After a little hiatus I am back with some new designs! I think most artists get a form of ‘writer’s block’ now and again, and I’m no different. Occasionally the ideas stop coming so the choice becomes whether to revisit previous designs or to just take a break and allow time for something new to take root.
For me, it was worth taking time off because a few new ideas came to mind which gives me a fresh perspective and a renewed motivation to get back to the torch.
This week’s beads include a couple of my new ideas…with more to come soon! 😀
It’s been weeks since we’ve enjoyed our traditionally sunny weather SoCal is so famous for. Instead, we’ve been under a dense and chilly cloud cover for much too long!
But, as usually happens, it helps me be inspired to create. So there is a plus side! 😀
When it’s overcast different colors are seen at the beach and in the ocean. All the hues are softened, and much more muted than when they’re under direct sunlight.
This glass bead set “Sea Jewels” captures the recent mood of the weather at the beach here in not-so-sunny SoCal. 😉
This week I followed a couple ‘creative rabbit-trails’ working in both organic and traditional floral design when making these lampwork glass beads.
I rediscovered my stash of glass frit which I used all the time when I first started lampworking a couple years ago. I had forgotten about how much variety and the unique color combinations you can achieve with it, especially when paired with fine silver foil. The reactions that happen in the flame are just magical to watch, as they appear right before your eyes – no waiting on the kiln fairies!
Glass frit and fine silver foil are abundant in this organic style bead collection:
River Rocks lampwork bead setRiver Rock glass bead focal
After my frit fix, I had a floral design and a new color combination in my head I have been wanting to try. I made these 3D floral murrini but went back and forth trying to decide if I should encase the murrini or leave them dimensional on top.
That decision was made for me, however, as the base bead got a little too big to be fully encased again, so I added the murrini to the surface, partially melting them in, and loved the end result!
Sometimes the best beads come from happy accidents 😀
Years ago we traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii and visited Waikoloa Village where there’s a large hotel resort.
The resort is just beautiful with sprawling pools, lush tropical gardens, amazing architectural sculptures, and of course it’s right on the beach. They even have dolphins there!
Waikoloa Village is the inspiration for this bead collection. I used colored glass in shades of lavender, blue, aqua and turquoise with bits of bright orange for a pop of color here and there.
'Waikoloa" Lampwork Bead Focal"Waikoloa" Lampwork Bead Set
CCGlassArt 