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Wednesday, July 23rd--Anyone ELSE Nervous? 

Besides me, I mean.  Today is fire-up-the-new-big-kiln day.  Yikes!  It's out there doing its thing--ramping up, holding, ramping some more, holding some more, and soon will begin the cooling, annealing, and cooling some more phases.

Why am I nervous?  Glad you asked.  This is my first really big kiln, my first fusing projects, and the first time I've run a kiln at 1450 degrees.   I'm just SURE it will be fine, but I keep checking it every 20 minutes or so.  Fire extinguishers are at the ready.  (Oh PLEASE don't make me use one.)  

Now you're probably wondering when you'll see the product of my glass cutting and melting.  Of course, I COULD show you my nicely bandaged fingers (from cutting the glass...or more accurately, the glass cutting me), but that would be boring.  So, you probably won't see anything really soon.  Today, I'm firing experimental pieces.  I love to see what glass would do IF....

Also, one piece is a small bowl which will need to be fired a second time to "slump" into a mold.  I really don't expect anything lovely coming out of my early experiments, so you shouldn't either.  I will say, however, that those who have seen my bowl from my class (see HOME page) have been just astonished.  They think it's really wonderful.  I do too, of course.  (Chuckle.)

Well, back to the kiln watch.

Monday, July 21st--Today is the Start of Something New!

As I mentioned on the HOME page, this is a kind of "out with the old, in with the new," day.  Not only do I not WISH to make beads any longer, but now I simply cannot make beads.  I have sold my entire lampwork studio, and all its contents, to make room for my new "slumping and fusing" studio, and ITS contents.  My trusty medium-sized kiln was the last to depart.  My new (and I DO hope, trusty) large kiln has arrived.  Gee.  Bigger than I thought.  My new glass has arrived, along with an assortment of tools appropriate to slicing and dicing.  Ok, THAT'S not what THEY call it.

I've been doing some studying and while I thought that I'd be firing my first experiments today, I found that kiln wash must dry for 24 hours.  And I haven't made any yet.  First order of the day, following a few errands.  And a visit from the bug-spray man.

For you jewelry buyers, I am well aware that I've been remiss in posting my current inventory of jewelry, an oversight which I plan to correct over the next couple of days, inter-mixed with the slathering of kiln wash, completing a commissioned kumihimo piece, playing some bridge, walking and swimming and reading, volunteering for Arizona Greyhound Rescue... and.....  hmmmmm...  

In fact, my first REAL project (when I think I've acquired at least SOME skills) will be to make a "greyhound something" for the AGR fundraiser in October at Reid Park here in Tucson.  If you're in the Tucson area on October 25th, do stop by.  It'll be fun.  Lots of hounds, which is always fun.

Ah ha!  Bug guy is here.  I'm not. 

Tuesday, July 15 -- All Good Things Must Come to an End  

Yes, indeedie, all things do come to an end, as does my lampwork bead making.  It has been a true joy to melt glass and play with it, especially since so many of you have enjoyed my work.  I appreciate each and every one of you!

However, the time has come to turn off the flame.  I'm not completely leaving GLASS, since I intend to continue developing my fusing and slumping skills.  I have so many ideas that it is so much more interesting to me right now.

I do hope you'll stay tuned to see how this particular art develops.  So, glass will be melting, just not in a flame. 

The final final final beads from my stash are offered now.  I am sorry to say that I cannot take special orders any longer. 

Thank you to those who have commented on and purchased my beads.  It's been way better than great!

Monday, July 7th--Something New in the Works

All of my life I have felt it necessary to be learning something.  Sometimes, anything would do, but I tend to like real challenges best.  To that end, I'm taking up a new hobby/craft/glass art in the form of fusing & slumping.

I took my first two-weekend class recently, which made me evaluate my enthusiasm, or lack thereof, for lampwork bead making.  It occurred to me that no matter how much I WANTED to go out there and make beads, especially for my favorite buyers, it was a painful and difficult thing to do.  Why?  I'm not sure, but the fact is that I've been making beads for many years.  I feel like I'm in a rut there, not really progressing to new things.  It was when I realized that what I was really lacking was the enthusiasm to DO new things in beads that I knew my life as a bead maker was drawing to a close.

The fusing class helped to clarify things to me.  I found that I was VERY enthusiastic about fusing.  Of course, I want to make cabochons and jewelry, but also art-glass things such as bowls, ornaments, panels and more.  It's a challenge.  It's artistic.  And it's fun with quite a big learning curve.  Who could ask for more? 

As for the web site, you can continue to expect to see kumihimos, jewelry and soon, art glass.  I will try to do better (I don't think it's possible to do worse) at keeping the web site up to date and my blog toddling along.

I though that you'd like to see my first simple little bowl.  It's on the home page, but here too:

firstbowl


And here's a little sun-catcher that I did on the first day of class.  I am in great hopes that I'll learn to cut glass soon:

chili-peppers


More to come soon.


Saturday, April 26th--All Good Things Come to an End

After 14 years of bead making, I think the time has come to admit that my heart is no longer in it.  I can't explain it, really.  There are many reasons to move on, but not one single startling event.  I have just become increasingly bored with the process of making bead sets for sale.  I'll always love experimenting with glass, but I don't love making lots of beads all alike, or even similar.

It has been a great ride, to say the least.  But I feel that I've arrived at my destination, and since I firmly believe that it's the "journey," not the "destination," that was a joy to me--well, I'm sure you understand.

Right now, my journey seems to be in the sphere of jewelry making.  I am primarily making kumihimos, as you know, but I'm also making a few rather dramatic "beaded" pieces using thousands of delica seed beads and one outstanding focal bead, made by one of my favorite boro bead artists.  If I can get some good photos of them, I'll post them on the web site, though they are not for sale.  One was a special order for someone very special.  One is for me.  One really super one was purchased before I was even one-third of the way done, and another is a special order based solely on the focal bead. 

Once the pieces currently in progress are completed, I'll decide where I go from there.  I have quite a collection of wonderful kumihimos just now.  And I have a few more of them "in the works."  I've been asked to present them to the owner of an upscale boutique here in Tucson, which I will do.  Who knows?  They may soon be there.  

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a photo of my most recent piece from my personal collection:

kumiandrewsmall1


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