Permission to play: faux stained glass and polymer inlay

March is halfway over - and "eye" have been having a great time with the theme this month!

Notes and sketches in my ever present Moleskine. 

Lindsay really sent me down the research and inspiration rabbit hole. Eyes, hamsa hands, even a relatively obscure goddess Tanit. This was the perfect opportunity to play a little - to experiment with a stencil technique that I wanted to try in polymer.

Original sketch, cutting the stencil, stencil after curing, and final impression. 

The process had me draw and cut out a delicate filigree in polymer. (I think I should have tried a simpler design for my first attempt at this!) The stencil is cured, and sanded perfectly flat - then used to imprint the design in subsequent pieces of polymer. One nice feature to this technique is that it is easily reversible for paired images, or mirror images - say wings or the like. Wings! I need to try that...

The first of the series. 

I wanted to create multiples in order to play with polymer inlay and some faux stained glass ideas. I created a set of hands, maybe 6 in all - in black and other random clay colors that were on my table. The first one was a tried and true method - mica powders in the impressed areas. I cured this halfway and then added a layer of Translucent Liquid Sculpey in the impressed cells of the design. As you can see - this one was colorful! The design was rather clear - it could have used a bit more cleanup of stray sprinkles of mica...

Mica powders and a layer of TLS. 

The TLS is so so thick... So I diluted it for the next batch with clay softener. This time I tinted the "goo" mixture directly using the mica powders again. I wiped them back as best I could before curing - it was NEVER my goal to have to sand a lot afterwards. I am not a fan of sanding.

These came out really well - good opacity to the color and some fun blending where 2 wet areas touched in the blue/black eye below. I would do this again in a heartbeat!

Tinting thinned TLS with mica powders.

I tried a direct inlay of polymer clay... ( Purple and pale blue below). While I like the technique - I would like it better for smaller areas and lines. This was WAY too much sanding - and as you can see its still a bit of a mess. 

The most colorful version was utilizing alcohol ink mixed with my thinned TLS "goo"(top left).

Very colorful on the white; near invisible on the black. I think the transparency of the alcohol ink is good to remember... 

My favorite of the experiments was the final one shown here (bottom right). I used the TLS "goo" tinted with mica powders... the difference being I hit the raised areas with a Sharpie to darken them and boost the contrast. 

Alcohol inks, inlay, and inspiration! 

My inspiration for these experiments and many more was " The Art of Polymer Clay" by Donna Kato. It is a wealth of information and inspiration! Overall I am happy I tried these techniques out in a situation with no pressure - I can see using them more in my work as I continue to experiment with polymer as a sculptural medium. 

I'd love to hear what you think - and hope this eyeful has been interesting... Until the reveal I'm off to the studio... 

Working With Wire

One of the things I have been enjoying recently is wire wrapping, so I thought I would share my wire wrapping journey and some amazing sites for anyone else that would like to learn or improve their skills with wire.

It started way back in 2012 when I happened upon a tutorial by the amazing Nicole Hanna for a key pendent, I liked it so much I brought it regardless of the fact it was designed for intermediate wire wrappers and I had next to no experience. It was so beautifully written and with such clear photos that after a few attempts my key looked pretty much well like a key!

Key Pendent Design By Nicole Hanna

If you have not been to Nicole Hanna's web site then you are really missing out. She always goes above and beyond in her generosity to the wire wrapping community, in so many ways!

Every first Tuesday of the month Nicole has a tutorial treasure hunt for one of her tutorials on the site, if you can find it you get to download it for free (click here for more information). There is also introductions into wire weaving and types of weaves, information on pricing you work, photo editing, contests and so, so much more!!!

Fast forward to January 2015 and my next attempt at wire wrapping comes from the book Timeless Wire Weaving by the amazing Lisa Barth you can read my review and how much I love that book here.

from the book Timeless Wire Weaving by the amazing Lisa Barth

Although I really wanted to try every single design in the book for some reason I have not got around to it yet but I had better get a move on as Lisa is already writing a new book!

So my next attempt at wire wrapping came after a very inspiring demo at the 2015 October Big Bead Show, Sandown where I got to see James Ferris of Lonely Soldier working his magic with wire, I was so impressed that I had to buy one of his tutorials....

Design From LSDesigns Prong Wrap Project Booklet

This booklet is jam packed full of GREAT tips for wonderfully neat wire work, and I just love the beautiful swirls.
Then, as seems to be the way months pass until I get around to another project. This time it was the amazing work of Nicole again, as well as her amazing web site Nicole also has a You Tube channel called Go Art Yourself (where dose she find the time?) where she posted a tutorial for a wire wrapped Crowned Hair Fork and oh my goodness I HAD to give that a try, Unfortunately in my haste to get started I cut my wires too short and got half way through the design before noticing so had to improvise the ending, but I still quiet like it.

Crowned Hair Fork

I of course had to add art beads (I am so over excited that I can now wear art beads in my hair, so I shall be making lots more of these)! The lampwork shell is by Mandrel Beads and of course the lampwork head pin is by our own wonderful Glass Addictions by Jen Cameron. 

Then after a few hours were lost skipping around on You Tube (where I stumbled upon OxanaCrafts, another MUST see channel, I love her Heady Style Wire Wrapped Pendent Tutorial and her 3 stone Asymmetrical Wire Wrapped Pendeant Tutorial).

Then I got to thinking I would try my own design, now I don't know how others go about designing things but most of mine is done through playing/trial and error, but mostly I sit and I play with my beads, see what goes nicely and see where that leads me. Well that's what I did and this one just happened....

Wire Wrapped Lampwork

The center bead is by Moogin of course and lampwork head pin by Jen Cameron (I am steadily working through my stash). 

Now I like this but it is not neat enough and needs more swirls! 

My eventual plan is to build up enough confidence with wire to then be able to try the STUNNING tutorial by Imnium. 

If you are interested in wire work (and are on facebook) then Wire Wrap Tips & Tutorials is a great place to visit with lots of tip and a wonderfully helpful crowd!

Pittsburgh Glass Center Exhibit :: Lifeforms

I live in Pittsburgh, PA and we have a really awesome glass center.  Currently, the PGC is running an exhibit called Lifeforms.  This is a travelling exhibit that will eventually end at the Glass Art Society Conference in Corning NY in June 2016.  Heather McElwee, Executive Director of the PGC, is a juror on the show.

Lifeforms (show link) is an exhibit of glass models that were made in the spirit of father and son team, Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka (read the wiki about these two, very interesting) who are famous for their 19th and 20th century models of invertebrates and plants. If you go to the show link, you will be able to see all entries. The show includes botany models, zoology models, and scaled models of microorganisms.

The show was juried by 5 well known artists in the glass field, and 50 artists were chosen to exhibit.  I happily took in the show last week and took some photos so that you could all see the awesomeness that is a glass exhibit! I did not take photos of every item, and can't share them all with you here because it would be a massive post.  I will share some, and list the artist, title and skills used, and let you know which are my faves! All photos are mine.

 Victor Trabucco, Hawthorne Berries, lampwork, fused, laminated

 Paul Stankard, Meditation - Healing Virtues of the Plant Kingdom, Apis, flameworked

 Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, India Blue Peacock, blown, sculpted, powder images

 Elizabeth Johnson, Ranier Cherries, lampworked, copper wire, ceramic

 Lisa Demagall, Radiolaria, flameworked

 Shane Fero, Winter White Redpolls, flameworked, etched, found objects

 Sara Sally LaGrand, Culling, flameworked

 Mark Clarson, Untitled, cast glass, silver leaf

 Mauro Vianello, Snailes, flameworked, wood

 Brandon Martin, Axolotl, lampworked, river rock, resin, wood, copper

ONE OF MY FAVES!

Bronwen Heilman, The Lovely, flameworked

 Michael Mangiafico and Ed Pinto, Tears of the Sun God, flameworked, kilnformed, wood

There is so much detail in this piece, it's unreal!

Jupiter Nielsen and Nathan Belmont, I'iwi in Haleakala Sandalwood, flameworked 

 Jeremy Sinkus, The Future is Coming, blown, sculpted

Another favorite, filled with detail

 Beau Tsai, Panther Chameleon, flameworked

 Kelly O'Dell, Hope, blown, sculpted

 Raven Skyriver, Bask, solid sculpted

Sam McMillen, Cupped Up, solid sculpted

And finally, my personal favorite of the whole show.  So much so that I was tempted to purchase it.  

 Erin and Grant Garmezy, Desert Blossom, sculpted and electroplated

If you have the time and are within driving distance, or even not, it's a great show to take in.  It's not very big, you could also tour the glass center or time your visit to also take a class or a make-it, take-it, but it's well worth it to see.  I really enjoyed bringing this exhibit to you and hope you enjoyed seeing it as well!

Susan Kennedy

 

Eye Spy Eye Candy

This month I am hosting the Eye theme Component of the Month challenge. I hope some of you will join us in creating for the reveal, and the rest of you will tune in at the end of March to see how everyone has been inspired by the mystical orbs we call eyes.

Why eyes?  Well, when I started beading (and collecting beads), some of my first favorite beads were lampwork "pimple" beads...my mom's term for bumpy.  After awhile, I realized that these beads have a rich history dating way back to the very first glass beads ever created.  Spotted, dotted, and bumpy beads were made in emulation of an eye, and worn as amulets of protection against the "evil eye".  The eye has been a symbol incorporated into so many cultures and religions through out our history, it is almost as pervasive as beads themselves!  As a bead history buff, this just delights me!  You might think of the "evil eye" as an obsolete phrase, or something that people just don't believe in anymore.  To make this concept relatable for myself, I think of the "evil eye"  as "negative self talk" - that cycle of reliving things that didn't go right, bad feelings, or even anxiety and depression.  If you think of the eye as a symbolic reminder to give yourself a break, that nobody is perfect, but that you are looking out for your own health and well being, you are embracing the intent of these protective amulets.

Today I thought I would share a bit of eye candy with you, from my own collection (read as Hoard).  I hope you enjoy, and are as inspired as I am!  I can't wait to play with all this and see where the eyes take me!

Czech glass eye cabochons, both vintage and modern (all from TeapotsandTelephones).  Multi eye bead, tiny eye beads, and funny face bead, all India lampwork (all have been in my stash for years).  Various other vintage glass eye cabs, unknown origin.  Peruvian ceramic eyes...OMG why do I have SO MANY of these!?!?!

Large Turkish Nazar eye - about 5 inches across, I got this years ago from a bead store I worked at.  Amulet necklace by me, small Nazar (gift from a friend's trip to Turkey) with vintage metal "eye ball" charms, on an enameled Nazar chain.  Can I have 100 more feet of this please?

Lampwork eyes by Knoxville artist Jo Marie of the Smoky Mountain Firecrackers Lampwork Guild. Dragon Eye tiles by Jan Onipenco.  Pewter eye from Turkey, Bronze and spinel eye coin and hamsa by Cynthia Thornton/Green Girl Studios, green patina copper Greek Mykonos eye, Create Milagro pendant by Jenny Davies Reazor.

When I first got that pewter eye from Turkey, I made a silicone mold of it and pulled a few polymer clay cabs...they are so much fun to decorate with metallic and iridescent powders.  This necklace is the result of one of the finished cabs - I love how the matte beads make a bed that the eye really shines out of, and the blue "eyelashes" pull in the blue of the necklace spacers.  Man, I really want to make more necklaces like this now!

There are so many awesome art bead and component options out there that haven't made it into my collection yet.  Here is just a small sampling:

Tascidesigns, JanelDudleyBeads, Karenelmquist, aStudiobytheSea, TinkerTiles, Jeniferlake, TurnerRoweGlassArt, PowersArtStudio, Fionaskissfan.

Fantastic wheel thrown ceramic eyes by Kristie of Artisan Clay on Etsy and Facebook.  These are available Made to Order, and aren't they fabulous?  Handcast pewter charm pairs by Inviciti.

Thependantemporium, TheSpiritTreasures, SoulSilver, NaOsGlass, beadfreaky, oscarcrow.  

Eye hope this has inspired your muse!  Thanks for Looking!