Playing with Glass Bears

I'm still making bears.  I guess my friends haven't had their fill yet, because there is still a market for them.  One of the things I love about making them is simplifying the form and playing with colors.

Before I made these, I just hoarded my Double Helix silver glass.  Now I use it with reckless abandon.  (well, safely reckless, I guess.) The top two bears use it and I can't wait to try more types.

I'm using other c.o.e.'s (co-efficiency of expansion) to try their glass too.  See the bottom two bears? Yummy colors, right?  Those are both veiled glass that is 96 coe, instead of my usual 104. (for non glass nerds, the coe generally needs to match when combining glass, or it will have cracks.  This is due to different types of glass heating and cooling at different rates.- a simplified explanation.)

I'm using dichro.  I didn't think I'd be the type, but I am enjoying it.  Just bits here and there add some nice sparkle or sometimes an aurora borealis in the skies.

And before bears, (is that B.B.?), I seldom used transparent glass.  Opaque just works better with more sculpture.  I am really loving the transparent colors and adding layers to make new colors.

What's next?  Wish I knew.  For now, I'll make more bears, and start to work into more sculpture types again.  I love what I do and feel lucky that I get to enjoy my job.

Before Glass...Watercolors

Years ago. I loved to paint watercolors. The transparency, the color washes and the luminous qualities really speak to me. I saw similarities between watercolors and glass for those reasons. I had always wondered if I would find a way to combine the two mediums.

But recently, I have decided that it's time to let some of the sketches, quick studies and paintings go, along with my acrylics. So today, I am going through my old folders and pulling a few that might fit into mats or frames that I already own, so they can be sold.

This one was a result from playing around one afternoon. I had seen these rather bright new colors and wanted to try it out. Bright? Absolutely, but what better way than a spring flower signifying new life.