Studio Time: Water Necklace

I continue to be enthralled with the colors of water and the many shades of blue and green (my favorite colors) that swirl through its depths. I used a swirl technique that I played with as a newbie glass artist, combining CiM Mermaid, CiM Peacock green and light transparent Effetre Aqua and formed it into a simple tube bead. I love its simplicity. I paired it with a hammered copper washer and copper chain plus some Amazonite faceted beads.

And yes, I am modeling my own jewelry. A bit. Not brave enough to do this often, but just popping to show you new work.

It's a long necklace...

And this is a picture of my little Molly recovering from surgery to remove skin cancer. She's doing well and the prognosis is good for her! (Sigh of relief.) She bounced back from this surgery like a puppy. It was actually work to keep her quiet the first few days. But she is doing well now. She says, "Woof!"

Studio News: Lampwork Studio Short Tour

I have proper ventilation that doesn't show, but the fan is installed in the attic and it is quite powerful. So nice! The propane is stored right outside the window and comes in through a small hose. My kiln is across the room, but I like it that it forces me to get up for a few minutes to move around. I could just sit and torch for hours without a break...not good for ergonomics.

And Pottery Barn wine storage makes beautiful glass storage. I made a creative executive decision only to roughly separate colors. I don't want to get too attached to colors and keep pushing myself to expand and try different things with different colors.

Studio News: My new lampwork studio has been initiated!

Ohhhhh my.... And I love it! What a pleasant environment to produce beads in. First beads in nearly two years. I did make a few on a Hothead torch, but once you go dual-fuel, it is sooo hard to go back to the slow, bushy flame of a Hothead. Good learning torch, but if you are serious about production, the dual fuel setup is a delight. I made all these beads last night in about an hour and practically filled my kiln. And the beads are still round! I expected lumpy beads after such a long hiatus, but these turned out pretty good! They are going to be a necklace for my niece.

Studio pix soon. I am nearly organized enough to show you the lampwork studio. I have a separate area for jewelry assembly. That one is messier and will take a little longer before it is ready for public viewing.

Artfully Meandering: MIA Reason #2 - Home!

The second reason I've been MIA... a new home! This just kind of fell into my lap and I fell in love. I now have an official Lampwork Studio with appropriate ventilation and propane stored approriately outside.

I have a separate "studio" that is for assembling projects. Pictures to follow when the studios are organized. That's what took up the month of August. Beads soon to follow.

Artfully Meandering: The MIA Excuse #1 - France

This is one of the reasons. I was in Clermont-Ferrand, France !!! for the month of July (for work).

I fell in love with France

I fell in love with Clermont-Ferrand

It's the French equivalent of where I live in South Carolina

Mountains, small city

Just my style

And, bonus!

France: the place where food is art

eating is an event

and everyone is educated in the "best of" food

fresh, unprocessed treats

simple combinations of flavors that make your mouth water

portions still significant

but the flavors make you pause, savor and adore the flavors

eating becomes an event

it's part of the culture

not a side-thought like "drive-through" culture

stop, eat, enjoy, refresh, rejuvenate through food and friends



I SOOOO could handle living in France for a while. I lost 5 lbs while dining on these outstanding, mouth-watering combinations of delectable food. Not only was I treated well, I'm in love with the food and the healthy style of living.

But, I'm enjoying living near my family (3 hours away).

We'll see what the future brings. I'm open!

MIA Reason #2: Next Post