glass art

I’ve been playing in the studio…

ShebaMakeda 2 Comments

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…making twisties.  I tried a new way of making them: painting the colours right on the end of the rod rather than winding the glass on  the end of the mandrel.  Obviously my technique needs some work.  It was hard to control the molten glass plus guesstimate how much mass i needed to pull a decent length twistie – as you can see some were more successful than others…  I do like the simplicity of these though – they’re like little springs or ribbons and have a much more contemporary feel than other complex twisties i’ve made before – much more my style. 

A “Twisty” is just a cute name for the miniaturized version of  intricate Venetian glass canemaking with traditional names like reticello, ballotini, latticino, zanfirico.  Glass blowers have used larger versions of these canes to decorate vases or sculptures for centuries.  We glass beadmakers use similar techniques (on a much smaller scale of course) to decorate our beads and add a level of complexity.

They’re easy to make: just take a molten ball of glass, stripe on some contrasting colours, melt smooth and pull out while twisting.  It does take time though, to develop enough skill to be able to make a nice long smooth cane – it’s a delicate balancing of the right amount of heat and gravity.  img_1262

I especially like the two at the bottom of this pic where i layered the colours to make a two toned twist.  I’ll have to play with this idea some more…  Can’t wait to try them on some  beads…

I’ve been published!

ShebaMakeda 3 Comments

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Look!  There’s my bead!  In a real magazine!  My green pregnant goddess (now residing in California) is on Page 22 in the winter 2008 issue of The Flow – a US magazine for flameworkers that is distributed worldwide.  I’m one of the 150 artists featured in the annual Women in Glass Issue and it’s my first time being featured in print.

Now, I’ve known about this since last fall when I submitted my bead pics to the call for entry.  Since I wasn’t 100% sure that any of my beads would be included, i blabbed to everyone i know personally but didn’t publish anything here.  Now, finally the moment has arrived where i can insert “publications” into my glass resume. 

I’ve been doing the happy dance all week…

Absolutely breathtaking…

ShebaMakeda 1 Comment
Click the picture to get to the video

Click this picture to get to the video

I found this video last night and have watched it over and over and over again.  Each time it just takes my breath away…  I can’t even find the words to explain how it makes me feel, I just wish I had been able to see this exhibition of world class glass in person.

Dale Chihuly (world famous glass blower extraordinaire) and his team put together this retrospective of his work at the de Young Museum in San Francisco last summer.

(If your connection is too slow for video,

there’s pictures from each room in the exposition here.)

Sweet Mega Minor madness…

ShebaMakeda 5 Comments
my view sitting at the torch...
my new view sitting at the torch…
I’ve been waffling for the past year or so regarding whether or not i really wanted to upgrade my torch – it’s expensive and meant I would have to invest in additional equipment and a proper ventilation system.  Then, a couple days before the November bead show the glass gods made that decision for me:  my Hothead died!  So, at the end of the show i bought the full oxy-propane setup from Nortel including a hot, new, red Mega Minor torch. On the way home we then stopped off at Canadian Tire to buy a 5lb bulk propane tank.  Woohooo!!  No more frozen tanks or piles of 1lb empties!
right side...

right side...

Now i love this new torch, i truly do but… one of the less than obvious problems of changing to a new torch is that you have to relearn… everything.  Yes, everything: flame chemistry, working areas, sweet spots, colour reactions, etc.   After 2.5 years with the Hothead, I was very comfortable with that torch and its quirks so even though it was slow (and noisy!) I could create just about any effect i wanted. 
left side...

left side...

With the Mega, i’m working about 3x faster (wow!),however, after practicing on and off since the beginning of December I’m still not fully able to replicate techniques i easily did on my trusty Hothead.  I fell in love with glass colours like turquoise, periwinkle, iris gold, furnace frits and one of the Reichenbach whites based on the beautiful variations they revealed in a reduction (low oxygen) flame.  So far, I can’t get any of those colours to do squat on the Mega.   Oh well, i guess I just have to keep practicing.  Now some people will think I’m crazy but to be honest, i really, really miss my Hothead – the noise, the easy setup and simplicity of it – not to mention its fantastic reduction flame. 

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While the Hothead uses propane/air, the Mega is a propane/oxygen torch (it can also be used with natural gas).  Some people use refillable, tanked oxygen, I preferred the easier route of machine-made oxygen, hence my purchase of this 5lpm Devilbiss oxygen concentrator. 

These machines are used new in the health care industry, then refurbished and sold to the lampworking industry.  Best of all they provide a convenient, unlimited supply of pure oxygen to the torch and can be daisy-chained for more heat – saves me having to worry about hauling, refilling and chaining huge oxygen tanks. 

Paul & Leanne (Reids Beads, Ottawa) stopped by in December and helped me to set up the new equipment because despite reading the instruction sheets that came with the torch and concentrator, and calls to the manufacturer, I still wasn’t comfortable that i knew enough to set everything up correctly.  It’s good thing too, because once i watched Paul put everything into place, I realized i really didn’t know how all the various parts were supposed to be put together.  Whew!
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what my worktable really looks like…

The Mega is a huge increase in heat and when that’s combined with the fact that i’m now able to torch for much longer periods of time, i’ve noticed a definite difference in how I feel after each torch session – enough to tell me my current studio setup is no longer effective.  I’ll have to upgrade my safety glasses to Aur-92s and install a proper ventilation system (in progress). 

In the meantime I still have a lot more practicing to get myself up to speed on this new torch: practice, practice (and then more) practice…

A “snotty, selfish arteest”.

ShebaMakeda 4 Comments

jlvn1422l

Stick to the plan.  Always follow through.  State your goals then go out and achieve them.  Uh-huh.

How about… follow your heart?  Now there’s a classic.

So why am i spouting these cliches?  because after reading Lydia Muell’s blog post from a few weeks back about being perceived as a “snotty, selfish arteest”,  i finally realized why i’ve been so blocked! 

In case you’ve been wondering why i’ve been so quiet: until our November show, i hadn’t torched at all for the past several months.  Why? because i’ve been stuck.  My mind would either be spinning with ideas – so many i couldn’t single out one to action or i’d think i had one and then sit in front of the torch and watch it flit away.  I thought maybe i was in a creative slump… yet i still had lots of design ideas so i couldn’t understand why i couldn’t get myself to torch. 

Looking back now though, i realize that maybe i was trying to force myself into being something i’m not.  Since i started selling my beads last year, in the back of my mind there’s always been that practical little voice that would remind me of: 1. how much money i’ve invested in this art form (my most expensive hobby ever!); 2. my initial goal for it to bring in a certain amount of money each month; and 3. to be practical so i could recoup my investment as soon as possible.  THEN and only then could i let myself relax and just make… ART. jfa1881l

But unfortunately it’s just not that easy. Life – at least my creative life – just doesn’t work that way.  I’ve been trying to make beads to fit what i thought i would have wanted as a former jewellery designer and it’s just not working.  Why?  Because i can’t stand making practical, wearable beads.  I can’t stand making repeat beads.  I can’t stand making little beads.  And i especially can’t stand the beads i make when i try to make beads to fit that perceived market.

I had myself on an “acquire specific beadmaking skills” schedule: ok, good donut beads? check.  good pressed beads? check (sorta). heat control? check. basic technique #1: stringers? check.  Basic technique #2: florals? check… etc., etc.  The problem?  B-O-R-I-N-G!!!!  Plus, i don’t even like making any of those beads:  i don’t give a damn about fine lines, dots or flowers.  I’ve been able to easily encase since my first attempt but how often have i ever made encased beads?  I could count the times on one hand. 

What DO like?  Easy… frit, powders and big chunks of hot sculpted glass.

So what now?  i think i’ve decided to become a “snotty, selfish arteest” – not literally of course…  Just that i think from now on i’ll only focus on  making glass art (beads or otherwise) purely for my own pleasure regardless of whether or not i think they will sell.  I’m just going to make whatever tickles me and see where i end up on this creative path.  Of course I hope i’ll continue to have buyers who appreciate what i create but if not? so be it…

Don’t worry, I’ll still accept custom orders – they’re so challenging and fun i doubt i’ll ever stop taking them.  On my own time though, from now on i’m stepping completely out of the traditional glass beadmaking mold.  I will concentrate instead on just exploring my creative side through hot glass and  making only what my muse directs regardless of how mundane or bizarre the result… should be  interesting!

I hope y’all stay with me for the ride…