Happy New Year 2012 it's gonna be better!

I'm here still trying to flex my creative muscle.  It's been getting weaker due to life just getting in the way.  I've decided that we do things that are important to us.   This is a new year, a new attitude and I have decided  this is very important to me.   I'm not me when I do not create, be it melting glass, or pulling out my watercolors.   I feel like something is missing like an old friend.  That I have not called in a while.

I may not be perfect in my creating.  But its the doing that is important being in that zone.  The good and the Bad so I hope for those of you who have found me and find the time to pop in from time to time.. that there is something worth while to read, or find a picture or two..  to see what is going on in the studio.. or life.

So what has been going on... what the near future holds.. well let me just say I have a few little plans... on is to learn how to make murrini...  I found a wonderful 53 page TUT on ETSY..  can not wait to try it.

It is created by Christina Catherine and the link to this tut is =>  Making Beautiful Murrini

her etsy site is CCGLASSART.COM   I  cannot wait to give it a try..  this week for sure and will share the attempts.. I'm really excited.  Seems like I have not tried anything new lately..  so this is a start.

I also have set up my watercolor palette and my goal will be to paint weekly.. I will soon enough add the link of my watercolor blog.. once things start up.. very soon.

But until  then here are a couple of new beads I finally got cleaned and ready for sale.  My typical organic style..  thanks for the stop by.  Have a great weekend.  Diane

PostCard Exchange on Wet Canvas

I have been needing a boost lately to get my creative juices going again. I had signed up for a Exchange on Wet canvas beginning of the summer.. as summers go you know the drill.... Kids are home, vacations.. yard work.. WELL.. almost thought I'd have to drop out, and luckly the due date was extended.. So happy for that.




So what was this about, well you pick out some postcards from your area and create beads from the post card.. either pull colors out, try to do a design , found in the cards..be it focal, or sets..

I'm from the north east, found one for boston.. but actually found some from my town. Doing something like this really helps in getting your mind to work. I find being creative is a process, thinking things through..

Post card from Boston...


Loons are very popular in the NE.


Apple trees blooming in the spring...

Fields of lupines... tall spike like flowers.

A covered bridge.....by the way that covered bridge is one of the landmarks of Pepperell, mass... unfortunately its being rebuilt by the state.. so it may look diffferent by next year.. sad to say.. but at least we have pictures of it before it was taken down.. this is a painting done by an artist in the area.. made into a postcard..

Once I get my "exchange " from my fellow beaders, I will post those as well.. Keep creating..:-) Diane

Back on the Torch this week..

Fired up the torch today. Grabbed some black rods... and floral frits and just experiemented with sculptural shapes.. just to see what comes up. These little guys where just fun to make.. might have to make a few and make into earrings... just too cute. Will have to come up with a name ...

Here is the whole batch I worked on.. flattened barrel beads... regular barrels with neatened ends.. some disc beads.. one even pushed to the side for a different look.. Just a little design element i'm working on.. love this frits, colors are so vibrant against the black...Over all this was just to get my fingers working and getting the glass to behave for me.. since it had been several weeks... until next time.. :-)

My second batch of Cats...

Ok , armed with the information from my last batch of creating cat beads.. I jumped back on the torch.. I received some wonderful advice from friends on Lampwork Ect...

I liked the head being above the body not part of the body.. so had to distribute the glass a little differently.. and go at the making differently. When doing the detail work.. that had to wait till the very very end... Body shape was first and foremost.

All these cats have the glass distributed well enough that they do not just flip over feet up.. yeah! success!

BUT.. they are almost too perfectly distributed.. i'm finding..(when You test on a mandrel they turn evenly and do not have any heavy sides..) so they can flip over so they can end up upside down.. but will hang either way.. happily..

There is one in this bunch here that normally will hang feet down because it is heavy at the feet.. Purffecttt.... lol... now I just need to get that on my future kitties.. So when on a necklace.. they will ONLY hang the right way.. Then I'll be good to go, and hopefully can then concentrate on the designing...of the body and faces..

So for joy of just looking at glass beads.. here is a group shot of my last batch(litter)... I think the one that hangs good is one of the blue cats .

Same kitties... fronts and backs on mandrel...

Hope you enjoyed looking at my kitty cats.. and learning alittle bit of the process.. I think I will continue to work on these little guy's they measure about 40 mm x 20 mm tall... approx..

Backs of these kitties

Have a great weekend... Sincerely diane... :-)

Designing cats in Lampworking...

This week in the studio, its raining cats.. signed up for an exchange on wet canvas... this is always a great way to try something new.. and who knows start off on a new vein of glass art.
I tried several different kinds of cats.. to the left here is the sculptural affect of having the cat shape.. I am still wanting to perfect that.. I want a slick smooth line. I think if I try to do these again.. I will stick to just one color and just work on the smooth lines of what a cat looks like.. the shape not so much the detail of the face and eyes.. so not very successful but still have the "vision" in my head i'm working towards..which is the essence of cat..





I call these maggie kitties.. lol.. She has perfected this type of sculptural cats.. and there are other lampwork artist who do amazing work.. Just thought I'd give it a try... they are fun and lets face it you can do so much design wise with these kitties... check out Yoda Kitties by Maggie...

The face only.. was fun to do! But I need to do more to add more detail.. I think I will post a link to a couple of lampwork artist who have this down pat! Like Paula at Island top Glass, check out some of her kitty's... so cute..she does great puppies too! check them all out..



Ok this next bunch.. I had a vision in my head.. of what I wanted.. these two where the first
attempts... not what I was thinking.. it was a start..














Each of these had a slightly different design to it... which involved how to add the head, how to create the feet, make that curved look underneat between the feet...
out of all 4 My favorite was the bottom one with the orange spots.. the face... the body tail placement ..














Alas... cute as he maybe he had issues.. see picture below.. when hung on a mandrel... he flips upside down... lol.. so putting such a big head on top, messes up the glass distribution. Its ok maybe I can use that as a design element... make the feet meet and the cat can be hanging on the chain...
The dark brown spots one well that one is a little crooked... the orange kitty upside down.. the blue... stays perfect.. so design wise... the blue one wins out..

The winner is ... blue kitty... Soooo..
next torch visit.. I will add the face /head to the body have
the hole coming out of the side of the head... and yup

the other hole.. :-00 the other end.. but I want to shape the bottom more to have more of a cresent shape... also separating the feet... like the orange kitty... I like that scuptural element.. Plenty of body space for design... colors and themes.. so this is a bit of the thinking process.. you go through in designing.. I'm sure the next litter will be more to my likeing. Well have a great day... Diane :-)

What's Happening this week?

I want to share a few pictures of fun stuff this week.. I'm working on a cat and dog exchange.. I've made a bead for a special coworker who has worked hard for many years to get his PHD.. so proud of him! I made a little reminder of how special he is! I also have pictures of one of my bits of glass beads.. oh and that one is quite funky..looking..

Think I'd like to start with the "DR Jeff " Bead.. Mr.. jeff has gotten himself a cool teaching job, so he is starting a new job but will be working here and there to help us out. So he's not gone yet. I wanted to see if I could create a bead for him to maybe hang on his backpack or as a key chain... took me 3 times but finally got this one.. and it survived the kiln Its 42 mm long.. I had to stamp DR On one side and Jeff on the other side.. getting it all on one side was not an option.. it didn't work.. I love using those special scrapbooking letters made of metal . and this was a good chance to practice and try something with them! I hope jeff likes his bead.. I sure had fun making it!

My Little bits o glass bead..Its very sculptural.. this is just playing.. and trying different things.. not sure what to call this. its a bit odd but fun.

Ok stop laughing so loudly.. lol.. these are my "cat and dog" exchange. These are my first attempts, and i've figured out what works what doesn't sort of. I have visions of what I want them to be! But it doesn't always translate to what is pictured.. but this is how we learn and and improve. PPP... practice practice , practice.

I have a bunch of beads to post.. thanks for stopping by today was mostly to just show the "playing " aspect of torching...

what do you do to bump up your creativity?

Hi there. I think alot of artist sometimes have dry spells, where the creative jag just zigs.. so what to do to get it back on track? Well, For me that usually means trying something new. Thats why I like to sign up for challenges on Wet Canvas or lampwork ect. these are lampwork/artist exchanges or challenges to try something new.

Last year signed up for a hollow exchange and a Dead of winter.. these exchanges involve making a bead that has to do with a theme of sorts, or type of bead.. and you send them to the person who is hosting it... if you mail in 5 you get 5 back from 5 different artist.. its so neat to recieve them in the mail. Honestly its such a thrill to own a bead from some of these wonderful artist..

This picture to the left are the lovely beads I recieved from other artist for the "dead of winter exchange.

The other exchange signed up to do was to create hollow beads... Never ever done those.. woo woo.. It opened a whole new world of playing with glass.. darn can't wait to just go torch and make more hollows..

Here are a couple of pictures as an example of some of the hollows i've done since that exchange.. such a wonderful learning experience .

Lately I have been tinkering with my pile of bits and pieces of glass.. YOu know those left overs, and little bits of glass.. I am a pack rat with alot of things.. and glass is no exception.. lol.. so here was one of my first Bit O pieces focals.. its not great. but its something that helps gets my creative energy going again.. hey maybe doing a hollow and adding my bits and peices. to that..??? hmmm

this a shot from both sides.. kind of weird.. surely one of a kind... who knows what will come out of the playing... Hope you are having a nice memorial day weekend.. ours has been pretty low key.. kids are working hubby is working.. so I thinks I'll go visit friends.. Take care..
Sincerely Diane.. :-)