Thursday, April 2, 2015

Pictures as promised

Here are the pictures I promised in the earlier blog post. These are just a few of the things we will be making in the classes at Glass Craft Expo in Las Vegas this year!

Cane Examples for Twist and Shout
Small Vessels

Purple Flower vessel with bud stopper


Vessel with stopper

Lemon Lime Vessel with Leaves
Hollow Beads

Disks

Double Flower

Flower Example

Glass Craft Expo 2015

March was a busy month I got to spend most of it at the torch!
I wanted to make new examples for my classes in Las Vegas. The classes all got a new fresh look and some awesome adjustments to the syllabuses. I like to tweak the classes every year. As I learn more or develop new techniques I want to pass them on to the students. I never want my classes to be "stale" so each year I pull the outlines out review them and "give them a fresh coat of paint"
I learn so much from my students about learning styles, the pace most students work at and what works best to learn a technique. Yes we will make awesome beads, cane ,vessels and flowers but I want them to go home with techniques that will help them in many aspects of working glass.
I will be back later today to post some photos of what we will be doing in class.

Now to pack the dozens of mandrels, tools ,glass ,pounds of paperwork, examples  - oh and my clothes!

See ya in Vegas Baby!

Friday, February 27, 2015

February was Busy!

Yes February 2015 was a busy month.
The studio getting a nice remodel!
Finished the article for Soda Lime Times on Bullseye Pinks
The house finally returning to a place I want to live!
Finally getting to teach some classes
Hosted a wonderful guest instructor.
Getting some work done in between cold spells.

Stephanie Sersich left frozen Maine just in time to teach here in San Antonio. Lucky for everyone the weather was perfect here warm and mild. Perfect for margaritas on the patio! The only thing frozen here were the margaritas.
The real ones were better!



















Stephanie taught a Spiny Knotted Bracelet class and then a 2 day off mandrel class.
The classes were awesome and a good time was had by all!
I can't wait for 2017 when she is coming back to teach here.

Stephanie Sersich and students at Dream Fire Glass Studio















I did get a chance to sit down at the torch. I am gearing up for my classes in Las Vegas at Glass Craft Expo. Got going on flowers and didn't want to stop.




Sunday, February 1, 2015

Studio Remodel

It has been a long time since my last post. I've been back and forth to Georgia done several shows took over the whole studio space and spruced it up! So that might be why there were no blog posts.
The studio now has a classroom dedicated to non flameworking classes. Which doubles as an awesome lunch/ break room. With the help of my son and husband we added  countertops in the new classroom and the space in the hall. That little divot  in the hall is now a "kitchenette"/ workspace. The torch room is clean and clear with a new set of cubbies to hold students purses, coats etc. There is now a storage closet and new cabinets. Enough talking here's a few pictures!

Divot in the hall before



Bullseye glass crate building materials
Kitchenette
Counter made with crates




Counter & shelves in classroom
New classroom
Classroom inspiration


Mismatched cabinets before
Cabinets after the closet is to the right

sink corner waiting for it's remodel

12 Cubbies for students

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Life is a interesting journey

It seems like the question's of the day are:
Who am I?
Where am I ?
What am I doing?
They seem fairly straight forward right?
But life is way more complicated than that.
Each answers brings on a new question.

Introspective ? You betcha
Optimistic? Oh yeah not just half full overflowing.
It is just where I am right now.
Exciting changes - endless possibilities.

 OK so where have I been June July and August???
Arrowmont awesome!

Awesome Metals Department

Beautiful campus

The cool stuff I learned

New Friends-

Dealing with disaster - yuck
Still dealing with the house flood

The water flowed everywhere

The ISGB Gathering - awesome!
1st Timer beads

Photo- bomb Friends

More disaster - oh my aching head!
cleaned scraped and waiting on leveling

Finally flooring



Georgia - the good the bad and the boxes!

The good-Time with my hubby!


Another house that needs work - the bad
Yes 200 plus more to go through here in the Georgia basement

So that is what I have been up to see why I haven't been blogging.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Sabbatical

Sabbatical -In recent times, "sabbatical" has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual in order to achieve something. In the modern sense, one takes sabbatical typically to fulfill some goal.
Retreat -a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director.

For the 1st time in years I am doing something for myself. I am giving myself permission to take time away from my work - all of it. Away from the studio, the estate work in Georgia, the house repairs in Texas, committees, meetings, emails, phone calls all of the things that require me to pour myself out.
I'm going to fill myself with beauty,learning, calm and reflection. I'm going to summer camp for grown ups!

It is a short sabbatical - a retreat.
It's just a week in the Tennessee mountains at Arrowmont School of Art and  Craft.
My goal:
             Add skills that will help me take my jewelry to the next level.
             Emersion in creativity.
             Relax and just breathe
            " Fill the well"
A week long workshop - Not Glass -  in metals a chance to revisit old skills long set aside.
Yes I am taking the bubbles with me!
Photo by Nicole Lozano -Portland OR 2012

Click here to see  a video of Arrowmont
I'll be back blogging soon with new ideas,skills and pictures
Don't worry just like I am not moving to Georgia I am not abandoning glass.
Sam

Monday, May 26, 2014

Flameworking Bulleye Glass the 00's

Here it is finally as promised more on flameworking Bullseye COE 90 glass.
This edition is the double zero's as I call them.
They are dense in color and not as translucent as the single zero colors.

0013 Opaque White
 A very dense bright true white.
Great when you need a true white I love it for flowers but this glass has issues!
1st - you will have real problems if you can't give it plenty of oxygen. It will turn brown or   liver  if you have to much fuel in you flame. That pretty much means it will not stay white when melted with a Hot Head torch. Problem # 2 (at least with the last batch that I got) SHOCKY!!!! I thought I was working with anise white. It was popping like a machine gun! It is worth it to keep working with it because it is the only true beautiful white you can get in Bullseye rod. I mean look at these Dogwood & lilac beads.
White lilac's and a dogwood flower made with 0013
0014 Cobalt Blue
Nice because it is very dense in color. It is a bit pale for cobalt it is almost a dark periwinkle when worked.

0016 Turquoise
Now this is a color I am VERY fond of yep I love it. I would compare it in color and reactive qualities to 104 turquoise. My complaint with early Bullseye rod colors were to opalescent they just didn't give you the dense color you found in 104. 0016 Turquoise is the answer to my prayers!
Because I make a fiesta beads and need the bright dense colors this is the perfect turquoise.
It will give you the cool reactions you are looking for when used with any of the Bullseye colors that have sulfur like French Vanilla, Nougat and yellows.

The light turquoise is 0016 turquoise with steel blue & French Vanilla

This bead has 0016 Turquoise & 0017 mineral green


0017 Mineral Green
Another color I am in Love with! This is a very dense color somewhere between a sage or copper green. It lends dense color to any green cane or leaves. It is very light green unlike its 0117 twin which is opalescent/translucent  and darker in color

0018 Periwinkle Blue
A very light pastel periwinkle blue with dense color. I have not had any unpleasant reactions using this color. It has nice clean lines and does not bleed into other colors.

0024 Tomato Red
This on is another  "picky" color you will need plenty of O2 in you flame unless you like black or liver colored glass. I would not recommend using this red with a Hot Head torch.
Even though it need the O2 it is a beautiful red that stays dense and rich in color.
Left flower - 0024Tomato Red, next 0016 turquoise petals


0034 Light Peach Cream* opalescent
Unlike all the other "double zeros" this one is very translucent. It is a very pale color that you would probably pass over when picking glass because its is not that spectacular. Think again this is an awesome color because it is not reactive and can be used to make other colors really pop. It is perfect for flower petals because it is so translucent it gives them an ethereal look. I was searching for colors that I could use to make rhododendron flowers for the Gathering in Bellevue Washington. Light peach cream was perfect it did not have a unpleasant reaction with the mix of pink frits.
Base of this flower is 0034 light Peach Cream the pink is a frit blend I made just for these flowers.

0046 Bluestone Opaque
Beautiful dense blue somewhere between a denim blue and steel blue.
0064 Sterling Blue
Beautiful dense light blue more like faded denim.

Wish I could find the rest of my photos I'll post them in a later Blog.

This is just my experience with Bullseye COE90 Glass. I hope it is helpful for other Flameworkers.