creative process

Video interview #2… about process (and featuring my son)

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This is the other video that Liana, the host of Contemplative, Expressive and Imaginative Arts, shot last weekend… it was an intro/warm-up session right before we did the live radio interview & video. In this one, we discuss the glass beadmaking process a bit more and you’ll get to hear what my son thinks about having a mom who plays with fire…

At the end, there’s no demo because my hands were shaking so much I couldn’t get the tank attached (doh! LOL).  At some point, I’ll have to make sure i actually post a video working on the torch.

Also, the full annealing cycle for each of my beads takes about 6-8 hours – i only mention the soak time (to even out the heat in each piece) in the video.

Live radio interview & video about my art…

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This past weekend i was interviewed by Liana Voia, the host of Contemplative, Expressive and Imaginative Arts for her live radio art therapy show.

I was a nervous wreck in the beginning but once i calmed down i think it went well. Liana asked some great questions and it was wonderful opportunity to explain my passion for glass to someone who appreciates art and supports local artists. For those with a slow connection there’s an audio-only version as well.

There’s also a second video with my son participating which i’ll post tomorrow.  Anyhoo, enjoy and leave a comment!  I’d love to hear what you all think…

Peek into my world…

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peek into my world...

One of my 2011 resolutions is to complete The 365 Project – take a photo a day, every day and post it online for the full year.  I’ve wanted to participate in this online public art project for years but never got around to it – carrying a bulky camera around was just too inconvenient.  Now that i have an iPhone though, it’s completely doable and given the multitude of photo capture and editing apps in iTunes, actually kinda fun!  I’m hoping this project will really spur my creativity in addition to also improving my photography skills…

So far i’m quite enjoying myself and have lots of ideas of what to post (thanks to the many blogs discussing the project).  I’ve decided to keep a completely open mind and capture whatever strikes my fancy rather than maintaining a specific theme.  My son (in the pic) and one of my sisters are participating as well and we’re all hoping we have the stamina to last through the full 365 days – seems daunting when i’m only at Day #4!

Sooo… if you’d like a daily peek into my life as a part-time glass bead artist, click the picture above to get to my 365Project profile and subscribe to follow me there… these pics will only occasionnally show up on this blog.

Tales from the torch: Nov. 13/07

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Custom orders sample 

This bead is a first try at a custom order.  It’s HUGE – approx. 2.5″ – I like it but the colours aren’t working for me.  I used three different shades of red frit for some colour gradations in the leaves and they all came out looking exactly the same.  WAY annoying.

Sample beads 

These are my test beads from last week.  They may not remain tests for long though, as their remakes were NOT an improvement. dammit.

On the good side that bead on the far right is my first bead to ever come out exactly the way i wanted (better even!) – i love it and it’s MINE. 

Aaah well, back to the torch!

Tales from the torch: Nov. 8th/07

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This is a quick pic of the results of yesterday’s torch session and the bits and pieces that went into making these two beads.

At the top is my marver with the three types of frit ( tiny glass chips) i used.  (you can ignore the red powder, that’s the enamel i used for this morning’s torch session.)  Then the two little strips of pure 99.9% fine silver foil – that’s what gives the beads their luscious sparkle.

In front are the two rods used for the base glass.   Yup, that light blue rod made that awesome rusty red colour in the back bead as well – cool, huh?  It’s called reducing, which means bringing to the surface the metals used to colour the glass.   This time i did it kinda by accident but I’m gradually learning how to do it on purpose – it’s really quite a neat effect.