A Sail of Glass

 

Over the weekend my mom and I attended the Glass Art Society Conference in Corning, New York at the Corning Museum of Glass. If you've never had the chance to go and you enjoy glass even a tiny bit, put it on your to-do list. If you think you'll be back, ask for an Admission Only membership. It doesn't cost any more and will let you in for free the rest of the year! This image is one I took of a piece that was part of a one-night art installation on the bridge between town and the museum.

Try Something New

Yesterday I did a couple of things that I've been meaning to try. 1. Get orange streaks in my hair. 2. Blow hot glass. These have both been on my to-do list for some time so knocking them both out in the same day was kind of cool.

First, the orange hue came out awesome: like fire. What isn't awesome is with my current part, it's all hidden under the top layer of my hair. I didn't get it styled before I left so it was wet and I just figured when I blow dried and styled it at home it would show up nicely.  I was really unhappy, but then B and I went to go see Bolt and that hamster made me forget all about it for a while. Today I parted my hair on the opposite side which isn't so natural for my cowlick, but the orange looks fab. This may work out after all. For days I want less orange I can just style it the other way. We'll see. I may still call the stylist and see if she can't offer me something to make it look more like the picture I showed her. I thought we were on the same page, but it didn't quite end up looking like that.

Blowing hot glass was really cool - and scary. "Don't suck in!," I kept telling myself. A friend at the studio was showing a couple of us how to do it. We used 1/4 inch hollow tubes, built up glass on the end (picture putting two bird nests together to make a ball), got it all dully orange in the flame and then blew! I blew a hole right through mine eventually and thin glass was flying all over like pieces of confetti. Too funny. With help, I got it all melted back together to try again and and that's when an interesting thing happened. I heard a low vrooming sound - what I thought was a vehicle going by outside - and felt the tube start to vibrate. The sound was coming from the tube! Glass makes a musical hum. 

Before and After

Here a couple of shots of all the pendants below before firing and after. I love how the edges go all soft and round.

Fresh From the Kiln

The Kiln is On

Yes, the kiln is on! It has been months since I've made some pendants. I spent yesterday afternoon pulling strings of glass, leaves and cutting. I'm really happy with how they looked going in. Fingers crossed they come out well. I'll post before-and-after pictures when they are done.

Glass!

Last Friday I picked out some glass rods with autumn on my mind - indigo night skies, the last yellow-orange rays of the day, spongy green moss that clings to rocks, warm ivory whipped cream atop a mug of chai - and sat at the torch to make some beads. Tonight I made them into wearable creations.

Closing Up Shop

There were some things that were cluttering up the blog so I just chucked them. 

Ahh. That's better. You may notice - or likely not since none of us are buying things we don't need these days - that I have closed up my online glass bead shop, and it is no longer featured at the right. Actually it's on permanent vacation mode until I decide to give it the attention it deserves. You can still see plenty of my work at the right in my Flickr photos. 

One day something new will show up. 

She Dreams in Green

A brand new fused pendant is now available in the shop! Yes, that really is sparkle glass.

Blue as the Day is Long

It's new and it's in my shop! Plus there are earrings to match.

Success!

Sweating Like a Lampworker Sitting on the Sun

Yesterday is was 92 degrees and 90% humidity, and I volunteered to demo lampworking at a nearby studio. When it is 10 below in the middle of January, the torch will offer absolutely no heat. You will chatter and struggle to keep your twirling hand steady. When it's 90 degrees however it seems like you are sitting near a campfire. Maybe it's all in my head, but the owner of the studio actually turned her torch down a bit because she was feeling it too. I was sweating more last night sitting still than I do working out. You know when you can feel it pooling in your eyebrows? It was like that. Suffering for my art, hehe. I made roughly 20 beads and can't wait to see them. They stayed at the studio overnight to cool and anneal, and I'll get them later this week. Something to look forward to! I felt really good about how they looked going in, but until you see it finished you just never know. I tend to be my own worst critic.

The easy bake oven is on right now. I wonder how many other people who didn't have that childhood toy now have kilns?  

I've have some beads I made that cracked perfectly in half due to thermal shock, and I've been meaning to make fused pendants out of them for some time. I think these happy little accidents are going to come out really cool. I'll probably hope I can make more beads crack in half and won't be able to do it. It's that last thing you strive for as a lampworker.  

More Glass for the Show

Here are some new pendants I made that I'll be bringing to the show in a couple of weeks. Read more about how I made them here.

I was in a green, watery, naturey sort of mood. I'm in that mood a lot. I went kayaking last Tuesday with ADK on the lake and what a blast that was. Two hours of battling waves is really tiring though. I'm usually that person that wants to hike just a little bit farther, snowboard down the hill just one more time, come on let's stay out a little bit longer, but I was ready to go in at about the hour mark. It was barely 60 degrees out, and I went straight after work so that'll account for the energy zap. I'm sure I'll get stronger as the season progresses.

Mountain biking tomorrow! Now that's all a state of mind. The best state of mind is to take chances and no second guesses - within your capabilities. However, thinking you can is more than half of what will make for a successful run or that lack of which will send you tumbling down the hill.