Fear and Texture Part II: No Expectations

When last we left my studio, I was struggling with myself whether to keep a bead from shattering in a cold water bath or let it live, free and wild. Well I allowed it to live and there it sits, in a large pile of non distinct, boring beads. I knew I should have given it a plunge into the water and put it out of my misery. Yet, still with every bead there is something to learn. Sometimes I learn something I want to try again, other times the lesson is what NOT to do.

I said I would be talking about ways I break through artistic fear, self imposed barriers I erect so I wont “color outside the lines”. Well I sat down and had to think hard on that one. Yes I do certain things that help me but I didn’t realize it was something I would have a hard time explaining.

I believe these steps I take to break through where I am currently at, may have become ingrained habits. Somewhere in the back of my mind, that thought is a bit unsettling, the fact that what I do for breakthroughs has become habit. I think I need to fix this but I will address that another time.

I used to draw and paint quite a bit. I would spend hours drawing or painting the finest detail in everything I created. I used to draw with the finest, smallest graphite or charcoal I could find. I used to paint with the smallest paintbrushes I could get away with and still finish a painting this century. I only took one drawing class in my life and the exercises I use to break out of my rut are inspired by the man who taught that class. He did everything he could to make me feel like I was drawing with boxing gloves on. Instead of the fine control I was used to, he would make me draw with the largest permanent markers he could find and other similar bulky items.

I remember the absolute and total frustration I would feel every day in class. I couldn’t understand why he thought this type of exercise was going to help me. Although it had always been my goal to work “looser” as an artist, this was totally ridiculous. He would constantly harp on me, telling me to stop trying to control the minute details and I would be able to draw what I saw instead of drawing what I thought something should look like. The only reason I stayed in the class was because I found him to be interesting and we ended up becoming friends. Otherwise I would have left after the first few classes.

One day after dinner I sat there absentmindedly sketching the items on the table. I remember being relatively distracted by problems of the day and I wanted to sketch as a way of de-stressing. The only thing I had close by was a ball point pen and I figured if I could draw with a bulky permanent marker I could draw with a ball point pen. When I was done with the sketch, much to my amazement it was one of the better drawings I had ever done. I instantly realized that due to the distractions and the fact that I was using a cheap ball point pen, I had no expectations of this sketch and that was the very reason it turned out so well.

How does all this translate into glass? I want to cover an exercise in creativity that help me. The one I will deal with in this post is to make a bead limited to only two pieces of random glass I pick up from my work surface. The trick is, I am not supposed to look at my work surface as I pick my two pieces of glass. It may be anything from a striking red color to a reactive twistie I have made and just dropped on my work surface after I applied most of it.

What I pick up is what I will use, no ifs ands or buts. I may be mixing a lot of silver with copper or sulfur or any other combination of glass chemistry that may or may not work. If it works, great, if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. I have no expectations of what I am going to make so I cannot be disappointed in the outcome and I find I learn a lot from doing this. The photo in this post is a bead I made by picking up two random pieces of glass. I hope you try this one. Just sit down at the torch, grab some glass and have fun….and have no expectations.

Otter is a bead maker who blogs from the Pacific Northwest

Assembly Part 2 - Just Do It!

The comments and a couple private emails on my first entry about my assembly style made me realize how intimidating some people find the process of design and assembly. This is a shame because the comments/emails were all sent by people I know for a fact are tremendously creative. Therefore, part 2 is going to be a bit of a pep talk along with a few ‘rules’ I have come up with along the way.

1 - Don’t be afraid, beads don’t bite.

You can do pretty much anything you want with beads. You may be the only person who likes it but as long as you are happy who cares what anyone else thinks of it? Jewelry is so subjective that no one can ever tell what will or will not sell.

2 - Stringing or other Assembly techniques are not permanent.

If you make a piece of jewelry and don’t like it, redo it. Stringing a bead is not a permanent commitment. Nothing says that you cannot take your piece apart and redo it if you don’t like it. The necklace in this picture was taken apart about 10 times before I came up with a design I liked.

3 - Symmetry, Take it or Leave it.

Symmetrical or pattern based pieces can be quite lovely, but don’t be caught up in the trap that says all pieces must be symmetrical. As long as a piece you are working on is properly weighted so that it hangs properly the rules of symmetry can be tossed out the window. Try using a pretty clasp as a focal point, group a few focal beads together in one section but don’t have an identical cluster on the other side. Here is a picture of a necklace I made where I decided the clasp shouldn’t stay in back.

In this picture you can see the cluster of lampwork with no corresponding cluster on the other side.

4 - Experiment with different sized beads and uses for the beads.

Just because your focal bead or the bead set you are using in your piece is a certain size don’t be afraid to use other beads that are wildly different in size from your focal pieces. Seed Beads can be great with lampwork despite the vast difference in size.

5 - Experiment with wild colors.

Just because your focal bead is one color doesn’t mean the accent beads have to be shades of that color. The necklace I posted in the first Assembly entry had a teal focal, and yes, some of the seed beads were teal, but I also had cobalt, light blue, and emerald green in the necklace. The colors didn’t match, but they did coordinate into a harmonious whole. If you missed that post you can see it here, complete with the picture of the necklace.

6 - Experiment with fibers.

This is one I haven’t used yet but I plan to. There are so many cute eyelash yarns, silk ribbons, and other fibers available now there is no reason not to add them to your work. These fibers will add not only an interesting visual component but a textural one as well.

And last but not least, the most important rule of all.

7 - THERE ARE NO RULES!!!

What I just typed is what works for ME. If you find that you wildly disagree with one of my rules, or it just doesn’t work for you then toss it out the window. Not only is jewelry making subjective for the buyer but it is also subjective for the maker. If you take nothing else from this post I want you to take away one thing. Just Do It! As long as when you complete the piece it doesn’t fall apart and you are happy about it then you have done it right. There is really no wrong way to create jewelry.

Now get up from your computer and go make something. Don’t forget to let me see what you have done.

Heather blogs from her studio in Wisconsin. If you would like to see more of her work check out her site at www.squareonebeads.com.

Tis the season to create a blushing pink lampwork bracelet!

It isn’t often that I have the pleasure of sitting down to create pieces of jewelry. This time of year is an exception to the normalcy of my routine, as I get to enjoy more than my share of creating gifts for family and friends. It’s a true pleasure because I explore the personalities of each individual as I try and design something special just for them. It comes with struggle however, as I tend to think of jewelry as being an extremely personal thing.Recently, I filled a custom order for a lovely set of pink and gray beads. I really loved how they turned out and my first thought as I strung them, was “Ah!! My mom would LOVE these!!” I made another large set for her to be used in a bracelet, necklace and earrings. Her style tends to be somewhat simple. Making things with her in mind leaves me with a craving to create something a bit more complex and detailed. Luckily, I had several of the lampwork beads that I used in her jewelry set left over. In fact, it was just enough for an additional bracelet.

As I sifted through one of my many coveted boxes of gemstones, I came across some pink Peruvian opal rondelles that I picked up at show last year. Their blushing color seemed to be a perfect accent to the pink and gray lampwork beads. Still, I thought, “Yes, there IS such a thing as TOO much Pink!” This idea paved way for a seeking mission that kept me digging through ten boxes of semi precious gemstones, only to find the beautifully faceted, steel blue-gray labradorite that I had purchased just one week ago.

With components chosen and scattered about my workspace, I began to think about what I really wanted the bracelet to look like. I knew that I wanted to do a double strand design, but at the same time, I wanted the design to also have a sort of flowing movement. Normally I can only achieve this idea in a piece that has a great deal of wire wrapping. Since I was bored of that idea, I chose to try and creatively string the design that I saw in my mind’s eye. I must admit that I am very pleased with this piece. Were I a wearer of the pinks, I’d have likely kept this one for myself.

Lydia Muell is a glass bead maker who blogs in her studio from Lexington, NC. For more information please visit here website at ashtonjewels.com

Assembly, the other half of jewelry making

Most of the articles here have been on the creative process of working with the glass to create beads, sculpture, tiles, etc… Very little has been said about the creative process of making jewelry though, and for many of us who work with glass the glass we create is not where the process ends. For me, only about half of the glass beads I make are sold as beads, the rest I turn into finished jewelry and sell it that way.

When I write out my work plan for the day I designate on my plan what will go to auction and what will go for jewelry. Sometimes however, I like something so much I will make two similar sets, one for jewelry and one for auction. If I REALLY like something I make three sets, one for jewelry to sell, one for auction, and one for a piece of jewelry for me. After all, if I’m not going to wear my jewelry, why should I expect anyone else to?

After I’ve made a bead or bead set for jewelry I then compare it to the image I had of the finished jewelry in my minds eye and make any adjustments that may need to be made. Sometimes the adjustments take a while so the bead(s) will sit on my desk until I have decided on the final product.

Lately I have been on a seed bead kick. I really love how slinky and slippery a hank of seed beads feels when I run my fingers through it so the last time I was at a bead store I bought 5 or 6 hanks of seed beads just to have and fondle until the prefect lampwork beads came along. I thought the beads were pretty just on their own so I wanted a piece where they were allowed to shine. Here is one of the necklaces, mostly seed beads except for a single open lampwork heart connecting the two sides of the necklace.

I think it turned out great, don’t you?

Heather blogs from her home workshop in Wisconsin. If you are interested in the necklace featured here you can see it at her Etsy shop. Other pieces of hers as well as links to her current auctions can be seen on her site Square One Beads.

Introduction: Otter…on Fear and Texture

My name is Otter, of Otter’s Flame Glassworks. I have been full time lamp working glass for over three years. When I started out making beads the first thing I taught myself was to make nice round beads, bicones and other traditional shapes. As I learned to control the heat and the glass a bit more I found I enjoyed making odd shapes that some people would not even recognize as a bead. I still like to make odd shaped beads and these days I work more and more off mandrel.

I have worked in other media as well and I believe the overall theme in this series of posts will translate to any artist no matter what medium you choose. I will not be saying anything new. I will not be saying anything we do not already know in our hearts. I will be saying something that does need repeating though.

I was working in my studio last night finishing off a bead. I was marvering the poor bead to death. “Aha, there, all finished, marvered nice and smooth and perfectly cylindrical.” I sat and looked at this nice, smooth well formed bead and just felt like giving it a cold water bath and shattering the entire thing right then and there. I had made a nice boring bead. I did add some heat and let it sag just a bit off center but I did not shatter it in cold water.

Now before I get too far down this path let me add a disclaimer. There is nothing wrong with smooth round well shaped beads. In fact I think most of us spend a great deal of time refining our skills to produce just that. Some of the most beautiful beads I have seen have been perfect little spheres that have combined great technical skill with artistic ability.

The problem with the bead I ended up with, the reason it was boring to me, is because I did not want a round smooth bead. I wanted a bead that was bold and full of texture. The exact bead I had about three steps before I “finished” this bead. I had used twisties and other techniques and the bead was bold, funky, and above all it was absolutely imperfect. I am not saying I ever make perfect beads but the texture I had in the bead before I finished it made it wonderfully imperfect, exactly what I wanted.

Why then did I smooth and reshape the bead after I had worked all of the texture into it? I am a coward. Yes that is right, I am full of fear, an artistic coward. What is the number one thing that prevents us from achieving our artistic goals? I have heard some people say it is a lack of skill level or proficiency but I believe it is fear. Skill comes with practice, repetition and building on the basics. I think it is possible for everyone to achieve proficiency in a given medium. Skill and technical merit will only take you so far however.

Fear intimidates me, causes self doubt and generally prevents me from fulfilling my artistic goals. It puts me in a frame of mind where I do not trust my creative nature. In all honesty fear cannot make me do or prevent me from doing anything. I allow the fear to influence me, I use it as a crutch and an excuse. My goal over the next few post is to break through some of this fear and discuss my strategies for it. Until then, it’s back to the torch.

Otter

Otter is a glass bead maker that blogs from the beautiful Pacific Northwest