(Click on the picture to take a look! )

I’ll be listing additonal beads over the next few days… 

Have a great long weekend!

FINAL UPDATE: 8/21:  A cheque for $14K was just issued to Anna to help with her medical costs… (updated email below) 

UPDATE 8/17:  Apparently over $10K was raised for Anna by this event!  Most excellent! 

UPDATE 8/14:  Yippee!  the white Graffiti goddess sold as well!!  Thanks again everyone!!!

Great news!!  The black Graffiti Goddess sold on the first day – THANK  YOU!!   Remember, all the funds (not just profits) are going straight to Anna, the artist – i’m even paying to ship these to the US.   

Here’s the latest email i received 8/21 with an update:

(Click either picture to get to the Artful Home Hearts for Anna page.)

Metallic Moss:This goddess was supposed to be a deep blue colour but i somehow managed to reduce this furnace glass to a weird (but way cool!) metallic green colour.  i absolutely did not expect  this and hope i can recreate this technique, it’s fantastic!

Purple Rose: I love this furnace glass – it gives a great mottled purple ranging from very light to deep with minimal effort.  I even reduced her a bit for some dark interest. 

Sandy Gold: I love, love the depth of colour in this one and the odd little streak that developed across her belly – makes her look like she’s been carved from stone.  I ran out fuel making her, so popped her in the kiln to keep warm and swapped tanks.  But then when i took her out to finish the sculpting i decided i liked her very raw, slightly unformed finish and left her just as she was…

More Grey Goddesses:

i made the one on the left in May (or was it June?) and then tried to replicate the effect using the same glass. 

This is a white furnace glass that when reduced develops this awesome streaky grey finish that is also slightly irridescent.  I still haven’t figured out how i created the metallic effect on the first one but i did manage to get two other cool looks. 

Hard to beleive these are all made pretty much the same way from the exact same glass!

Question i’ve been recently asked: So what does one do with these goddesses?

Well…they can be framed (i think they’d look lovely in a trio of shadow box frames) or for a more personal connection they can be worn as a pendant.  Here’s an example:

First, some focals:  I’ve had a really positive response to my floral attempts so i’ve decided to practice some more (plus a couple other ideas)… all about 2″ long.  From left to right:

Swamp Daisies - (sold) this is a big bead and it really wanted to be made:  I ran out of fuel about halfway through, had to pop the bead in the kiln, wait for the torch to cool down so i could change the propane canister and then slowly reheat and finish it off.  It’s my ongoing attempt to develop a love for that finicky copper green glass – the verdigris colour is intriguing but i’m still struggling to control the amount of that dark residue it develops.  (and yes i know the name isn’t very sexy – if you have a better suggestion let me know)

Blue Lagoon - another encased floral, this time i added the flowers first then the encasing.  I had planned to add another layer of encased florals but frankly i ran out of patience.  It’s encased with Lauscha clear and while the optical clarity is truly magnificent that clear layer was so stiff it took bloody FOREVER to melt.  At several points i was ready to through the whole damn thing (burning molten glass and all) across the room.   

Part of the problem is the limits of my torch, part is due to the Lauscha clear being really quite stiff but the other though is just the process of encasing florals – you have to slowly heat the clear layer enough to smooth it out but at the same time not get everything so hot that you soften and distort the layer of flowers and the core just underneath.  So you’re constantly twirling and swooping the bead in and out of the flame and slowly, slowly, slowly melting smooth that clear layer - an incredibly tedious process.  Somewhat like toasting marshmallows to a delicate golden brown at a bonfire except that each marshmallow takes a freaking HOUR to roast.  (ok, i’m done venting.  perhaps i’ll just put the Lauscha clear aside until i get a hotter torch). I must say, I have now developed a new respect for the beadmakers who make encased florals for a living… (siiigh, i must really not have cooked it properly as it has slowly cracked in half over the last few weeks)

Summer Garden – This is me playing to create something cute and fun and completely unlike my usual stuff (do i even have a usual yet?).  The Teenager declared this one as his fave while making sure to gruffly add the qualifier that of course he “…doesn’t like flowers but it’s still nice.”

Buttercup Swirl- Again something a little different and summery with some encased stringer spirals.  Those spirals were supposed to be a pale pastel yellow but came out bright buttercup yellow instead.  Now i could go into a rant about paying a premium for an “odd lot” glass that looks soft and creamy in the store ad but then strikes to a colour pretty darned close to something i could have bought for a 1/3 the price but i won’t. cuz i’m done venting.  so there. 

ZigZag - this is a weird one.  i was inspired by a room in a decorating mag designed with these colours - it’s odd but i like it.

And here is a custom order i’m working on – pregnant goddesses.  These were too much fun to make.  As i was sculpting each one it reminded me of the last few months of my pregnancy and how alternately excited /scared /annoyed /exhausted I was as i heaved myself around with that huge belly. 

Here’s a side view – they’re not just a little bit pregnant – these babes are nine plus months and ready to deliver at any moment! (i think that grey goddess is having triplets…)

And finally a rear view – cuz no pregnancy ever passes without this extremely important question:  “Honey, does my butt look big?”

(Yup, I finally have my mojo back)

A selection of earthy goddesses with a slimmer profile.  The last one on the right is sold, the other three are for a custom order – the client gets first pick then any remaining will be posted for sale on either Etsy or eBay.  Update Jan 2/07: Goddesses #2 & #3 are sold as well.

The Spring Rain design has been very popular, so I’ve decided to turn it into a collection – this bead is #3 (sold). The Spring Rain series is made with various combinations of transparent and opaque light blue glass, silver, and blue and white frit.  I love the way each bead maintains its own unique shape and personality while still remaining in the same family. In this bead, one of the middle frits turned slightly green (a lovely but unexpected reaction!) and the white frit was fumed a deep gold by the silver leaf.

Periwinkle Swirl is a little more of an advanced bead style for me (sold).  It also begins with a base of transparent and opaque blue glass, silver leaf and frit. I then wrapped the bead in some thin blue stringer and a white and clear latticino (twisted glass cane) followed by a sprinkle of clear frit. I love the way the silver sparkles in some areas and has an opalescent shimmer in others.  Plus my stringer control has really improved!

Olive Garden is made with olive green glass with some darker green frit and just a touch of pure gold leaf (sold). Simple and absolutely lovely.

Winter Dove (sold) – This bead was my biggest challenge to date!  I’ve never made a bird (or any other kind of animal) before and I was asked to make a dove that could be wearable as a pendant.  I wanted it to be lifelike, full of movement and suggestive of a dove rather than a literal interpretation – plus it still had to be comfortable to wear.  It took quite a bit of planning but I’m pretty happy with the result!  The wings slant slightly to the back allowing it to rest really nicely against your chest…

View from the front:

Spring Garden Goddess was created from a base of turquoise opaque glass. She was then lightly reduced to bring out the copper trails and sprinkled with a blend of pastel pink, yellow and white frit (tiny glass chips). She seems to have just returned from lying in a field of wildflowers.

Lime Fizz Goddess was created from a base of juicy lime green opaque glass. She was then lightly sprinkled with tiny turquoise flowers and a deep purple frit. The tiny bits of purple and blue create the effect of dancing in flower gardens.

Ocean Mist Goddess was created from a base of white opaque glass. Her thighs were encased in deep blue, before being lightly sprinkled with periwinkle frit. The periwinkle reacts with the white to create a soft, smoky mist over her torso.

Purplicious Goddess was created from a base of opaque glass. She was then rolled in a deep purple glass powder before being sprinkled with a frit blend of pink, purple and white. The powder and frits intermingle to give her a soft, dreamy effect.

View from the back:

The four goddesses are sold (custom order).

From left to right:

• still playing with a warm palette – this focal combines enamels, frit and clear.  i’d originally planned to completely melt the clear encasing smooth and then decided to leave it lumpy.  The bumps feels great.
• turquoise goddess with several shades of pastel frit.  i reduced her a little to bring out the earthy copper trails.  i think i’ve finally got the hang of reduction – at least with blue glass.  at one point i had her completely red and then was able to add and remove the red copper on her surface by waving her in and out of different parts of the flame. very cool.
• i love purple – it’s my favourite colour but it’s one of the hardest to get in glass – the rod colours tend to either be greyish or do weird things in the flame.  This goddess is rolled in purple powder and then three shades of frit.

From left to right:

• another experiment with dark raku – this time i heated and cooled it a lot so the colour development progressed further – moved past the olive to more gold and hints of purple. will have to play more…
• trying to find a way to get orange, reds and silver to play nicely together.  not quite there yet.  i’m happy with the shape though.
• started a goddess but didn’t like the strong reaction between the light blue frit and the ivory – plus i ran out of fuel…lol.
• tried again with a white base instead.  the softer reaction between the white and the light blue frit is much better
• love this one!  bright green and purple frit - aren’t they awesome together??!!!

As of today though, my bruised ego has almost fully recovered and I am once again superbly proud of her.  Once I calmed down, I realized it’s actually kinda fun to hear what each person sees in each of my creations.  Sure, it may not be what i intended but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s a bad thing.

Once i really thought about it, I realized I never intended to create anything very literal – my own personal tastes run to art that can be interpreted in many different ways.  This is, however, my first time being on the receiving end of those interpretations.  So shocking yes, but i guess i better get used to it.  And pronto.

I’ve also come to the realization of just how very personal each of my creations have become to me.  With hot glass, even as a relative newb, what i create comes straight from my soul.  When i sit in front of the torch i can start off with the intention of creating something specific but by the time i’m done the result is usually quite different.  Part of it is the inherent lack of limits in hot glass, another part is due to my current level of experience, a significant part is my own personal taste and the final part is… i dunno – i suppose you could call it creative energy?

It’s that indescribable “creative energy” that determines the final look of each of my pieces.  It’s that same creative energy that ensures if you handed 50 lampwork artists the same glass rod, the same frit and sat them in front of the same torch you’d end up with 50 unique items.  And then of course, each piece would be interpreted in 1001 different ways…

Soooo, all this to say this beautiful goddess now represents a major step in my development as a lampwork artist.  I’ve become so very attached to her she’s not leaving my house.  And not just because she developed a crack across her butt.

Technical details: 40mm x 16mm, R-106 Reichenbach Iris Dark Brown Opaque (dark raku), 96COE, with a sprinkle of goldstone frit