio)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
I got three of the six cabochons assembled last night, and really need to do the other three this evening so I can fire up the kiln tomorrow at 4 PM.
I am a little beat from work-outs today, and would love to just veg tonight. We are organizing an informal photo shoot for a party invite tonight, so I should try to do glass before.
Addendum: Oh well, guess I’ll do it tomorrow night 😉
I got my glass-cutting work surface, which consists of a large plastic grid to catch all of the stray shards and slivers. I really like it; it also is good for cutting a straight line. I am feeling ever more confident with the glass cutter and with handling the materials. With respect, or course! Cuz glass cuts flesh like butter.
Made a couple of fun beads too (still on the blue kick).
One I call a wedding cake. I’m going to try to duplicate it, as it was an accident that turned out nicely.
The other is a totally stolen idea (thanks, venbead). But I will only use it for gifts and such.
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January 15, 2008 at 10:00 pm (jewelry, kaleidoscope, lampwork)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
So many glass acts yesterday.
I am making a 3-ft high kaleidoscope, with a fused glass disc as the design element. My friend and c0-worker Dave Hilyard (large optics specialist) cut the mirror for me into 8″ x 28″ lengths and smoothed the edges; he also gave me some adhesive strip to secure them together. Next I need to make the disk, and set up the motorized rotator. I will post pix and maybe a video when this is completed, IF it works or IF it doesn’t!
In the evening, my friend Rachel came over. We ate, sipped wine, and talked beads. She is a fabulous artist, and I wanted to pick her brains about possible settings for my beads. She had some insights, and she will do a wire class for me and a couple of friends in early February.
Then I made a couple of beads. Got a little ambitious with one of them and it broke, but in workable place. Pix to come later.
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January 13, 2008 at 10:30 pm (fusing, glass)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
Made a half-dozen cabochons yesterday, and all are basically acceptable. One is exceptional, and raised my personal bar so that I must make another half-dozen utilizing the elements of design I employed. I spent an hour or so sitting at a caffeine depot, nursing a chai, and drawing some designs. I’ll post pix of my goreyglass after the Edwardian Ball weekend.
I need to design, not just assemble. This is true in my beadmaking as well. I tend to be pretty free-form, which is fine. But having good design sense and technique handy as tools makes free-form beading and fusing more fun. I’ve got a ways to go, though.
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January 13, 2008 at 4:27 am (glass, lampwork)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
I gathered up all the loose frit, silver and gold, blasted chunks, &c. on my work surface and put them in a pile. Then I grabbed a rod of pinkish ivory from my cheap stash for my base bead, and melted great globs of stuff into it. And I do mean globs! It was tremendous fun, and I used a few basic techniques for effect — encasing and smashing flat, poking, and swirling. Should be cooled in a little while, I’m excited to see how they turned out.
It used to drive me crazy to have to wait on beads to cool. Now, I find it delicious.
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January 12, 2008 at 6:05 am (dichroic, fusing, glass)
Tags: beads, Bullseye, fusing, glass art, glass studio, lampwork, Lauscha, Moretti, Vetrifond
1. Trilevel bead – 1st dark blue opaque, 2nd periwinkle translucent, 3rd dark blue dichroic layer encased in light blue xparent.
2. White with clear dichroic round the saddle; shape got funny so I smashed it flat. Think it will be pretty and pure. This one is for my friend Chris. I couldn’t get a good photograph of this bead, but it turned out quite nice.
Tomorrow: fusing day! I have 5 or 6 cabochons to make for friends for an event in two weeks.
Sunday: Fusing experiments using metal rings. Wish my glass shipment from COE90 would get here!!
It got here!
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