New pieces

I am continuing to explore what I learned in my last class.  My goal is to "make it my own". But while on this journey I have had a great time playing with shapes, form and color.

Carnival

This is the second piece I made on my own after the class.  I was using the extra pieces that I made.

I really like this one too.  It's more "wear-able", about 6 inches across.  I have worn it twice to test drive it.

This one, is much smaller. I had a friend of mine on my mind when I made it...

It's about 3 inches tall.  It can be rotated to it's side as well.  I think it's cute and also quite"wear-able".

I have been asked about the weight of these pieces. They can get kind of heavy but I wore the above piece with a knit cotton blazer without any problem. Gauzy silk - no way!!!

These pieces are currently at Lawrence Street Gallery. Eventually I will get them up on Ety.com

But for now, am working hard to prepare for  Bead Bonanza and BeadFest SantaBeadFest Santa Fe Fe next month!

And I am working on matching earrings and rings to go with these pieces.

I am having too much fun!!!!

Color of the Year

I have been know to get into color slumps - and can't seem to find inspiration any where.

Sometimes I can come up with some cool color combos, either on my own or by being inspired by things around me.  I once took pictures of the upholstery of a restaurant booth - still working on that one...

But there better sources than taking pictures in restaurants (though it might work for you).

Check out the PANTONE for Spring 2012 collection.  It will give you a color boost - and with the gray skies of winter, we can use it.

TANGERINE TANGO it the color for the Year 2012.

"Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it," said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.


"Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."



It's worth checking out the Pantone site, PANTONE because their forecasts effect everything in our lives.

I was looking for a bedspread in shades of soft pinks and greens - no such luck.  Those are not trend colors for the year.

And these decisions were not made last year, but several years ago so manufactures can produce the needed paints, dyes and pigments to make the cloth, house paint and finger nail polishes in these trend colors.

Sara Sally Le Grand -Part II

Here's Part II on my Sara Sally La Grand class - can't believe it's been two weeks ago!

The way our class was set up, there were two parts - the first day was lampwork - learning how to make the components for the final pieces we were making. I did that on Friday, then on Sunday we all came back to learn how to assemble everything.

That gave me Friday night and all day Saturday be the over-achiever and make lots of parts

I decided to focus on a color scheme to cut down on my design issues when the time came. It turned out to be a very dramatic one - red, white and black.

So here is my "final" for the class. The picture on the left shows how it was designed to be worn...

But is was pointed out that if you turned it to the side, it looks like a carnal mask!

I have a great time playing with the shapes and forms. This is definitely not a piece to wear in a "hugging" situation.

I want to figure a way to display this in a shadow box so it can be enjoyed when it's not being worn.

Have been asked about the size, 6 inches from point to point.  Not for the faint of heart...

Class with Sara Sally Le Grand

Last week - and it's hard to believe it's been that long ago - I took a fantastic class with Sara Sally Le Grand.

I came away so inspired - more ideas than I can fabricate any time soon.

Sara is a wonderful instructor, full of information and more than willing to share with us. And the way her class was set up, we actually had time to work on making pieces. And she was available to help if you had a question or a problem.


I love her work - it's so organic not just the color but the shapes.

Here's the piece I bought from her -

There were so many wonderful pieces it was difficult to choose.  The title of this piece is
"Louie Batton". She made it in honor of a bat that was in the convention center in Louisville at the "ISGB Gathering "conference last year.

Too bad you can't see the bat wings in this picture.

In my next entry, I'll post my piece - maybe even PIECES!

New piece of work

I continue to explore working with my glass flowers, leaves and pods. Am taking a class with Sara Sally Le Grand this week and hope I have something worth showing from there. 

I am hoping it will allow me to "take off" in some different directions.

It takes time for lessons learned in a class to stop looking like you took so-and-so's class and the techniques become your own. I am looking forward to that journey.

But in the meantime, here is one of my "big honkin'"floral pieces.  It has a sunny feeling about it.

I was inspired by some of the gardens we would stumble upon while wandering the neighborhoods of Murano, Italy. 

Unfortunately, I can't find the picture I was looking for, but the garden was at the rear of the house and it faced the pathway we would sometimes take.

Since I couldn't find that picture, I am adding one of grapes growing outside of one of the glass studios we visited.

These colors inspired the piece in the post below which I refer to as "Autun>"


Both pieces are available at Lawrence Street Gallery, Ferndale, MI.

Happy Holidays!

Wow! Can't believe it's been over 2 months since posting!  New Year's Resolution is to do better at this.
It's been a great year.  I have learned so much and have several new things I look forward to exploring in the world of glass next year - and to see how these explorations will fit into what I like to do.

The Fire Foxes will not only be in Southfield, MI this spring but we're headed for BeadFest Santa Fe as well and we are excited! We won't have a big booth but we'll be loaded down with lots of goodies for sure. Even if we have to stuff our pockets and wear everything around our necks on the plane!

Happy New Year to everyone!

More Flower Jewelry

Am adding my favorite piece that I put into Our Town. I'm really getting into making flowers and jewelry from them.  It can be time consuming on both ends. But exploring colors and combinations has been a lot of fun.

I call this piece "Autumn"...