Buying art glass beads from across the world

December 22, 2017 Leave a Comment

It came a long way

Getting boxes in the mail is a common occurrence at my house, but a package from Lithuania is something special. Especially when there’s art inside.

And chocolate!

Being an avid lover of art glass beads, I frequent a number of lampwork artists pages on Facebook to find unique creations from all over the world.

With so many diverse styles in one place, I get lots of variety to put into my necklaces and art. Sometimes I see a treasure I just can’t pass up. And with a buy-it-now option, those handmade works of art just wing themselves to me. When I know one is coming, it’s exciting—like a present for myself.

However, when something comes all the way from eastern Europe, there’s no instant gratification. I can take weeks to arrive. Somehow this makes its arrival even more special.

My most recent treasure is this piece made by Viktorija Vait (Vilnius, Lithuania).

When I opened the envelope, I oohed and ahhed over the colors, the painted details, and the amount of skill it takes to create textured glass beads like this. The best part? I get to make it into a wearable necklace as a present for someone else to enjoy.

Turning lampwork beads into wearable art

First I matched it with a variety of beads and wire in shades of red.

Then I got to work (it gets a little messy as I experiment with different arrangements)!

Finally, it all came together in a finished piece!

More jewelry ahead

Just before I finished the red bird pendant, another package came in the mail from a bit nearer to home (Michigan) from another talented artist Molly Cooley. The eclipse and waves are just stunning!

I wonder what this gorgeous treasure will become!

Art stash: How I choose my beads

September 8, 2017 Leave a Comment

The drawers and trays in my art studio are brimming with colorful, glimmering treasures. It’s a delight just to open them and peek in. Every time I do, I gasp with excitement about all the beautiful potential they contain.

Although my medium is wire, practically every piece I make features exquisite beads. People ask me all the time, Where did you find these?

I’m drawn to the unique and unusual. Original lampwork focal beads made by hand by talented glass artists are my first love. (There are too many to name, but if you follow my work, I always credit the bead makers!) Lampwork beads are heavy and solid, like wearing a sculpture on your body.

I also adore big, chunky, colorful Lucite beads. While most people shun plastic, Lucite is a really beautiful material that adds a bold brilliance to my work without adding weight.

My other favorite material is silver beads by the amazing silver artists in Bali and Thailand. One artist, Niki Passenier, designs the beads herself and has them made in Thailand.

The biggest struggle I have in using those simply gorgeous beads—especially Niki’s—it that I love them, and they’re not replaceable. Sometimes this makes a bead seem too beautiful to use in a piece. I have to stop and ask myself, “Are you going to save the special thing or are you going to use it?” I have to fight the urge to save them for the most special most right thing.

How I select my beads

I like to look for beads everywhere. My favorite is to go in person to bead shows—BABE in Oakland, Bead & Button (can you say overload?) and locally, Heart of California Bead and Adornment Expo. At events like these, a lot of vendors are represented, and you have have tons of variety to choose from. In person, you can touch the beads and trust your eye.

There are great places to buy beads online, and I use Ebay for Lucite and vintage and Facebook groups for lampwork (Lampwork Bead Market and Artisans Lampwork, among others). There are some vendors I go back to a lot because I like their aesthetic, selection, or quality (on Ebay I like ellielantern, bykayo). The biggest challenge with buying online is that you have to know your sizes. When you look at big, detailed photos, 6mm is not as big as you’d think. Ask me how I know!

It also helps to have color palettes that I really like and am drawn to, and I tend to buy beads in those shades. My favorite colors are pink and silver. Outside of that, I go in waves and cycles from cool to warm. Outside of the rainbow, I also have a lot of white, milk glass, opalino, clear–all “neutrals” that work well with silver. I’m not big on yellow—the closest I come to it are butter, citrine, cream, and bone—otherwise I stick with oranges and reds. In the photo below, I have collected a coral theme for an upcoming piece.

On the whole, I tend to like monochromatic color schemes in my work. A lot of artists use contrasting or complementary colors, but I tend to do sister colors. That’s my own aesthetic. In my classes, participants ask me about colors, “Does this work? Is this good?” Sometimes it doesn’t and breaks a color rule, but for the most part, it’s an Artists Choice moment. Art is subjective. I can tell you what I like, but I can’t tell you what you like. That’s part of what makes it so fun.

When I select beads, I use a lot of intuition. I like to imagine what they would be when they’re in a finished piece. Picturing them with beads I already own also inspires my creativity. Talking about my beads makes me want to get back in the studio!

What do you look for when you’re selecting beads or jewelry?

Here there be (friendly) dragons

August 1, 2017 Leave a Comment

Befriending a dragon

Dragons are magical. Their scales glimmer. Their eyes shine. Their wings take us soaring to far-off, mystical places. Of course, they do have the ability to breathe fire from that huge snout or slice with fang and claw. But the dragons of my imagination befriend us humble humans for exciting adventures.

Given my love for fantasy and embroidered tales, it was only natural that dragons came into my art bead collection. It was a lovely day, perusing the work of my bead-maker friend, Robin Poff, when I saw her dragons made in art glass.

It was fairy-tale love at first sight. Ivory in color, her glass dragons are pure whimsy and imagination. Three-dimensional and weighty, and each one has its own personality and facial expression. I had to have them.

Another lampwork artist, Kerri Fuhr, also conjures dragons from glass. I began to collect her beautiful beasts more recently. Her two-dimensional portraits have lots of texture and dragon colors like gorgeous blue-green, emerald, and chartreuse. And those quintessential fierce eyes!

Dressing with dragons

I love using dragons in my necklaces. Wearing one helps you be feisty and fanciful at the same time. Dragons help shy people express their bold alter ego. If you want to feel brave, keep a dragon close to you. Their big, powerful presence will inspire you to be courageous.

I dream of dragons

I once found The Dragonology Handbook, A Practical Course in Dragons by Ernest Drake. It lists all the different kinds of dragons—just like an Audubon bird book—and includes Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced Dragonology lessons.

If I had my own dragon, it would be pink and sparkly with wings. It would breathe fire with glitter. My dragon would fly at sunrise and visit me to be scratched behind its ears and fed hard-boiled eggs. Until that happens, I’ll keep including glass dragons in my art.

My dragon necklaces

Because the dragon beads are glass, the pieces I make with them are heavy. (See my article on how to wear dramatic art necklaces with confidence.) My dragon necklaces are carefully balanced, designed to rest on the breastbone, rather than hang (or possibly pull) on the neck. Several of the lovely beasts pictured in this article now belong to collectors and inhabit a shadow box or a neck stand perch for viewing.

If you had a dragon, what would yours look like?

You otter see this!

February 1, 2017 Leave a Comment

The project

As an artist, you think you’re in control, but sometimes the materials make demands on you.

I took this photo of “what’s on my bench” last November. With a whole season of flowing, water-themed work behind me, I already had coils made up. In this tray of materials, you can see ocean blues and foam spray with white and metallics. That was the idea, anyway.

The inspiration

Then Otter showed up. This bead has been talking to me since it arrived.

This lampwork art glass bead is by Joy Munshower. She’s really good at animals and gets great personality and sparkle into them.

He’s really cheeky. It looks like she’s using dichroic or silver glass–something under the surface that catches the light and reflects it back out. Even though it has a matte finish, the eye is still shiny and sparkling, just like in nature.

For months, I’ve been carrying this otter bead around, looking at it, putting it near the top of the “I wanna do that” pile. I kept thinking I would get to it.

Well, he hopped right into the middle of all my watery blue coils to stay. I had the idea that he’d have a little pearl or some treasure, and the blue water background would highlight it nicely.

The challenge

In spite of my efforts, the concept of the otter necklace wouldn’t come together. Sometimes that happens.

I moved things and reshaped, but I couldn’t get the necklace to work. Eventually I realized it didn’t want to be a necklace. But that’s always a big decision because once I cut it, it won’t be a necklace anymore!

Once I snipped, otter hopped right into the frame. The piece changed shape for the better, and the pearl and starfish went more easily into place than on the necklace. I’m finally happy with the way this bead is set and glad this sweet little guy has a home at last.

Otter on view!

I titled this finished piece, “Same Ocean, New Tide,” since it combines my theme of watery colors with a new visitor. I’m thrilled it’s being included in the first Madera Circle Gallery‘s art show of 2017. If you’re in the area, feel free to stop by to see their New Journeys show.

I don’t make art glass beads, I make them even better

October 31, 2016 Leave a Comment

Do not pass go

I’ll never forget how surprised I was the time I got turned down to show my work because the focal art glass beads in my creation were not my own.

Even though the sting has worn off over the years, this experience gave me an insight into the standards of the art world. Painters don’t make their own paint. Sculptors don’t quarry their own stone. Similarly, when wire artists use beads, frequently they are not of their own making.

Many artists, many styles

From the very beginning, it was a conscious choice to use others’ artist-quality beads in my necklaces, earrings, and sculpture. Here’s why: no on can be good at all things.

Instead, my finished pieces are different and unique as Breastplate for Ninsun, the Scaredy Cat collection, and the Morning Song rooster necklace.

BreastPlate for Ninson Silver Necklace

Professor Specs pendant

Morning Song rooster necklace wire art jewelry

Morning Song necklace

What I love best about working with artist-quality beads is the variety. From Joy Munshower‘s animals and the art glass of Gail Crosman Moore to the whimsical cats of Kathleen O’Connor and Robin Poff‘s dragons, these gifted makers inspire the art I create.

The art of wire design

When you work with wire as I do, the artistry comes down to creating a beautiful, balanced piece using a variety of elements. Wire artistry entails knowing how many scrolls and coils create a harmonious look and also recognizing the point at which you stop adding.

Using focal beads means understanding color and choosing accent elements that highlight the theme. For example, in my pendant using Kathleen O’Connor’s Wicked Witch, I echo the fun, square-kinked tails in the wire scrolls of the drop on this pendant.

Although I have taken lampwork bead-making classes, it’s not my medium. Understanding the kind of work that goes into making fine art glass beads makes me appreciate artists that use this medium even more. If I tried to do it all myself, I’d be a beginner for a long time!

My specialty is in creating a beautiful, well engineered settings with high-end materials and choosing gorgeous color palettes that bring out the uniqueness of the focal beads that are made by other artists and by Mother Nature too.

Quirky cats as art jewelry inspiration

September 30, 2016 1 Comment

A lifetime of cats

Maybe I was destined to choose cats for my art jewelry. Ever since I named my first kitty Lilac Starlight when I was really little, unique cats have been parading through my life with tails held high.

Champ was an orange tabby from the apple farm who got increasingly nicked-up ears earning his street cred after we moved to California.
Bob came to us with a tail that didn’t work, but with the care of an attentive vet, regained full use to get into all kinds of mischief.
Young Mr. Puss became an annual fixture in our holiday card when he jumped into a photo his first year with us. Later years he did not volunteer and we had to hold him down for the photo moment with predictable flying fur.

Mr. Puss, Art Critic

In addition to their unique personalities, most of our cats have gone by two names. Upon their arrival to the ousehold, I’d come up with a moniker I liked. But as the cat grew on my husband, he’d christen it with a second name—the one that usually stuck. So CK became Bob. Bug became Mr. Puss. In any case, they never minded the extra attention.

Not exactly catless today

We have myriad dogs (our own and others’) underfoot and farm animals too, but I still love cats. My favorite thing about them is their independence, personality, and character.

Although our household is catless at the moment, I get my feline fix using the hilarious and quirky cat beads created by Kathleen O’Connor in my necklaces and pendants. Each of her characters are hilarious and unique. Like Professor Specs, for example.

And these two purr-fectly innocent (but probably mischievous) Halloween cats.

Can you see how the pink Wicked Witch cat below has a playfully square-kinked tail?

I mirror the same quirky angles in Kathleen’s art in my accent wirework and hand-forged links. And just look at those eyes! What personality!

Artistic inspiration

Kathleen is a talented artist and a great person. When I asked her how she makes these glass beads, she explained that she first lampworks the tab bead base, and then paints the scene with very fine ground glass. She sometimes fires the piece several times to add layers of color. It’s a complicated and unusual process because lampworkers usually finish a bead and then fire it once.

An exciting announcement

As of this month, my collection of necklaces and pendants featuring Kathleen O’Connor’s Scaredy Cats is on my brand new online shop. Even if there’s no Lilac Starlight, I hope you’ll take a look at all the fun, quirky cats in my life!