I Missed You!

Hey, it's been a few years since I've seen you.  Have to try to remember how to do this blog thing!  If you are wondering where I am, please find me on Facebook.  There is a StudioMarcy business page, or if you're a friend, my personal page.

If you are visiting July 10-11, I'm having a glass bead & sculpture show on Facebook in Artisans Open Market.  Please feel free to message me, to find out how to join the fun.

Oh and I have a glass beadmaking channel now on YouTube.  Just search "Marcy Lamberson".  I know, so original!  Or how about following me on Instagram- @MarcyLamberson

Hope to check back in one of these days. Until then, take care. 

These are a few of my favorite things....

Glass handmade lampwork beads and sculptures by Marcy Lamberson.  You can also find me as StudioMarcy on Etsy.com

Bears and...

fish and...

flowers and....

a pig with wings...

These are a few of my favorite things!  

If you have a minute, pop by my online trunk show.  http://www.facebook.com/groups/GlassOpenMarket

Starts tonight, Monday @ 11pm EDT and continues with new beads going up daily through Wednesday @10pm EDT.  Come join the fun.  Hope to see you there.

Feeling Like Spring

Glass Bear with flowers by Marcy Lamberson

It's Spring.  And as I always do, I get a little flower obsessed as my trees and shrubs are blossoming here in Atlanta.  The azalea, dogwood, cherry trees are done and just the rhododendron have lovely blooms.

When I have a lot on my mind, often it translates into glass. So recently, I've been making my glass bears with flowers inside of them.

I've always loved the encased florals (as glass folk call them) and it's a nice challenge to add that technique with sculpture.  We don't usually see that, so it's a little different and a lot of fun to learn.  And honestly, I have a long way to go.  These are nice, but I am working towards "spectacular", which might take a few years.  Lol, I'm not in a rush, but do want to make different kinds of flowers inside of beads.

If you have spare time, I have a 48 hour live auction starting in one of the Facebook private groups, "Limelight" starting tomorrow- Tuesday 9am EDT through 8am EDT on Thursday.  Here is the link if you would like to see what it is all about:   "Limelight "

See you soon!
Marcy

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.