Glass Spirit Bears, Animals & Other Fun Stuff!

Starting tonight (Monday) through Wednesday evening, I'll have a one person show which is auction format for my beads.  I've been doing this when possible. (next month it's in another group).

https://www.facebook.com/groups/AOMLampworkGlass/
If you aren't a member of this buying group, you click on "join" on the righthand side of the page.  When the moderator has time, they will let you into the group. If you have problems, message me and I'll see if I can help.
These are just some of the bears (and an elephant) that will be featured in this 48 hour show.

Hope you can join me.  If not, I will add extra beads to my Etsy shop on Friday after this show and sale is over.  http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com.

Quick Studio Note: My Vent and Lighting

-Fellow Glass Tribe, this is for you!

I have been asked about my vent system from a few folks and decided that this is easier to just post, so anyone can see it.  I am not a technical person, but I can show you photos and tell you that my electrician did all the work.  I just got the parts and he put it together to make it all work.  This is the back side of my vent hood.  The exhaust goes through the roof. You can also see where the electrician connected everything on the left side.

This is the side view.  You can see the extra ceiling braces we used to keep it steady.  We were concerned it would be too heavy.   

Here is the side closest to me.  I love having my bolted on magnetic bars for my tools. And as you can see, I can use the top part to keep pictures I need close by.

The details:

These are adjustable track lights found at Home Depot.  They are secured inside of the hood.

Here are the switches within arm's reach when I'm at my seat.  One for lighting and the other for the vent.  I thought I might need them separately, and it was a good choice for the way I work.

I have a "split" located behind me. (split- air conditioner and heater combined unit) and it pulls in lots of air, which helps the vent.

Hope that gives you some ideas for your own set up.  The hood and motor were bought from another beadmaker who was getting rid of her set up.  And honestly, I wish it were either a bit stronger fan or closer to my torch.  It still doesn't pull quite as much as I would like, but I am thrilled to have this and all my windows.

Questions... ask in the comments or find me on FB & Instagram: MarcyLamberson, Pinterest & Etsy: StudioMarcy    

My Studio Shot

A couple of months ago, I was asked for a photo of me in my studio.  I decided that instead of making it pristine, (which is so not me), I'd get it taken, "as is".  So here I am.  With my too many stringers, shorts (short glass rod pieces), bags of murrine, bits of glass, broken beads that I need to revisit, wire, miscellaneous tools plus other odds and ends.  Yes, I gather it around me on my reused kitchen table from the 80's that is covered with a steel sheet.  I want to be able to reach lots of options.  And you might recognize my re-used cutlery container from the dishwasher.  With its sections, I can sort some of my short rods and keep them together - plus move them if needed.

When I posted this photo on my Facebook page, a lot of the discussion was about my hood.  I bought the metal hood from a former student who was getting out of lampworking.  We added the two light tracks on the inside and had a switch wired in too.  I can move the lights individually along the track and the flexibility of each lamp helps me aim the light in the direction needed.  You don't see the two magnetic bars (screwed into the metal) which hold many of my steel tools.  I love having my tweezers, pliers, shaping tools, hemostats and others visible and in easy reach.

Playing with Glass Bears

I'm still making bears.  I guess my friends haven't had their fill yet, because there is still a market for them.  One of the things I love about making them is simplifying the form and playing with colors.

Before I made these, I just hoarded my Double Helix silver glass.  Now I use it with reckless abandon.  (well, safely reckless, I guess.) The top two bears use it and I can't wait to try more types.

I'm using other c.o.e.'s (co-efficiency of expansion) to try their glass too.  See the bottom two bears? Yummy colors, right?  Those are both veiled glass that is 96 coe, instead of my usual 104. (for non glass nerds, the coe generally needs to match when combining glass, or it will have cracks.  This is due to different types of glass heating and cooling at different rates.- a simplified explanation.)

I'm using dichro.  I didn't think I'd be the type, but I am enjoying it.  Just bits here and there add some nice sparkle or sometimes an aurora borealis in the skies.

And before bears, (is that B.B.?), I seldom used transparent glass.  Opaque just works better with more sculpture.  I am really loving the transparent colors and adding layers to make new colors.

What's next?  Wish I knew.  For now, I'll make more bears, and start to work into more sculpture types again.  I love what I do and feel lucky that I get to enjoy my job.

I Was a Guest Artist for Third Graders!

Oh, I remember third grade.  Mr. Chase was my teacher and I thought he was one of the nicest people I knew.  Yesterday, I got to revisit that grade at a nearby elementary school.  They were looking for a glass artist to melt a little glass and tell them about it.  The grade was studying "heat" and their art class was going to study "Dale Chihuly".

I was pretty clear that I didn't do glass like the Chihuly team, but I knew how to melt it.  So were proceeded to discuss, heat, molecules, coefficiency of expansion (important in glass) types of glass, transparent versus opaque and so many more topics.  I think at this age, they were as excited to examine the rods, beads, tools and try on our didymium glasses, so they could see the flame the way I did.

It was a fun day.  I was a little concerned at first when I entered the art room.  There were only little children height tables.  I demonstrated from it and did fine. It was the shortest table I have ever used... but it did come to above my knees. Made me laugh.  I did stand and bend over to work though.

It's nice to give back to one's community in small ways.  Of course I was hoping that a few of the kids would remember this when they were older, and perhaps try flame working.  If not, they were exposed to something new and I got to have fun with a lot of kids for one day.  If you are a creative type, I hope you take opportunities to share what you do.  You never know who you might inspire.

Catching Up with Spirit Animal Totems

So I have been busy since I posted last time.

I added bison beads to my show list.  I kept them neutral with small bits of shimmery color.  I've done them in solid white as well.

And I was lucky enough to get some brilliant colors in my bears.  This is Lori Riley's dichroic glass. I love the color and consistently good product that I buy from her.

And I added a totem spirit bird too.  This one, I wanted to keep quite simple.  I just have the metallic glass on the wing, beak and eye.  I have some refining to do, but I love the large body with the smaller head.  

So I haven't been ignoring you, but had two back to back online sales on Facebook.  If you are interested and are on Facebook, please friend me and message me at the same time that you are doing so. (if I don't know you, sometimes I don't accept the friendship)  I'd love to have you join the private buying groups where I sell my beads twice a month.

So now, I'm working on my Beads of Courage donation beads for this years Iditarod Sled Race in Alaska.  I have two styles of bears right now and am debating whether I have time to get a third style for them too.  They just take awhile.  I'll show you those next time.

Until then, stay warm.  Enjoy life.  And of course, come back next week for another photo or two and to catch up.  

Glass Inspiration

I know it doesn't look like these photos go together, but it is a small number of some of my inspirational photos.  Some photos are sent to me by friends and customers who are describing something they'd like for me to consider.  For example, the bottom photo with the hot air balloons.  My customer liked the colors and horizon and thought it might be cool for me to do with one of my scenic bear beads.

And isn't the eye mesmerizing on the horse?  I'm thinking this one goes on a deeper color background and the eye might need to be made from murrine.  And its two tones muzzle area keeps it from looking like a horn-less unicorn.  I think it could be too pretty  without it.

The dogs- well the Iditarod is coming up and I want to make beads to donate for the race.  The mushers and some of the crew carry them in the race, and then copies are auctioned off to raise funds for Beads of Courage.  I'm still debating about what I'd like to make for that race.  Haven't decided on the design yet.

And so it goes... you can see how such disparate photos can provide angles, colors, shading and wonderful inspiration for other art.  Of course, none of mine would look like the photo, but seeing nature in its beauty provides a fantastic jumping off point for more research and reflection on how I would like to interpret that particular item.

ps  Isn't that lion magnificent?  I love how it appears he is enjoying the warmth of the sun and focuses on his magnificent mane.  The highlights and shadows are superb. However, that angle interpreted in glass is a bit too high.  I think the head down a touch would show more of his eye, which for me is  an important element in a face when I'm working in glass.

I have an online trunk show this week. Click here for more information.  See you next week and I'll give you the recap.