Three Artistic Wishes for 2016

It's that time of year.  You know the time when we think a little bit more about what we could have done, and what we want to do differently for the upcoming year?  I guess I'm no different.  Introspection is healthy.  If we go the same route year after year, we don't grow, change and improve.

So I will whittle it down to three points artistically that I want to explore in the next year, and would love to hear your comments about what you are doing.  Let's keep it positive, because a half full glass is so much more encouraging than a half empty one.

In 2016...

* I'd like to explore more mediums to combine with my glass artwork.  I've been contemplating it for quite a while, and some of you might know that I used to do watercolors, before glass. I'm not sure if that is the medium I'll use, and where I'm going to go, but it's time for a multi medium adventure and I'm excited about it.

* I'd also like to pick an area in my glass work and expand the technical difficulty of what I do.  Whether it is picking another technique to learn at a higher level, increase the size of my glass sculpture, or what... no decision yet, but I'll show you as I am figuring it out.

* And finally, I'd like to find ways to better communicate to others about how I do my art, so that others can benefit from it too.  I have focused on photographing my beads, but maybe this is the year of online classes, videos, or perhaps live studio feeds.  Open to ideas and suggestions there too.

But most of all, I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year for 2016.  And I'm serious about the "Happy" part.  If you're like me, we get caught up in our busy hamster-wheel lifestyle and sometimes forget to take a little time for the little things that bring us joy.  Wishing you joy and let's stay in touch.

Christmas Sparkle in Glass Art

I know they look like glitter sticks, but this is dichroic glass that I use sometimes in my art.  They are made to add "sparkle".  Here are some examples where I use it in my bears.  I think the sparkle looks like little stars in the sky.
 
There bears were part of a custom order for snow globes. These are ideal, because the water magnifies the details and the translucency of these really glow in the light.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year.  See you in January.

Den of Foxy Beads

I'm gearing up for my next online trunk show starting tomorrow. As it gets closer, I start worrying whether I will have enough beads for it.  So some days, I get on a roll and make a few of something.  As you can tell, recently, it was foxes.  I think I have enough for a family.  I like these for necklaces, but probably even more for Christmas tree ornaments. 

No they don't have any bling, nor are they particularly bright and shiny.  But I tend to like bits of "nature" on my tree.  I probably have more bird ornaments than anything, but I love the hedgehogs, raccoon, foxes and all other woodland ornaments tucked into the boughs like they are little treasures to be found.  

I also like making little vignettes, so I've made some trees to sell too. They stand on their own and on some, I've added sparkly silver glass to add a little bling.  and others are the simple tree.  For my modern friends, I made some red, purple and turquoise trees too.  Aw what the heck, they look fun.

See you next week. 

Can We Talk?

Zeus, my administrative assistant has been listening to the new studio employees' views on the holiday beads, snow globes and glass cloches that we've been making around here. 

He has nixed the idea of cheese ornaments, but thinks perhaps "fish" might be a pretty good idea.  I need a little convincing.

Meanwhile, I've been making sheep snow globes (this one is based on the Swiss Vallais Blacknose Sheep), and other holiday animals, people and other entertaining fun stuff.  I'll get some more photos ready for next week.  See you then!

Bearly Here

I am still here... oh, I know it's seemed like AWOL, but I've been traveling.  Just returned from Asheville, NC, one of my favorite towns.  Hot Times in the Mountains at Touch of Glass hosts about 30 flame workers  - and it is always a pleasure seeing my friends and making new ones.

This is one of my bears.  I've been slowly populating my StudioMarcy Etsy Shop with them.  I have some on sale right now. 

I am headed out of town soon to another favorite town, Austin TX.  This time to take a class.  Usually I go there to teach at Blue Moon Glassworks.  I love teaching, but really enjoy taking classes too.  

Both Asheville and Austin have a vibe that resonates with me.  They have a lot of art, and it's interesting.  Not always traditional, usually a touch of funky or sometimes even quirky.  I like that.  Especially when I see art with a bit of humor mixed in too.

Sunset on St. John

We're back from our special vacation on St. John- both of us celebrating one of those birthdays that ends in a "0" plus a big anniversary too.  So this year, it was time to splurge.  We don't normally take much time off, unless it relates to family or ties into work, so this was a big deal for us.  And boy, was it worth it!

We snorkeled every day.  I was hoping to see some cool fish, but we were lucky and swam with sea turtles, stingrays, jelly fish, and lots of gorgeous fish.  Every day after snorkeling, I'd go back to my guide to see what it was that I had seen.

And of course, no Lamberson vacation occurs without a little bit of adventure.  The first day, we hadn't checked our guides thoroughly and snorkeled too far.  It was really hard fighting some of the undertow, but we made it back.  Unfortunately, between the slippery rocks and the strong tow, I did accidentally step on a spiny urchin.  Yikes! my foot still isn't back to normal.  We also had to climb up a small cliff after that swim to get back where we needed to be.  Lol, we were lucky to find an area with exposed tree roots to use as hand and foot holds.  I was pretty tired after that one.

But the rest of our adventures were a lot more tame after that.  The sea turtles were fascinating to watch.  I would spend long periods of time watching them eat and surface.  They swim so gracefully.  I look forward to making them in glass.

This is the view from our room.  Can you imagine that about 30 steps our your door brings you to this each morning?

These three were all on our hotel property too.  There is a herd of white donkeys who are the resident lawn mowers (and fertilizers) and a few cool iguanas are known around there too.  This seagull was quite persistent in hoping for a handout.  (as much of a softie as I am, I didn't feed it.  Seems that would make it even peskier for the next person)

And this was a view from a different beach.  We went to the British Virgin Islands for a day trip and visited 4 islands.  One of them, Virgin Gorda has a large network of rock caves, called The Baths, which we explored.  It was easy to imagine pirates from hundreds of years ago storing their loot in them.

We also stopped at Jost Van Dyke island home of the Soggy Dollar Bar.  I guess there is a Kenny Chesney song that makes that area famous, and there is a drink they invented called the Painkiller, that is made throughout the islands.  It is called Soggy Dollar, because there is no dock, and you anchor your boat and swim in to shore to the bar.  We swam, we had a libation, and it was a gorgeous day.

So vacation is over, inspiration is filed in my mind, along with a lot of wonderful memories.  Now back to the torch.  If you are on Facebook, I will be starting a trunk show tonight for about 48 hours on Glass Open Market.  Please join me if you have time.

It Was The Cheesiest Day...

My niece was visiting  this past week and we decided to hit the North Georgia mountains.  We started with Montaluce Winery, which we really enjoyed.  Took the tour, tasted the wine and had a lovely lunch on the upper balcony overlooking some of their vineyards.

I am not sure whether the wine was speaking to us, but we were so close to Cleveland, GA, home of the Cabbage Patch Doll, we took a little detour to have some more fun.  As two adults, we laughed a lot and we got some funny photos. (yeah, not showing them here...

And then, there was still a little time left, so we drove north another 15 minutes to Helen, GA.  Helen modeled itself after their idea of an alpine village.  The buildings remind me of my beloved little music boxes as a child, but much cheesier.  The whole town looks similar to the photo below.  More laughs, a little exploring and then the drive back to the city.  What a delightful and memorable day with my niece.

Bear Fetishes, But Not The Kinky Kind

After visiting New Mexico last month, I have been even more entranced by the Zuni people's fetishes.  The small hand carved animals that hold spiritual beliefs. The bears have multiple properties, but one of them is protection and I like that.

Being inspired, I have continued on with making them.  Sometimes they are colors layered, once in a while they have a common Native American design like the heart line and now as you can see in the middle photo, they might have a landscape or another glass technique within their body.  It's like having a nice little canvas to paint upon with molten glass.

I've added other animals and birds to my list of fetishes, as well as more techniques.  I think I'm going to continue in this direction for awhile and see where I go.  Ideas of a 2 day class or even a full week have formed as well. I love how a culture, a location and an art form come together in one item.  More exploration to be continued.....

Finding the Right Camera Angle

Finding the right camera angle on sculptural beads sometimes is easy and sometimes, not so easy.  Here is one of my "Bird in Hand" beads.  The hole goes vertically through the middle.

Sometimes, it's just what is the part that should be the focal part of the bead.  Is it the hand, the bird, or the combination.  The hand is the harder part to make, and the bird is the colorful focus.  So I want both.  The technical detail needs to be showcased for adding value. For a beadmaker,  that's the hand. Keeping the fingers extending and and all a bit different, takes experience and technique.  The bird is far easier to make, but adds charm for the viewer and wearer.  Being blue, it could be interpreted as a bluebird of happiness.

So for me, I prefer the bottom photo.  The bird looks cute and chubby.  The hand shows enough for the viewer to see that there are individual fingers cradling the bird.  Which view do you prefer and why?

More Whales...Still Intrigued

Here is one of my latest whales as a custom order.  It is on a stand for the photo, but it was made specifically for a bead embroidery necklace project.  If you aren't familiar with that craft form, the artist attaches a focal bead (this gray whale) whose fins are pretty flat on each side. It will lay flat on a sturdy base material.  The artist usually embroiders with tiny seed beads around it and creates patterns and designs with other materials as well.  So it makes a necklace.  - saying like a super duper extraordinary "bib".  That doesn't give it the importance and artistry it deserves. I'm just not sure how to describe it otherwise.  Hopefully my customer will show me when she's completed it.  I know they can take a long time.

I am in awe of anyone who works with seed beads.  They make my eyes cross and fingers twitch.  They are so tiny and for me, very hard to use.  

I am trying to post once a week, but I have some busy stuff coming up- so if I miss a few, I will be back.  Meanwhile, I'll leave you with another bead photo...I have plenty of those!  And don't forget my business page on FB.  StudioMarcy.  Come find me there and see more photos, more often...  Peace, love and owls to you.

Experimenting with Color via GlassTribal Whale & Stand

There are so many things that intrigue me.  Always on top of the list is color.  I've been making traditional whales and was looking at images and thinking about how color influences what we typically think.  So I picked up two complimentary colors and made a whale using a more tribal or tattoo type simple design.  It was fun experimenting with a different style.

Then I wanted to make a glass stand for it using the yellow and turquoise theme (layered turquoise transparent over the yellow for the green look.) and formed one side that was mostly deep turquoise and the other side primarily yellow, to see whether my assumption that I'd prefer the blue side with the contrast, over the yellow side.  My answer is "yes", but I like the yellow side more than I thought.  Surprised me a bit.

So now I'm asking your opinion.  Do you have a preference? Yellow or blue side? If you were picking two colors that aren't typical whale colors, what would you choose?

Contemporary Glass Flowers

I was asked to make bright flowers in the style of my Anemone Bead series and this is what I came up with.  My customer has a contemporary home.  I can see these in that setting.  I'd love them each in their own individual vase lined up.  Kind of the way we see Gerbera daisies in photos.

It gives me ideas for making fluffy dandelions.  I've always thought about how would I make those.  Perhaps this is the first step?  Or a way of making "fireworks"  that's another one I've contemplated about over the years.

Is there something you have been muddling over to interpret in glass or in another medium?

Bead Peeps Swap 'n Hop Reveal

I was lucky to be partnered with Marybeth Rich who is "Forest of Jewels" online and on blogspot.  She sent me such a super fantastic array of materials (see remaining ones below) that I had a hard time deciding what to do.  The top is the necklace I made.  I added some bits of "me" to her lovely copper clasp and turquoise and natural stones.  The copper pieces I found when visiting AZ and had been waiting for a chance to use them.  I already had some of my lampwork "eggs" and the shell bead, which I think tied it together.  Above the shell it looks like a chunk of wood, but is some of the polymer clay stash, which Marybeth sent.  See below for my cute bracelet that I made with more of it.

These are my extra beads that I still haven't used.  (I use white paper plates to see the beads better- no 20/20 eyes anymore!) See how amazingly generous she was?  And what made each packet seem like a special gift was that she packaged them in her handmade paper envelopes.  

And here is the wire bangle I made from her polymer clay pieces. 

I love the sparkle and the opaque textures mixing together.  I kept the pink cord on the focal piece, because I like the mix of the hard beads with the soft cotton.  If I had more, I would have added it between some of the bead sections.  I left the largest design piece on the end.  I like it like a big dangle, instead of in the middle. And of course, I had to add a touch of "me" in it too.  Just the simple purple lampwork beads which blended in well.  

Here is the list of the other Swap Hop Members.  I swiped it from Marybeth's page. (shhh, don't tell) Please visit Marybeth next, if you haven't been to see her already.  I linked her name with her blog to make it easy for you. 

BEAD PEEPS SWAP N HOP 2015  PARTNER LIST    Our Hostess: Linda Anderson from http//:fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Linda	Anderson	http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Marica	Zammit	http://www.beadlovelies.com
Linda	Anderson	http://fromTheBeadBoard.blogspot.com
Jessica	Hocutt	https://faithfamilyandadventure.wordpress.com
Kristina	Hahn Eleniak	http://www.peacockandlime.wordpress.com
Debbie	Jeffries	http://debrasdivinedesigns.com/blog/
Rosantia	Petkova	http://bairozan.blogspot.com/
Shalini	Austin	http://jewellerybyshalini.co.uk/my-blog/
Catherine	La Vite	http://drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com
Annica	Larsson	http://zestyfrog.wordpress.com/
Lori	Schneider	http://beadaddicted.blogspot.com/
Divya	N	http://www.jewelsofsayuri.com
Mowse	Doyle	http://mowsemadethis.blogspot.com
Fay	Wolfenden	http://torchfairy.blogspot.com
Kathy	Lindemer	http://bay-moon-design.blogspot.com/
Claire	Fabian	http://saraccino.blogspot.de/
Janice	Warden Bergeron	http://thejewelryroom.blogspot.ca
Natalie	Davidson	http://www.northshoredays.com
Deb	Fortin	http://www.studiok24.blogspot.ca
Inge	von Roos	http://ingetraud.wordpress.com
Karen	Mitchell	http://overthemoon-design.com
Robin	Reed	http://willowdragon.blogspot.com
Marie	Covert	http://thistledown-and-swaddlings.blogspot.com/
Alicia	Marinache	http://www.allprettythings.ca
Nan	Smith	http://www.wirednan.blogspot.ca
Johana	Nunez	http://artincendi.com
Kelly	Hosford Patterson	http://travelingsideshow.blogspot.com/
Lori	Blanchard	http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com
Sue	Kennedy	http://suebeads.blogspot.com
Shai	Williams	http://shaihasramblings.com
Niky	Sayers	http://silverniknats.blogspot.co.uk
Melissa	Trudinger	http://beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Candida	Castleberry	http://www.spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com
Erin	Guest	http://www.renlish.com
Nicole	Rennell	http://nicolerennell.com/blog
Ien	Temaluru	http://ienmaginationsjewelry.wordpress.com
Robin	Showstack	http://heartsdesiresjewelryforyou.blogspot.com/
Sam	Waghorn	http://palemooncreation.blogspot.co.uk
Marianne	Baxter	http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com
Elsie	Deliz-Fonseca	http://ladelizchica.blogspot.com
Shai	Williams	http://shaihasramblings.com
Lee	Koopman	http://stregajewellry.wordpress.com
Jayne	Capps	http://mamasgottodoodle.blogspot.com
Marti	Conrad	http://artisancomponentmarketplace.com/martisbuttonsandbeads/2015/03/20/bead-peeps-blog-hop/
Tina	Bosh	http://bookbug-somanybookssolittletime.blogspot.com/
Eleanor	Thomas	http://woolywireetc.blogspot.com
Jeanne	Steck	http://www.gemsbyjeannemarie.blogspot.com
Gloria	Allen	http://www.wingsandbeads.blogspot.com
Rachel	Mallis	http://www.mintmonarch.com/#!blog/c1jlz
Andrea	Glick	http://zenithjade.blogspot.com/
Stephanie	Stamper	http://skwds.blogspot.com
Chris	Haussler	http://pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Betony	Maiden	http://www.beadwenches.blogspot.com/
Kari	Asbury	http://hippiechickjewelrydesign.com/blog/
Jenny	Kyrlach	http://anafiassa.blogspot.com/
Colleen	Foley	http://colleenfoleycreations.blogspot.com
Marybeth	Rich	http://forestofjewels.blogspot.com/
Marcy	Lamberson	http://www.StudioMarcy.blogspot.com  (you are here)
Dyanne	Everett-Cantrell	http://www.deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Ginny	Lones	http://www.Skippingintotheunknown.blogspot.com
Maria Rosa	Sharrow	http://willowstreetshops.blogspot.com
Loretta	Carstensen	http://designsbyloretta.blogspot.com
Dolores	Raml	http://craftydscreations.wordpress.com
Michelle	McCarthy	http://www.fireflydesignstudio.blogspot.com
Louise	McCormick-Glazier	http://jewelrytreasuresbylouise.blogspot.com/
Heather	Richter	http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Tammy	Adams	http://www.paisleylizard.com/blog/
Shirley	Moore	http://beadsandbread.blogspot.com
Seed Beaders
Susanne	Stelljes	http://pearlify.blogspot.de
Sheila	Prosterman	http://catswithbeads.blogspot.com
Pallavi	Asher	http://kalaabhushan.blogspot.in/
Jami	Shipp	http://celebratinglifewithdamamashipp.blogspot.com
Peggy	Kosier	http://www.kosydesigns.blogspot.ca/
Andra	Weber	http://andrasjoyfuljourney.blogspot.com
Catherine	King	http://catherines-musings.blogspot.com
Krafty	Max	http://kraftymax.com
Sierra	Barrett	http://giraffecanhas.wordpress.com
Lois	Sherwood	http://thiznthat5454blog.wordpress.com
Katy	Heider	http://onthepondcreations.blogspot.com
Rebecca	Robertson   (White)	http://morganafeycreations.121hub.com/
Heather	Richter	http://desertjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com
Brandy	Collier	http://bhjewelry.wordpress.com
Stephanie	Haussler	http://www.pixybugdesigns.blogspot.com
Lori	Blanchard	http://alainnjewelry.WordPress.com
Kathleen	Breeding	http://99bobotw.blogspot.com
Becky	Pancake	http://beckypancakebeaddesigns.blogspot.com
Renetha	Stanziano	http://lamplightcrafts.blogspot.com/
Tami	Norris	https://jewelrybytami.wordpress.com/
Ginger	Bishop	http://lilmummylikes.blogspot.com/
Peggy	Johnson	http://charmbarn.blogspot.com

I am selling through Facebook mostly now, so message me through my name, Marcy Lamberson and I'll help you find lots of fun beads and cool stuff.  xo

Acting Like a Squirrel

I fell in love with this photo by Vadim Trunov.  I have had a long love/hate relationship with the critters.  My head says they are pests, by the many times, we've had to evict them from our attic, or had to redo roofing from their voracious gnawing.  And of course, coming back from a trip and finding our outdoor furniture torn apart...apparently the pillow stuffing would be nice and soft in their nests. But, I still think they are cute.  Especially from a distance.

Free Shamrock Glass Bead Tutorial by Marcy Lamberson ~ Studio Marcy

Lampwork Glass Shamrock Quick Mini Tutorial

Nothing like a freebie, is there?

Tools   

a. 1 rod of transparent green glass

b. parallel mashers (any mashers are fine)

c. glass shears 

d. Stump Shaper - other tools will work as well

Step 1.  Base Bead

Using your transparent green glass, make a base bead that is shaped  kind of like a fat football.

Step 2.  

Gently mash your base bead to flatten it into a thick oval.

Then using your glass shears, make your first cut as pictured above.

I am using a 1/16th mandrel and you can see that I am careful to snip near the mandrel, but not close enough to jeopardize breaking bead release.

Step 3.

Snip the rest of the cuts as pictured for a total of 4 cuts.  You can see you have made the basic shape of the shamrock already.  Please keep the base warm, but not hot.  If you accidentally warm it too much, then gently flatten with your mashers to return to the shape you need.

Step 4.

Now make mini snips on each of the horizontal petals.  Only go in about a third of the way.  Two snips total with your glass shears.

Step 5.

Use your flame (keep the heat gentle) to warm the top petal that is divided by the mandrel.  I do a combination of heating one side and holding the mandrel on an angle upside down to slightly droop the glass to help form the rounded section, and also using my brass Stump Shaper to gently indent the glass close to the mandrel.  It's almost like making a mini heart.  If you are having problems, then feel free to add a dot or two of glass on the outside edges away from the mandrel, to give it more definition.  Do both sides.

Step 6.

I use my brass Stump Shaper to gently push in the glass at the bottom to form more of a stem.  Both the non sticking brass and the wedge of that tool make it easy to get in there and gently press toward the mandrel to make it look more stem-like.  Voila, you are done.  Pretty easy, isn't it?

~

And perhaps you aren't into shamrocks, but this easy technique would be great for flowers as well.  I could see them with frit, stringers and even and extra raised dot in the center with a cool murrine, or so many other ways.

Hope you enjoyed this easy tutorial.  I have decided that I will be making more of these for your enjoyment.  Please stop by and see me on my FB business page or my StudioMarcy etsy shop. 

A Little Fun...and another Trunk Show right NOW!

Over on Facebook, I have one more trunk show going on.  You can find it at Glass Open Market.  It is a quick one with lots of beads which sell auction style and with BINs.  (Buy It Now!).  "Carmen" is pictured here, but there are lots of unique glass lampwork beads and I will continue adding them through 9pm EST Tuesday, (tomorrow) evening.  Thanks for popping by.

One Day Pop Up Sale

Well some new luck from yesterday has continued.  If you are over on FB with me, on Artisans Open Market, I am having a sale/auction on some of my beads.  Not only are there some of my blackbird beads, but a large variety of others as well.  From dogs and owls, to hearts and flowers and lots in between.  Hope to see you there.  It ends at 9pm EST tonight.