New work!

I haven't been totally without time to create....

For your viewing pleasure, behold a bracelet made from the headpins I mentioned in my last post:

And made from a recent estate sale find, this necklace, called 'Relic', from my own copper tube beads and vintage glass and metal beads, mixed with my own lampwork:

And the matching bracelet:

Some heavy-gauge copper wire -- working on my hammering and shaping skills.

I especially love that fall leaves bracelet. I keep intending to put it in the shop, but I haven't yet....telling myself that the pictures aren't good enough, and waiting for a sunnier day to take more shots...

And that 'Relic' is one of the longest necklaces I have ever made -- 26". The photo does not do it justice.

I need to make a bracelet with those pumpkin headpins....THAT is really cool-looking in my mind....I just haven't had a chance this week to sit down and work it all out.

Art Bead Scene's October challenge is awesome, and I want to enter it (I already made appropriate beads), but once again, haven't had time to work out the design. Must learn to design in my head, on the run, so I can knock out the piece in one go when I *can* sit down to the work table (ironing board).

Okay, that's it for now....hopefully I will have more soon!

Last Time

I'd show you pictures of what I've made at the torch recently, but.....I can't. In my hurry to get the headpins annealed (it's a BIG fistful of headpins now -- I made even more!) so I could make something with them before the autumn was over, I shoved them all into the kiln, along with the cool ivory-black-olive dot beads and the teeny tiny hedgehog and fired them all up.

They're annealing as we speak.

My little Evenheat HotBox kiln is probably batch annealing in my garage for the very last time.

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WOOHOOO!!!!!!!

Why am I so excited about this?

Because on or before November 1st, The Glass Hive will be shipping me my new kiln!

I ordered a Wide Guy kiln way back in February of 2010. Yes, a year and a half ago. The Glass Hive has a fantastic layaway program, which I took advantage of, since putting together the entirety of the cash for the purchase was going to be difficult. With my last show, I finally was able to make the last payment, and now my kiln is being built!

No more babysitting the kiln. No more running out to the garage to check the temp and make minute adjustments with the infinite controller. No more being bound to the house while the kiln runs. No more waiting for a full bowl of beads to be made, and then trying to find a day when I don't have to go anywhere so I can run the annealing cycle.

No more making fabulous beads, and then not being able to use them right away.

Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! Of course, I have to figure out the logistics of where to put the kiln and my torch stuff so I can work and put beads directly into the kiln, but that's minor. :)

Soon....soon....I can hardly imagine what it will be like to fire up the kiln, fire up the torch, make my beads, put them directly into the kiln, and let the kiln complete it's cycle with no intervention from me, and then stop all by itself. Beads will be ready the next day, no more waiting.

Can you tell I'm thrilled!?

Wedding jewelry and other stuff

I don't know if you are familiar with FlockShop, which is Interweave's new shop. They sell great craft and art supplies at a discount, sort of like Woot or 1-Sale-A-Day, if you're familiar with that format.

Anyway, because I received so many wonderful comments about my use of fiber in making my Bead Soup challenge piece this year, I decided to give fiber a try for some other works. FlockShop had an unbelievable deal on beautiful fibers recently, so I splurged and bought three packages of different colors:

Gorgeous, right? They're killing me, though. I have ideas, but I am afraid to cut into/use them because they are so pretty. Hmm...

In other news, I completed a set of jewelry for my friend Kelly, who is getting married at the end of this month. Two necklace and earring sets for her bridesmaids, and three pairs of earrings for junior bridesmaids and other helpers.

The day I shot the pictures was alternately overcast and brightly sunny. I couldn't seem to get the shots when the sun was actually out, so they are a little dark.

I really love making hollow beads, but I'm limited in glass color and type, only because it takes so flipping long on the Hothead to make them this size that the glass burns/devitrifies/reduces/oxidizes before I get the thing finished. Thankfully, this amber and purple glass is pretty stable. Kelly picked up the work last night, and I think she liked the pieces I made. They are much more sparkly than these photos do justice to, and of course, I was so happy to be a part of Kelly's wedding celebration! Thank you Kelly, and congratulations!!

In museum news, I have been studying Rococo painting like a crazy person these last few days, preparing for my first gallery talk. I'm speaking on Giovanni Pittoni's 1720 painting, 'The Banquet of Cleopatra', and I'm scared. I am a confident teacher, capable of teaching a wide range of subjects, but this really makes me nervous. It'll be okay, I know, but still.

There's a stack of art history books on my kitchen island about a foot high. I'm reading. A lot. I'm not making as much jewelry as I had been, but I sure am happy!

Quickie New Work Post!

Hey there!

So I set aside some time at the torch for me this past week (a minor miracle that I actually GOT to fire up the torch!), and I decided to try something different.

I made a bunch of glass headpins!

Check it out....

What do you think?