Being inspired by Lone from the Webglas group, I have also made some ringbeads. I never did this before, and I find it very difficult to keep them properly warm as I work them. Consequently, two have visible cracks and I am just hoping the others will survive the annealing and trip through the mail. I am wondering if there is a tool for this, as my tweesers does not have the best grip of things.
I will not desert my workshop completely though. Tuesday last week I went for the demo of the Double Helix glass at Bifrost Studio Glass. This was a great idea on their part, since after seeing how to work the glass and the beads that came from it, everyone that came had to bring at least a few rods home. I did too, and have been playing with them all last week. My absolute favourite is Elektra, with Nyx and Triton as seconds. Elektra looks just beautiful with Ivory, it has a wonderful blue tone to begin with, and when reduced leaves a very shiny surface.
I don't like to reduce the Elektra completely, just a touch, so that I can still see through it and look in to the underlaying surface. The Ivory reacts with the silver and produces the wonderful crackled lines that is my favourite effect of Ivory. The Nyx and Triton both reacts with Ivory too, and get extremely shiny when reduced. I am not much into bling and sparkly stuff, but these are really nice and so fun to work with.
I have a picture of the beads I have made, but I left it at home, so I will have to post it later.
I also made a bunch of drops for pendants, which came out quite splendid, but most unfortunately - all but one cracked. They all broke in two, right at the widest part, at the very tip of the mandrel. This is unusual, since mostly other glasses crack at the tapered end from cooling too fast. Only one drop made it, and that one was a bit overcooked, but still pretty, just not as pretty as it could have been.
I have a picture of these too, at home ...
Still, it is a wonderful glass to work with, and ideas keep popping in my head, so I can't not work with it for the next 3 weeks :)
Also, I have joined up in a new and very exciting project that involves beadmaking, which I will write more about in a few days or perhaps even tomorrow if I can't contain myself :)
Oh wait! I almost forgot - here is the bead I mini-demoed the other day. It is one of those beads that just happens, and I am very pleased with it and seriously considering keeping it. Actually I think I will. It has such a lovely organic shape, like a flower ready to bloom :)
P~
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1 comment:
I thought bloom as soon as I scrolled down to it, P~. It's a very elegant design. Keep that one for yourself and make more for your show if you can't keep away from the torch :)
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