Purple

Awhile ago, I purchase Timeless Purple frit from Bead Goodies.  I've been experimenting with it and one combination I like is the frit over a base bead of Plum (CIM 658).  After melting in the frit, I let the bead heat up and flow under gravity.  When I like what I see, I cool the bead, add dichroic sparkles (magenta), encase the bead in clear, and shape it.  Then I add cubic zirconium or two for good measure and this is the result:

Similar beads will be on sale in my Etsy shop soon (www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahDRoss).

40 shades of blue

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Spruill Center for the Arts is holding a gallery exhibition entitled 40x.  Spruill students and instructors are encouraged to submit work which relates to 40 of something.  Those of us enrolled in Margo's Lampworking class decided on a theme of "40 shades of blue".  We each brought in various shades of blue glass rods, divided them up and made donut beads from each of the rods.  Here are the beads as they came out of the kiln:

Each of the students in the class has the option of submitting their own take on 40, so check back and see what I come up with.   The submissions will be on display at Spruill from October 9, 2015 to January 4, 2016.  Hope you can stop by!

Copper cut outs

In a second week of working with copper at Spruill Arts Center, we used copper cut outs.  Using paper punches and very thin craft copper sheet (greater than 38 gauge), we cut out butterflies, leaves, dragonflies, etc.  and applied them to glass beads.  If you apply the cut outs directly to the hot glass bead, then encase with clear, the copper will burn to a red color.  If you encase the cut out with a gather of hot clear, then add that to the bead, the piece will retain its metallic copper sheen.   Below are some of the results:

All of the beads but the one on the right were made with a white base bead with copper foil overlay followed by addition of frit, then the copper cut outs.  The bead on the right was made on a white base bead with a mixed green frit followed by the copper cut outs using the two different methods of positioning the cut out.  Looks like autumn!

Unexpected visitor

My daughter had an unexpected break in her work schedule and decided to pay us a long overdue visit.  All lampworking is suspended until she leaves.  I'll be back in two weeks.

Copper foil

It's summer so it's time for Margo Knight's lampwork bead class at Spruill Arts Center in Atlanta.  For the first class of the session, we learned the tricks of how to apply copper foil to beads, something which I have done before without much success.  It turns out that you must lay down a thick layer of enamel prior to placing and marvering the foil (except for white---more about this next time).   Then you must heat the glass to develop the blue-green color.  I applied frit (Georgia Peach from Val Cox) on top of the heated copper, followed by teal and white stringer, and finally gold foil:

The tabs in the above photo were made on white glass with enamel, and the tube bead was made on turquoise with enamel.

Garden lapidary lampwork bead

Last week at a meeting of Southern Flames, members had the opportunity to grind down a lapidary bead they had created to reveal the hidden layers underneath the outer coating.  We use equipment provided by Stephanie White of Beads by Design.  My bead consisted of a core of dichroic glass.  I then wrapped green filigrana glass around the core to create "vines, and added millefiori to resemble flowers.  After encasing in clear, I added opaque green enamel to hide the garden.  After grinding and polishing, this is what my bead looked like:

For full details and pictures of everyone's beads, see the Southern Flames website (www.southernflames.org).

Turquoise and enamel

I've already done quite a bit of experimenting with enamels on glass and below is a combination that I like:

Thompson Enamel transparent beryl green (9443) on top of light turquoise (Effetre), with and without melted silver wire.  I like the ocean waves effect.  Look for these soon in my Etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahDRoss