The Glass Owl

Hearts and Owls

2011-11-03T13:13:00.000+11:00

I'm still working on inventory for the bead show next week ( Bead Expo Fri 11th-13th nov. Kingston Town Hall Moorrabbin).
I spent a lot of time on a heart design. It features a flower blossoming from a heart, like how love sometimes returns when you may not have thought it possible. There are 'flames' around the edges, symbolizing the challenges/trials that impact on our hearts. OK enough blithering and philosophizing! Here are pics of 4. I have only made about 9.

Now for some owls... I have been in a feverish frenzy making these. Some are in that category where I don't know whether I will actually part with them.

He reminds me of the universe, funnily enough his body was made from a glass called Black Nebula

Had to try out Clio glass, was a challenge alright!

Look! Legs! they make me laugh, like little owl pantaloons.

A tail! He also has legs (shock horror)

Mother and baby

Adorable plump baby owls! see the little gap for dangling charms?

The Usual Suspects!

New owl design(s) and don't forget the Bead Expo!

2011-10-26T14:50:00.000+11:00

If you are in Melbourne and like beads especially to buy or want to see my work firsthand, please come to:
the Bead Society of Victoria's Bead Expo
11th - 13th November 2011
Kingston CIty Hall, 979 Nepean Hwy, Moorabbin, VIC.
1 day pass: $10 for an adult up to a 3 day pass $25. Also concessions available.
My table is on the upper level of the hall, look for red and white.

Time to see some evolution in the owl species. Here's some eye candy:

Branching out in Bead Design

2011-07-02T23:06:00.001+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to the beautiful state of Tasmania to attend a workshop with the german lampwork artist Anastasia. I have been a fan of Anastasia's work since I discovered lampwork back in 2006. Some of the lessons we were taught involved the use of enamels and fine stringer, such as with her tree beads. The following are some of my beads made in the class, the first has the addition of a tiny owl (awwwwww).

This floral one featues some honeycomb murrini for the stamens of the flowers, pretty cool stuff, though it takes a long time to make the murrini so we were given some of the demonstration version that Anastasia made.

Since I have returned I have been creating more trees using Helios glass, which reduces to a golden lustre, on a plain base, but adding fine frit to emulate leaves or dots for the occasional fruit blob. It is a very relaxing process but I have some ideas that will require pushing the boundaries a bit. Here is the forest so far:

Ring a Ring a Rosy

2011-07-01T14:36:00.001+10:00

I have been making quite a variety of beads, but enjoying the ring thing a lot! Here's a couple of fingerfuls.

I particularly like the eye and flower design, decorative and interesting. The middle finger ring is made from Double Helix 'Helios' a beautiful lustering gold colour.

Below are a few more for good measure. I think if you are going to wear a glass ring, it had better be a showcase for the glass and therefore cannot be tiny and boring. It should catch the eye, well, that's what I think, and all the three year olds that have played with them would agree with me!

Rings of glass

2011-05-22T20:49:00.000+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I attended some workshops with renowned lampwork artist and teacher, Corina Tettinger. Six days of filling up my brains to overflowing with valuable insights and new techniques was the best thing I have done this year. Thanks to a fantastic teacher, Corina, we were taught not only what was expected, but also plenty of awesome extras such as rings!

I was dying to make some of these beautiful glittery objects for the fingers using some of the wonderful Double Helix silver glasses. such as Clio, Kalypso and Triton.

So far I have made 5. One is for my niece, the light blue mirror one. The last one i made was the most ornate, with the goldstone edge, twist and shiny dots. The design possibilities are exciting so i'm looking forward to doing some crazy fun things with rings.

Necklace with lampwork and enamel be

2011-03-21T17:47:00.001+11:00

I made this necklace yesterday using both lampwork and enamel beads. The enamel beads are such a pleasure to work with. They instantly add detail and keep things light.

A small diversion - the mirror has two faces

2011-03-11T20:12:00.001+11:00

I don't know how it started, but a couple of days ago I came across the idea of each side of the face expressing different aspects of our personality, and how cutting an image of a face in half and then mirroring it, accentuated the differences. So I had to do it. I made sure that the lighting was as even as I could get it, and used a nikon d90 to snap the pic.

Well it turns out my nose is not in the centre of my face, so it ends up fat and skinny. Smile has always been a little lopsided, more active rightside. An eyebrow (right) has usually been a little more raised (the skeptic in me) and I have a mighty neck and chin on the right. Anyway the right side is quite intense and strong (freak!). The left side looks friendly, I could be friends with someone like that.
While looking for other faces on the 'net I came across Angelina Jolie, very striking and unexpected differences. Also saw Gwyneth Paltrow, who appears almost perfectly symmetrical!
Ok, now that I've purged that notion on to the blog I hope to focus on more important things!

Enamel filigree beads - getting the hang of it

2011-03-05T23:03:00.000+11:00

Ever since I read a tutorial in a bead magazine about enamelling filigree beads I have felt compelled to gather the ingredients and have a go. After a couple of months of sitting on the idea I finally had a couple of goes. I have to say that the tutorial has some gaps in terms of usability of the technique offered. The first attempt, following the instructions, was very poor. If the bead is free spinning and you turn the stick it's threaded on, well the bead won't spin when you turn the stick, will it??? no, it won't. That is quite different from lampworking, where a coating is put on the mandrel, which the glass sticks to while working on the bead, but also enables you to release the bead when it's ready to remove. The other problem with threading a filigree bead onto the uncoated mandrel, is that enamel falls through the filigree and gets melted onto the mandrel, making it next to impossible to remove the bead. very frustrating, and the beads look dodgy and mangled and patchy from the efforts to remove it. I guess I am missing something obvious and would probably benefit from watching a demonstration. Anyway, I ended up developing my own technique which I am relatively happy with. It is along the lines of 'puntying up'. Hold the bead with tweezers and get a little patch of enamel established, then get some enamel melted onto the tip of the mandrel and connect the two. So the bead is stuck to the end of the stick through the whole spinning process until I melt it off and smooth out the connection. Holding the bead with warmed up tungsten tweezers when removing also enables one to get it into the vermiculite with ease. That technique will do until such time as I see someone do it efficiently a different way!
I love the beads that turn out, they are light and lacy looking. The light weight of them means that they balance out the weight of glass lampwork so that you are not going to break your neck when wearing a full strand of large beads.

OK, here is the motley crew. The first efforts are mixed in with the second efforts. I think by effort number 10 they should be looking perfect ;-)

Here are three white filigree along with a bunch of largish round lampwork beads. Even though the three large white lampwork beads are 'hollow', a whole strand can be quite hefty.

Green toned bead caps. The longest one at the front is my favorite of everything (40mm long). I love the berry red tips. Will be making more with that concept. I can imagine it as a focal with a dangle hanging down from it's centre. The bead caps I found are nice and large so that they can fit on the large round beads I tend to make.

The cool toned beads. I love the teal color, which is actually 'turquoise' enamel. It can have beautiful depth when layered a couple of times, such as the front right bead. There is also a robins egg blue, nile green and a pale yellow green. These are acutally large substantial beads. The barrel shapes are 30mm long and 20mm diameter.

The pink pastels. I love the orchid color of the centre round bead. Also digging those top right bead caps.

A few red beads. Not quite happy with the outcome of this red yet. Will be putting a tranparent blue layer over the next one to add some depth.

Little Red Riding Hood

2010-12-08T10:22:00.000+11:00

I am very excited about a collaborative project I have embarked on with artist, Claudia Rubinstein . We met at the bead show and have discovered a mutual love of fairy tales and art nouveau.
So far the theme is Little Red Riding Hood, Grimm Brothers. I have made a bunch of beads around the theme and they are really stepping stones to the final outcome. Still in gestation but also fun and a joy to make! It is great to swap ideas and encouragement in collaboration, it is inspirational and motivational.
Here's the pics:

The first Red is quite graphic and cartoon like. I added a hole in her hood for a dangle She was supposed to be looking over her shoulder in fear but her heavy eyelid makes her quite confident!! Also not in the style I want to eventually aim for (Art Nouveau curves).

First time making leaves and I enjoyed it. Used a metallic green glass and added some dew drops.

Also made some 'berries'

What is a fairytale without a forest? Birchwood trees are eminently suitable for fairytales. Introducing Red and the Wolf. Red has evolved somewhat! the shape is more reminiscent of Nouveau, Will work on refining the details and adding the wavy hair highlights that all nouveau ladies seem to have! I love the howling wolf head, just him and the tree trunks is a super combination.

Red, Wolf and an owl. I am trying to make a tiny owl or two. I think I can go smaller.

Bead Expo, Owls (ofcourse) and online Interview

2010-11-20T11:00:00.000+11:00

It has been a busy two months. I just finished a bead show and will soon be back creating, today hopefully!!! Below are some reports on all the things I have been up to... beady related!

I have taken a workshop with Andrea Guarino and had a fab time. One of the noteable consequences from attending this workshop is meeting two gorgeous gals who have a passion for lampworking and live within a stones throw. We now form a little bead group that is called "The Flaming Matildas" and this is blossoming and expanding to include a bunch of other wonderful lampwork artists in Victoria.
Andrea Guarino and Georgie Field
I had my first bead expo and met so many fabulous people!! I went there with 50 owls and came home with 3 little lonely owls.
One fabulous lady turned out to be the visiting international beading artist Marcia Decoster who loves owls. Marcia mentions her owl purchases and our meeting in her blog... Generous, warm and incredibly supportive, thankyou Marcia! Aside from the owl aspect, Marcia makes the most beautiful adornments to wear, using seed beads like magic dust these wonderful creations appear. I loved it when people came up to the stall wearing their works of art. Marcia had whipped up some incredible earrings the night before.
Two AbFab ladies also made an entrance into my life by purchasing parliaments of owls and beads, while looking dazzling and spreading encouragement. Kirstin doesn't have a website at this time but promised me some photos of the grand idea she has for the beads she purchased. Considering the fabulous jewellery she was wearing I am very excited to see that project blossom. Claudia Rubinstein was also decked out in superb beaded finery and has a penchant for owls and fairytales, bringing them to life through her gorgeous paintings.
Georgie Field and her table at the BSV Bead Expo
Speaking of fabulous jewellery, the Flaming Matildas' Belinda and Jenni have both purchased owls from me and turned them into gorgeous jewellery. Jenni has a post in her blog with some photos but I would also love to get a photo of both Belinda and Jenni wearing their work. Such different designs and both brilliant.
I was asked for an interview about my lampwork for an online beading magazine called Beading Times. I am the featured artist for the month of November. Check it out to see lots of eyecandy and learn more about me, if you're interested that is!! there are also many other interviews with amazing and talented bead makers.
Finally.... some of my work for October

I made a new design, incorporating a bit more fantasy than normal with the curly eye feathers, and also incorporating some things I have learnt about frit in the body. This guy is my favorite, hanging on to him for a while!

Everyone points at this guy because of his big beautiful eyes.

40 ain't so bad

2010-09-24T08:32:00.000+10:00

Awesome sister, Mandy, made me these terrific icing owls for the cake and sent them over express along with other beautiful gifts. Thanks Mandy!!!

Time to bead free!

2010-07-18T18:48:00.001+10:00

Finally I have some time off work so that I can focus on the beads. Many owls have been made but I might post pictures of them in a couple of days. Mainly I have been playing and experimenting with new glass, tools and concepts.

The concept isn't new but it's fresh for me, and that is to make some eclectic sets. Sets of identical beads are not easy for me to produce because it's repetitive (sweat shop/ factory like). I got around that with the idea of different combinations and patterns and textures.

Even more fun can be had in matching up the individuals into their 'special' families. They're not set in concrete and it depends on the coming days how many more get produced and swapped.

Without further ado, here are the pics:

Eclectic 1: ~19mm Some of the ingredients above are Goldstone, Aurae, Silverlake frit, brass bubbles, silver glasses.

Eclectic 2: ~17mm Encased frit, Multicolor, Magic, Taxco, Special purple rose. My theory is that sometimes you need plain beads, to contrast with the pretty ones and make them shine.

Eclectic 3:: A new glass arrived this past week and I fell in love. It is by Effetre and called Metallic Black. It usually has a matte finish and a gorgeous patina of oilslick colors. The two ultra shiny spacers are Aurae (different glass).

Eclectic 4: ~18mm "Hoi Poloi" Last but not least, a splash of color. I have so much frit (crushed glass of different colors and blends) and thought it high time to do something with it..

Peacock Owls

2010-06-25T16:06:00.001+10:00

I received a request recently for an owl with "peacock' colors including purple and also eyelids, so it has been fun playing with that idea. This spotty owl is the first one.

The second owl is quite different to the first. I was really pleased with it and then realised I hadn't put the gold eyelids on it. Kind of annoyed that I forgot but was still very pleased with the result. Lacroix is his name and is currently listed on ebay for another few days.

The third owl is similar to the second. I remembered the eyelids but wanted to experiment with different eye feathers and beak etc. He's pretty cool and more harmonious than the second, however I personally prefer the contrast of the second one. I have only made the three so far but I will make a few more color combinations till I've exhausted the urge!

Somthing that is not an owl, something that is, and something that was supposed to be.

2010-04-10T14:23:00.001+10:00

So my sister gave me a not so subtle hint that my blog has a lot of owls. As a consequence here is something that is not an owl but was inspired BY an owl. The inspiration is the owl from the previous post, it IS kind of skull like, something that I noticed as well as a friend (thanks Sonia). Piraticowl badge, a lampwork bead mounted on some hand-tooled leather.

Speaking of leather, it is my latest inspiration/fascination particularly as a vehicle for mounting lampwork. A satisfying process and IMHO a complimentary result.. It also means that I can make some brooches utilising the beads. (finally! it has been bugging me no end)

I recently undertook a project as a result of reading about an exhibition which the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) were mounting. The brief was to create a piece of jewellery that an imaginary or historical person would wear. Ofcourse my thoughts went to Athena, Goddess of Wisdom in Greek mythology, whose creature was an owl. I thought about the kind of jewellery she might wear and came up with the idea for a brooch to hold her toga together ;-) So it developed from there. It utilises a bead I developed earlier, an owl on a shard of glass.

Anyway I submitted images of it to be juried, and found out yesterday that my piece was accepted!! so very excited :-D

Here it is. It's the first of it's kind so I know it could benefit from more skill etc but ya gotta start somewhere. It is titled "Badge for the Order of Athena"

Lastly I started making an owl that refused to be an owl. It turns out it was a princess. I called her Princess Pettigrew. I think she has potential as a design. I like how her skirt flares out over a balloon underskirt.

Another new owl design

2010-03-22T11:58:00.001+11:00

The barn owl has always intrigued me with it's looks and has proven quite the challenge to emulate in a bead. I have attempted numerous times and been dissatisfied. This attempt looks nothing like a barn owl but I really like how he turned out. He has a kind of wedge-shaped front and extra levels of definition than I usually add. On the front you can see in the second photo the levels for the wings, body and head. Also I've give him some shading around his eyes in the form of colour and extra glass over his brow.

Athena's Owl

2010-01-24T19:08:00.005+11:00

I recently held a first quality ancient greek coin with the head of Athena on one side and an owl on the other, similar to the image above. The owl's stance is very distinctive and I fell in love with it, but as a glass sculpture/bead it presented some challenges. I decided to approach it as an image on a surface rather than as a stand-alone shape. I also wanted to give it the feel of something old and a piece of a greater whole, like a shard from a vase.
The first attempt is on the left below, and you can see the gloss on the unetched glass. I chose a base glass called Kryptonite by CIM, it is a beautiful light jade green and looks even prettier etched. The owl has been formed from silvered ivory for it's wonderful organic detailed qualities. The bead on the right is etched and the figure of the owl is tighter. I like them both but prefer the direction where the second one is going. The hole in both runs horizontal through the top portion.
What do you think? Suggestions?

Draw 4... and the 3 winners are...

2009-12-06T20:31:00.003+11:00

Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and participation in the last giveaway for 2009.

The first person drawn and the winner of Shansi is: iconoclastic1112000

The second person drawn and the winner of Morello is: rbird47

The third person drawn and the winner of Porter is: Pencio

Congratulations to you three! please email me your postal address to georgie@jawjee.com and I will send your new owly friend as soon as possible.

I wish I had enough owls for all who participated. I will have to do more giveaways in the future thanks again everyone!

Glass owl bead giveaway no. 4! 3 chances to win! Draw 5th Dec 2009

2009-11-29T12:29:00.004+11:00

Here is the fourth owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl. There are three owls so your chances of winning one are greatly increased :-).

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see the owls up for giving away. All you need to do is comment to the blog post! it is that easy. I will then draw out 3 commentator's names on Saturday 5th December, post up the winners and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

It's has been a fun exercise doing the giveaways and I think I will continue to do them intermittently everytime the owls have a population explosion. I regularly have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owls are:

Shansi, she's very pretty decked out in psyche frit, which has lovely iridescence and possessing a pair of spectacular green-blue eyes.
Morello, a deep burgundy coloured owl, using the magical glass, Ekho, there are also deep purply pink hues, difficult to capture with the camera. Her back is sprinkled with psyche frit for iridescence. She has multi-hued auroras in her eyes.
Porter has lots of character, made with a silverbased glass with some white speckles on his front and a pair of terra caramel wings on his back. Raku details and lovely deep hued auroras in his eyes.

If you click on the picture it will open up a larger version of the image.
Good luck folks, remember to drop a comment!

Owl Giveaway 3 Winner is...... post no. 1... Nadine!!!

2009-11-29T11:46:00.003+11:00

Thanks to everyone for participating and congratulations to Nadine.
Nadine if you could email me you postage details to georgie@jawjee.com, I will post out your little owl Monday :-D

There will be another post soon for Giveaway no. 4 which involves 3 owls... and therefore 3 lucky winners!

Glass owl bead giveaway no. 3!!! he's a cutie, Draw 28th Nov 2009

2009-11-22T08:11:00.006+11:00

Here is the third owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl.

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment to the blog post! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday 28th November, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

You'll be surprised at the amount of people out there who collect owls, sometimes it's not apparent that somebody is a collector and you have to watch out for the subtle clues. As an experiment you could hold up a picture of a cute owl to the people that you come in contact with and look out for pupil dilation and hoots of delight... with practice you can spot these responses (;-/). I have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owl is Antipodes, the first I have made with a glass called Green Dalai by TAG. This glass strikes to streaky greeny-blues. I then added some Reichenbach Dark Multicolour for details such as his beak, toes, spots on front and wings on back. Multicolour strikes to various colours - I love the navy blue, but was also pleasantly surprised to see the purply-reddy-blues in the wings. If you would like the chance to hold him... you know what to do!

For the last draw next week I am planning something special, like maybe 3 draws for a first second and third winner so don't forget to check it out next week as well!

and the Giveaway no. 2 winner is..... Darcys Knotty Knitter !!!!

2009-11-22T07:52:00.004+11:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog. I used a random number generator to draw the number of the post (no. 11). Darcy if you send me your post details to georgie@jawjee.com I'll have Constantinople out to you ASAP! Thankyou for your lovely story too, it was just meant to be!

GLASS OWL BEAD GIVEAWAY no. 2 who who! Draw 21st November

2009-11-15T08:28:00.007+11:00

OK it's time for the second owl giveaway for a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl.

Rules are the same as before... I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday 21st November, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

A lot of people out there like owls, you're bound to know someone who would like one. They are often used as symbols of wisdom, so maybe they would make a cute little graduation gift. I have others up for auction on ebay.

This week's owl is Constantinople, he has the owl constellation on his tummy and inside it too! There are some gold bubbles that can be seen through his window-like front. I made C out of Triton, a reduction glass from Double Helix, and it has turned shades of blue as well as breaking into iridescent streaky cream striations (let's call them space clouds) . His ears are Mystic Grey, a translucent grey glass and his eyes are wonderful multi-hued nebulae.

Comment away!

And the Winner is..... SHELLEY!!!

2009-11-14T20:30:00.002+11:00

Congratulations Shelley, I pulled you out of a bag of 37 or so names so get that owl suit on and bust some moves!! :-D

If you can contact me through email with your address at georgie@jawjee.com I'll post Hobo out to you this coming week. He's excited too!

I'll be posting another owl up tomorrow for the next giveaway... stay tuned!

Glass Owl Bead Giveaway!! HOOT HOOOOOOT!!!

2009-11-04T17:03:00.005+11:00

Who would like a no strings attached, handmade, very cute, jawjee original, OOAK glass owl?

I have been on holidays and have made a surfeit of owls, they're staring at me from all directions and want some 'one on one' attention from a loving owner. Will you adopt one? Here's how....

I will be holding a weekly draw, on Saturdays starting next week 14th Nov 2009, for four weeks. That's four separate free owl giveaways. I will post like this with images showing the front, back, and hand size reference so you can see which owl is up for giving away. All you need to do is comment! it is that easy. I will then draw out a user's name on Saturday, post up the winner and we'll communicate so that you can receive your new little friend.

These little fellows have been selling like hotcakes on ebay for the past two years, here's your chance to nab a freebie! You probably know someone who collects owls (check with your librarian friends). Imagine how this would make a delightful christmas present! Because it is a bead you can turn him into a pendant or part of a necklace or bracelet or a dangle for your car rear vision mirror.

Moving on to the owl of the moment, here is Hobo. He's got itchy feet and wants to get out there! He was made from Super DaVinci with dots of Terranova glass on his front and back (wings). Ears, Beak and toes are raku and his eyes are a combination of glasses which mixed to form blue-green auroras. Measurements: 16mm x 17mm x 11mm. Get commenting!

The Owl Parliament is in session

2009-11-01T15:23:00.004+11:00

I have been on holiday leave from work for 3 weeks and have one week remaining.

What have I done in that time?

Squillions of owls have been made, the parliament pictured are just the latest that have not been listed yet (or cleaned). I have made chicken balls (flying henriettas) and played with brass in glass. I have made a few moon owls and scarabs and a littlebo-peep bead. Outside of beadmaking, I've bought loads of glass (therefore spent too much). Basically I have lived the dream :-)

There's still so much to do and not enough time to do it! Where is my neverending supply of funds to maintain the lifestyle to which I have become accustomed?

Halloween inspiration

2009-08-29T22:34:00.004+10:00

I was looking through a forum thread about Halloween and thought how fun the whole theme is. Thinking about creepy, scary beads, offered all kinds of potential and inspiration. The character I thought to portray was the word 'ghoul' and this combined with my sense or awful puns, 'Ghoul with a Pearl Earring' was born. I hadn't referenced the painting before I started but I was still very pleased with the result. After making her I got excited and thought of more awful puns...
Below is the 'Moaner Lisa'A hand shot to give an idea of sizes. Here we have 'The Scream', 'Whistler's Mummy' and 'Ghoul with a Pearl Earring' (mark 3 after I looked at the painting! the second one I did was interrupted when I ran out of gas and it cracked). I etched whistler's and scream but left the frame glossy. The reason I etched was because I had mistaken a reduction rod for black and when I reduced the frame, all this metallic luster popped up where it was NOT wanted. Etching removes luster. I really love the feel of etched glass and also the patterns and lines seem to pop more. However I'm not completely satisfied with whistler and scream and will redo them. I also have lined up, Henry the Ape and The Birth of Heinous, stay tuned....

The Frog Prince

2009-08-22T10:46:00.003+10:00

Last week I was obsessed with blue and green, one of the beads reminded me of a frog, so I considered making a bunch of them, all the same, and just call them froggy beads.
Then I started putting various combinations of beads together and it suddenly stood out that there was a kind of figure (see pic one). I saw an ornately dressed frog prince with his hands on his hips, wearing pantaloons.
So I sketched the image I had in mind and thought about how he could be made and which glasses to use.
The most satisfaction came when I put his legs onto his pantaloons because I wasn't at all sure if the technique I used was going to work.
It gave me a good laugh when I put him all together, I hope you guys get a smile from him too. I don't think I'll kiss him... I like him just the way he is.

Three owls and a robot on ebay

2009-08-18T12:25:00.002+10:00

My beads have been stockpiling on my desk and it's time to let go of a few of them, always reluctantly! For the first time I'm auctioning a robot bead with a brass cog named Edgar.Another first is this flattened bead with a landscape picture of a fluffy baby owl out for a walk. His eyes are the only raised part.
Dulce below, is a decorative owl with a folksy feel to her. (She hoots with a European accent.)
Finally Byrd is a slightly different design again, with rings of silvered ivory around his eyes.

Divertimento in blue and green

2009-08-08T11:38:00.004+10:00

I have it in my head to make a piece of jewellery with funky unique beads including some large silver findings. Using the colour theme of green and blue this is what I have made so far. While I think they are pretty cool all together it's not really what I envisioned, so I am going to try some different shapes, more extreme, and also some larger-holed discs. Making them this afternoon hopefully!
The beauty of a project is the new things you learn along the way. Like how dense and rich Reichenbach Iris Blue is and how it spreads and forms some lovely gradations. Below is an extreme enlargement so you can see what I'm referring to. It was laid on CIM celadon, can't wait to play with this effect some more!

Owls by the Light of the Silvery Moon

2009-07-26T12:13:00.003+10:00

In early March a friend who loves animals, emailed me some cute pictures of owls she had come across. One of them was this funny looking fellow who to me seemed so dignified but ridiculous. I called him Mr Fancy Pants and was inspired to make a bead - the bead also made me laugh. I kept at it, using different glasses and stylizations. Some were scary others offered whole little stories. It seemed appropriate to gift the first one to my friend as a pendant.
Below is the development of some of the owls. The first on the left is the pendant I gifted to my friend. The first two were 'raised' on the surface of the bead (note the monster owl with scary legs). The next couple were made a week later and were smoother. The third one I etched, except for the eyes, and he has a lovely feel. Definately one of my favorites. The fourth reminds me of Monte Burns emerging from the forest in a drug-induced stupor. The last four were done two days ago, some have raised eyeballs some are in line with the surface.
The first one of this next group was from March and indicates the direction I decided to head in. The following six in the group I made yesterday - I had gained momentum and gotten excited by some of the background effects and choices. I decided I liked the eyeballs raised. The fourth one is is probably my favorite of the bunch, I really like the colours and contrast. The image after it shows the back of these beads, basically a mystical tree-type figure. Notice the second one has a scary face peeking out of the branches, like a skull. oooOOOooo eeek!

That's all in this series so far. I still have work to do on it, there's a few things I want to adjust and play around with.

What came out of the kiln?

2009-07-11T12:08:00.004+10:00

Three owls that's what! On the left is Maree Dubois and on the left is Lady Willow. Maree has a little french flavour and Willow has a little chinese crockery flavour. I finally committed to selling something on ebay again and these two are the first.

When I go to the torch to create something, there's always a dash of mystery involved. The heat turns the colours of the glass to incandescent orange or red or clear, so it takes some visualizing to predict what's going on as you apply various colours. Then you have to wait for them to cool down in the kiln, and that usually means going to bed and looking at them the next day.

I have always loved the kiln unveiling experience, but I have to say that the more time and labour involved in each bead, the greater the elation and excitement when they are successful (and the greater the disappointment when they fail).

Little Harriet below is nothing like what I thought was going on in terms of her colouring, and while she has some merit, well, I'm afraid she was determined to win one of those 'worst dressed' awards. Like Bjork with a dead swan slung around her neck.

Four Fanciful Fowl

2009-06-28T17:58:00.004+10:00

Some more decorative owls, 4 in the hand is worth 8 in the bush? :-D
I took a photo in the hand so that you can get an idea of size. They are about 1/3 bigger than the size of my regular owls. Averaging around 27mm in height.
Below is Lady Pemberley. A 'dignified' mature owl. Made with some transparent dark teal, EDP (purple) and cobalt blue.
Now for some French flavor, we have Babette Dubois. It turns out that Dubois is a French name that means 'of the wood'. She's pert and pretty in pink and black
Next below is Lucy Lambada. I had to laugh when she came out of the kiln, the precocious chick has ripped up somebody's flower bed and shoved it on her head. But Lucy is vivacious and unashamed of her vitality.
Last we have the beautiful Lissette Dubois, sister to Babette. Created with a mixture of pinks a touch of red and detail of handpulled goldstone stringer along her wing.

More, more, more decorative owls

2009-06-21T10:39:00.002+10:00

These two are my latest favorites from the decorative owls. I imported a previous owl, Hepzibah Lulu, into photoshop and played around with the colours and patterns. Armed with a warhol-esque sheet of owls, I went to the torch and made further progress.
Above on the left is Hannah from Humpilanti named after an old Finnish penpal of mine. On the right is the thoroughly modern Milly.
Directly below this text is Nanny Crack. She is the biggest of the ladies, being 30mm tall. Unfortunately her substance contributed to some cracking in her bottom (underneath her tail). Poor thing just can't get comfortable.
And finally we have the extraordinary Edie Pea, so called because her coat is 'pea green' and her breast and beak were made with the notorious EDP (Evil Devitrifying Purple). It's a beautiful color, but through it's evil powers it can transfer scum onto nearby glass. In this case, her left eye has a smudge of incredibly annoying topical scum which is not evident in the photo, but as yet I have been unable to polish off. ARGGGGH However I enjoy her unashamed flamboyance.

Duckie Magoo, Madame Fruit, Hepzibah Lulu

2009-06-13T11:45:00.005+10:00

I want to share with you the delightful Mesdames three, on the left is Hepzibah Lulu, centre stage - Duckie Magoo (both names should be spoken aloud for maximum satisfaction and euphony) and on the right, Madam Fruit. They look like they're going out somewhere special.
Duckie Magoo was a little ray of sunshine in the kiln this morning. When these colours were heated it was impossible to tell what was going to happen with the final result but Duckie came through with flying colours. These owls are continuing on with the Frida Kahlo theme.
My favorite of the three is Madam Fruit, I see a lot of potential in her, particularly in the wing decoration. Her eyes are just divine! I've decided to go bigger with these ladies, pack in a bit more punch.

Frida Kahlo, The Websters, Mermaids, A set, and Heffalump

2009-05-28T14:13:00.004+10:00

I have to do a bit of a catch up, I've been remiss in posting my latest creations and the developments that have taken place. There is actually quite a bit to share but I'll stick to the following 5 for this post.... in no particular order:

I started playing with encased aventurine chips and loved the subtle gold sparkle, so I made some scarabs and then got real ambitious and decided to make a set of curvy flat shapes with transparency and glitter. I really don't have a huge amount of patience for sets, I get skittish and want to move on to something new... but I stuck it out and made a couple each session. I used some harmonious colours with the always beautiful and currently fashionable purple.

Next I want to introduce my mermaid. I've actually made about four now and while I enjoy making them I know I'm learning and applying some different skills. It's exciting exploring new territory. By no means have I perfected her, but I love seeing how each of the challenges within this bead are developing and improving. In terms of the challenges:

I am trying out my own handmade murrini for her eyes and learning how to apply them.
I'm getting a lot of stringer work in for her hair and seaweed
designing a flat image for 3 dimensional space, to create interest all the way around
shape control without distortion
seeking the perfect glass combo for colours with maximum impact while keeping the design in place.

I'm only going to show the first one... there's been a lot of changes since, but when I am finally happy with it I'll post the whole development. This one doesn't not have murrini eyes, so don't wonder why they look so awful (lol). The things I like about it are the copper green scrolls on the pyjama blue, and how her coral tail really pops out of it.

Next are my little Webster friends. They are a pair of owls who underwent the 'intense black' effect. Intense black in a special kind of glass which is packed full of compounds to make it a really dense black. These same elements will 'spread' out and produce a 'web' effect when put under intense heat, particularly on a sloppy base glass like ivory or white, which further exacerbates the effect. I'm really please with these two fellas.Fourth, just for eye-candy's sake, is little heffalump who I have fallen in love with. She was made out of a glass called heffalump, named after the elephant in winnie the pooh. A pale pinky lavender. She also features pink spots on her wings and white spots on her tummy. I just wanna pop her in my mouth like a candy.

Last but definately not least is my little carnivale of Frida Kahlo-inspired owls (Frida Kowlo's) Working in the state library with the art books, I can get distracted with what passes under my nose. Lately I think students have been studying Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist, because of the frequent use of books about her.
She does have a very distinctive, individual look and spirit about her which I admire.
She often self-portrayed herself with a mono-brow, red lipstick, and flowers and ribbons in her hair.
The photo below illustrates the order in which the owls were made. The first one was not inspired by Frida but it reminded me of Frida. So I thought about it for a while and then determined, for some unfathomable reason, that I should make more owl Frida's, with more of her characteristics.
They were fun to make and are simply a celebration of life. I can't wait to make more.
My favorites are the bottom three.

Owls with shards

2009-03-11T18:06:00.003+11:00

I was gifted some beautiful looking shards and finally made some owls using them. Shards are made by winding molten glass around the end of a tube in a rough bowl shape then blowing through the tube so that it forms a thinned bulb shape. When solidified you smash the bulb, producing 'shards' of glass. These shards have some silvered ivory in the mix which provides a lovely organic effect. Here's a photo with the shards before they're applied, they are very thin, fragile and razor sharp!

Here are the owls finished. I used a white base. Verdict? I like. The last owl has some frit of silver glass Terranova on his back, which has turned the shard a deeper golden-brown hue.

Uber Bots!!

2009-03-07T10:27:00.005+11:00

Here are four robots in the newest style. They are made with Triton, a glass from Double Helix that pops out the wonderful lustre in a 'reduction' flame.
I'm so pleased that I am able to replicate the robotic style that was achieved in the first of this new line.

Just before I go to sleep I think about beads, as much as I love the process of creation, wouldn't it be great if the things visualized in your mind could be made real in an instant? Even if it was an image transfer so that you could remember the colours and pattern and design. I have a visual diary etc but often the memory from that twilight mind state evaporates in the real light. Also, lugging around 100 coloured pencils just so you can get the right colour is a little unwieldy.
One idea I had was to get a specialized tablet (laptop) that can deal with graphics programmes and is in a good portable size. They are a bit slow in coming out with it. I know they're out there but so far they're fairly primitive. Unless YOU know of one?

Super Sexy Robot!

2009-02-28T10:36:00.004+11:00

It's sleek, smooth, curvy and super shiny with a mirrored finish. Reminds me of chrome and glass (funny thing, it IS glass).
I made this robot with a relatively new glass from Double Helix, called Triton. Triton is a transparent cobalt blue glass in rod form, but when reduced... "BLING!!!" out comes the mother of all lustres. Featured on his front is a cog from a watch, the kind of clean, simple detail that marries so beautifully with all the smooth shininess (imagine mag wheels, why do people love them so much...) His head has various bumps perfect clear on the sides and light golden 'antennae' on his head of another new fabulous glass called Aurae (also from Double Helix). I'm also planning on making a robot out of that. The eyes came out with some intense colours and add life to his character.

2009-02-23T09:34:00.002+11:00

I've made a couple of koalas for the victorian bushfire appeal fund and added an owl to make up two auctions on ebay. The first one is about to finish (today) and the second auction ends on the 28th Feb.
I know many of us wanted to get out there and help in some way besides just giving money, it's not very empowering to sit back and watch the events unfold on tv. I'm grateful to have been able to use some of my skills to create and sell something for a good cause and grateful for the support these auctions have received, thanks for your generous bids and encouragement. Here's to a community that pulls together, cheers!

Gracie, just about perfect!

2009-02-14T10:40:00.003+11:00

Sometimes I become infatuated with my own beads, I'm emabarrassed to admit it- but it's the truth. This diminuitive little owl came along and impressed me greatly with her pattern and colour and detail. The more I look at her the more I want to look at her and take great satisfaction in discovering the many special qualities she possesses. It's funny, but I could probably show her to someone else and they'll shrug over it and reach for something else.... but, but, but.... look at HER. Gracie is her name, appropriate because I have a cute niece with the same name.

Self Indulgence - Microcosmic

2009-02-09T11:22:00.005+11:00

I got together some of the richest products in beadmaking to make an indulgent jewellery set for myself: pure silver, gold aventurine and psyche glass. There are also swirls of faux boro, plunged bubble dots and lashings of clear to magnify everything.
I should probably have added a czech crystal, goldleaf and palladium leaf to truly go over the top, however I really enjoyed the effects created.
These are brilliant in the bright sunlight (my photos don't capture the wonder), the aventurine shimmers brightly and there is so much depth and detail, like a micro-cosmos, so that is what they are, Microcosmic beads.
The top image shows my trollbeads bracelet which already has a few of these added along with a bunch of other beads I made for it.
There are three big spheres which I think I will make another 4 to create a necklace, and a small pair for earrings. I made about 8 bracelet beads so I have four or so leftover. One has already gone to a sister and I haven't decided what to do with the rest. One day I will have to perform some kind of marketing giveaway ploy to get more customers or fans or something LOL this sounds very blase. The bead making is the easy part of my bead empire :-D theres not a lot of other time left over. (not really an empire then is it? lol)

The cog army evolution!

2009-01-16T11:30:00.004+11:00

My watch parts finally arrived and my plan for building robots is coming to fruition! I love how the watch bits lie on a surface, it always looks like a work of art.
Here are the first two robots with the new parts. I learned so much in the process! and there is still so much more to learn. Although I can acknowledge many challenges in the making of them, I don't have all the answers yet, just some ideas of how I will tackle them.
Captain Cog is the one on the left, he was my first, and more successful than Grease Monkey on the right, who lost a bit of his cog in a somewhat frightening display of sparks and spats.

Wild

2009-01-15T22:29:00.002+11:00

I made Wild Woman as a gift for my sister for Christmas, she has a very strong medusa vibe (the wild woman, not my sister). I am looking forward to making another one, she has such a strong character.

In the kiln right now are some robots that I made, I know they didn't turn out the way that I wanted, but I am hoping that when I take them out of the kiln, they will still have lots of potential. Over the last few days I have been waiting for torch time so that I could use the watch parts I bought recently as components in the robot. There were definate problems 8-) but the extent of them will be found out tomorrow.

Kind of Ojime Barn Owl

2009-01-11T21:37:00.006+11:00

This little guy has been in my sketchbook for some time and he finally got a look in yesterday. A watchful barn owl in a crouch position. He reminds me of an ojime bead. I think I will do him again and only use the one glass and impress/sculpt the facial features rather than use other coloured glass. I liked how he came out though! It has been fun playing with different ideas over the lull of the holidays.

Rainbow petal/feather owls

2009-01-10T11:58:00.002+11:00

I was really excited to use a tutorial to start creating these 'petal' beads. I was thrilled how they turned out and was inspired to make little colourful owl heads that could sit on top. The stackable concept it very appealing to me, like those story books where the page was cut in thirds and could be flipped over to show a new torso or new head or legs to change the look of the person, object or animal.

Man in the Moon

2009-01-09T17:47:00.002+11:00

I was putting off taking photos for auction and looking for distractions when I saw an unwanted dangle on my desk that I had created for a robot. With new eyes I saw the leg and foot of something... but what?
Well there needed to be two legs, so that was a start, and there needed to be a pelvis so that they hung right.... hmmm lets try 20 beads before settling on a silver torso bead.
Now we just need arms, naturally they should be silver wire to fit in the narrow space. Hey if I make loops for hands they could dangle something!
Where am I going to find a head?
After digging around for a while, I had the 'AHA' moment. I made the 'man in the moon bead' a couple of years ago, I really liked him but other people just didn't understand what he was, so I didn't make another and he sat in the bead box biding his time....waiting for his body....
Finally... what hangs around the moon and what would he carry? duh!
I just love him, pure unadulterated creation with a wonderful rightness.

Owls on my desk

2008-12-22T08:15:00.003+11:00

Here's a couple of favorites I've made recently, particularly the little one on the right, she's precise and pretty, not that I'm a stickler for precision because it's the imperfections that add character most of the time!

These three share fritty feather camouflage, the eyes on the far left are magical, the fellow on the far right looks like he could swim and the little one in the middle is simply cute.

Above are Sunshine, Aurora and Buttercup.

There are angels amongst us

2008-12-06T09:25:00.000+11:00

I made this 'cherub' yesterday for my sister who wanted to give a present to a friend who collects cherubs. It's my first cherub and can I just say it's a cherub that only a mother can love! I'm very fond of him even though he's got the face like the backend of a baboon. Better to have character than to be forgettable I reckon.

Merry Christmas

2008-11-30T20:29:00.002+11:00

I caught these two looking for eggnog.
"'Cos I look like an egg" said the first,
"and that's what birds drink at christmas" said the second.
"Gross, that's like cannibalism or something" I replied.
We stopped talking to each other after that.

Celebration Owl

2008-11-22T13:36:00.004+11:00

Last week I made some Aardvark fish and this week my owl seemed to have caught something from the fish, there's just a tiny weeny touch of influence there don't you think?

Aardvark fish!

2008-11-18T14:01:00.000+11:00

The Underbitey and Shovelnose. I made them yesterday from a tutorial purchased from Aardvark glass who makes wonderful cranky cactii and colourful masks -and fish!

Ginger Cat

2008-11-17T14:43:00.002+11:00

Here is a ginger cat, I have made three... the first two were hideous, this one I love. I was commissioned to make him for a work colleague and I knew what I wanted to do, but it still takes time getting the right knowledge to achieve a good result.

The three amigos...

2008-11-09T15:21:00.003+11:00

These little fellas look like they hang out together and they're just so darn cute! I achieved a few things with my owls this week...

A different design, I like to keep expanding the portfolio of shapes and styles, I've tried primitive, folk, simple, profile, long, short, tiny, big head, little head, played with wings and frit. This week I did experimental head sizes.
Consistent 'bright' eyes and solid knowledge of how to do it. I still get surprise when I see the final result because I like to mix up the eye recipes, but the consistency is in the intensity - not all owls turn out the way they're 'supposed' to, some of the eyes are boring or clouded or too bubbly/fizzy, overcooked, too patchy. I have a bunch of them sitting here, I'm sure someone somewhere would love them.
The BIGGEST eyes I've ever made on owls and they're pretty (well I like them!)

Space Marshalls - robots

2008-10-24T13:15:00.005+11:00

I made 3 more robots yesterday, I love how they have such distinct personalities but from the same universe. Yeah I know the one on the right is leaning, but do you realise how much of a miracle it is that they can stand up on their own anyway? The hole is centred, but the bottom edge is slightly uneven. They remind me of space marshalls with their special epaulets.

Made for each other... button botts

2008-10-24T13:02:00.004+11:00

I have been making both owls and robots and in their midst out sprang a funny little colourful 'bot' which I did not show anyone but family because it was a bit too 'unusual'. However my niece, Emily, thought it was cool so I said, please take it away. She strung it up on a piece of string and a button she found (in lieu of a bead), and suddenly it looked great, especially with the bright clothes she was wearing. So I revisited the thought of botts, and have made two more... when I put them together they look made for each other, how corny! but you know what I mean :-)

A Cog? of Robots

2008-10-18T12:55:00.005+11:00

Here is my army of robots, not really an army, I'm not sure what the collective noun for robots is... wikipedia reckons it's 'a cog of robots' but also says that this is spurious (false) lol I dunno, a cog sounds ok. SO here is my COG OF ROBOTS hoorah. Probably the only time they will all be together as one of them is on ebay for sale. They were all made by me out of glass, palladium leaf and pure silver mesh.

On a side note, while looking up the collective term for robots I came across a cool one to share... An Aurora of Polar bears, how great is that? yep it's great.

Web 2 thoughts

2008-10-13T14:58:00.002+11:00

We've scratched the tip of the iceberg at work, on what web tools are out there. But at least we know it's an iceberg! I think I might even be able to get my mum interested in one or two of them.

One of the useful sites I will revisit is seomoz so that I can keep exploring the 'best' of what is out there.

2008-10-13T14:52:00.001+11:00

2nd owl b'day present

2008-10-06T18:29:00.001+11:00

Another niece, 10yo Grace, made this little owl critter for me, I am one lucky Auntie!

Birthday present

2008-10-06T18:20:00.000+11:00

My 13yo niece, Esther, made me this cool little owl box to put my owls in.

RSS feeds and Podcasting

2008-10-01T15:03:00.003+10:00

I was very happy to learn a little more about rss feeds, I've come up with some applications for using to let regular customers know when I have new owls made! hootrah!

Podcasts are great too, I've been into listening to motivational type mp3's anyway, so hopefully I can find some good podcasts on that type of topic that I can download to my player.

My birthday afternoon tea with library mates

2008-09-23T16:24:00.001+10:00

Afternoon tea at Le Favorite's

YOU TUBE

2008-09-16T15:11:00.003+10:00

How to waste a lot of time...

Look at a bunch of stuff on You Tube!
ok, sure, you can look up stuff that will help you become a rocket scientist too, yawn.

Flickr

2008-09-16T14:48:00.003+10:00

We are amused. (photo by koller93)

Wiki itty woo

2008-09-01T14:54:00.002+10:00

I have learned something about Wikis today. I'm trying to get my head around it, but it feels like my brain is leaking.

Are they just online website templates that you fill up with content? great potential for collaboration.

Some company is happy to host your content, much like google is happy to host your blog. Zoho, for instance, provides online free wiki software and provides free hosting. You kind of have to hope that their servers will be there forever or else you lose everything.

I guess alternatively you can serve the wiki yourself, keeping the content in your own control. Sheesh, if you go down that road, why not call it a website.

Another day at the office

2008-08-27T11:51:00.001+10:00

I don't work in an office, it's really an unusual combination of building
spaces. All connected on the inside. On the outside it appears to be about
6 separate buildings, from different eras.

Owlbot!

2008-08-26T12:10:00.005+10:00

Introducing OWLBOT. An owl robot covered in layers of palladium leaf, some pure silver mesh wiring, and crystal clear ears for good radio reception.

Palladium is a cool metal, more expensive than gold and does some interesting things in the flame and in the kiln. It has an extremely high melting temperature, so it doesn't vaporise like gold or silver in my torch flame. It has kind of a matte finish but as you turn it in the light it reflects different metallic colours, like gold, green, blue and pink. It's cool.

I'm going to make a bunch of these owlbots and inscribe a series number in roman numerals on the bottom edge. This fellow is OWLBOT I

The Beginning

2008-08-20T14:36:00.002+10:00

In the beginning there was an owl (bead), it was made of glass and many people wanted it. He may not seem much now but he was a start.

Maybe there's something about this fella that can go even further, maybe there can be enough owls for EVERYONE!

Since the first, there have been over 150 owls and a lot of progress. This is my website, which has lots of photos.