Bead and button inspired Sculpting Glass and a side job…

In my last post, I showed you my last murrini, “The running man” bead. Yes, that is me, hurry hurry, busy, busy, 24 hours…7 days…365 days a year….

In the back of my mind, I keep telling myself, when I get back from Bead and Button I will slow things down a bit.

SO, I get back from Bead and button, and the electricity is out. (The house smells like mold, and my husband is suffering from severe sciatic nerve pain; so he takes the kids to his mom and dads and leaves the house to suffer. Unplugging nothing, waisting hundreds of dollars in food, and my kiln box took a hit! ) (THANK YOU to Michael Crowly from the Glasshive for sending me a FREE part to fix it. He is such a great kiln builder.) The power remained out for 4 days! NOTHING slowed down!

And! MY MIND is RACING!!!

So, did I do good selling my beads at bead and button? I came out ahead. If I had gone solo and paid my way ANY more, it would have been a loss. I sold beads with 16 artists. The beads were beautiful. Your chances of selling with a group like that were decreased. Lots to look at… and the trays were stacked. it is a lot of work to see it all. And, just the fact that it is a “bead show”, people are there to buy beads. PRODUCT LINE stuff. Not really what I do. I do consider it, we’ll see. I am addicted to one of a kinders. My pieces look best when they are not smashed together too(I think).

I will do it again. And, next time I will do it different. I would like one or two partners; not 16. I will put my “jewelry” beads at the guilds table, and put my one of a kinders on my table, spread out like little sculptures. And, I will have many little sculptures created by then.

I aquired two collaboration projects I am really looking forward to. I definetly made some good contacts.

I am still making beads, but I am adventuring to sculptures (glass paper weights too) this summer. Wood,glass,concrete stuff…

And! No. I will not slow things down. I am taking a job doing shop drawings for an institutional casework company. Fumehoods, canopy hoods, stainless steel furniture, cabinets….The stress of NEEDING money can go away. I need to sculpt! I may just have to join my cyber sister program at Etsy; THE SCULPTURE PROJECT! The need to sculpt is strong!

You will see my beads at Etsy, or Ebay all summer.

And! I promise WMC a photo of a sculpture with glass SOON!

Real life Inspires RUNNING man glass murrini

I joined the Watch Me Create team Blog to share inspiration, and to help myself. It is very important that I take time to be objective about my work. The team blog helps me do that.

Lately, I am tired, overworked, and my muse is not always around these days. (EVERY Artist goes through this more than one time!)

As I start another side job creating Autocad drawings for a family Institutional casework business, while I still raise two kids, and manage my art, do laundry, save money for shows (bead shows, and music shows), and all the other real life stuff I have to take care of (I am sure many can relate to the chaos!) ….

This is what I have created, the “running man” murrini. This is my third attempt, and I am happy with the result. (I also created a walkng man that you can see at my personal blog.)

I am always in a hurry, and this bead (believe it or not) has encouraged me to slow down.

I combined some reactive Kronos glass with cobalt, and applied the murrini in a patchwork looking fashon.

I am looking forward to attending the bead and button show in Milwakee and I am excited to see the response these beads get. When I return I will let you know what happens. Will I sell enough to keep keepin’ on? Or, will this journey slow down for a while; while I side job, and work on my Sculptures?? Hm….

Keeping a spirit alive with art glass beads

Beads can be little keep sakes. Years ago I enjoyed making neck pieces with seed beads that would tell stories. Little pictures of landscapes and stick people, would go around a 1/2″ tube of seed beads. I used a geometric square stitch. The stitch only had so many possibilities; I had limitations. Unless I made the piece huge, I could not really get the detail I was looking for, so I lost interest.

One of the things I LOVE about lampworking glass beads, is that I am not limited at all when it comes to detail. The only thing that has held me back in the last few years is my experience, and skills. At this point I feel my skills have come along way, and I am much more confident with the custom orders I take. In the last couple years I have been making family beads, and keep sake beads with animals or people.

My most recent commissions were gifts made for a mom and daughter that lost their family in a car accident. I was asked to create two beads. One for the mother who lost her daughter and husband, the other for the mother’s other daughter that is getting married this weekend. The flower girl was the little girl killed in the car accident. Sad.

The bead for the mother, with the family of three was created as a keep sake, created to remember her family by. A family of three Soul gestures with a rainbow horizon. On the back of the bead is three hearts, symbolising that someday they will be together in heaven.

The bead for the step daughter is a gift for her Wedding. On one side, we have two soul gestures, representing the couple to be married, and a horizon with a rainbow. The back of the bead is two murrini hearts in the sky. This is symbolizing her step sister, and Dad in heaven looking over them.

Traditionally Art has been used to depict historical figures. Usually to show our appreciation for the people that come before us, and to remember what they stood for. Seeing a piece of art, custom made, that is about your family, is priceless. It is awesome, and exciting.

Creating something that has a strong meaning, and can make someone have feelings, is inspiring to me. A keep sake like this can keep the spirit of those two souls alive for years to come. This bead will tell a family story that may be sad, but in the end, that family will enjoy the memory of those two people forever; keeping their spirit alive.

You can visit my website (www.sheilamorley.com) if you are interested in seeing more of my work.

Warring States~people pass the dots~Dzi inspiration part 2

Here are all the views! This was a fun bead to take pictures of. Continuing from my last post; creating warring states dot/eye beads with people on them. I am creating Dzi style beads with the same style of dot/eyes. As I strived for perfection; over, and over again, trying to have straight, defined lines. Wanting each dot to be centered…the people in relief, no bleeding colors between the layers. Most of the parts of this bead are very defined, and perfected. Here is a stage of my progress.

Hm…that was a patient one….This is a one of a kind. The pedestal the bead is on is copper plated, and will someday be finished (when I get around to it).

The people remind me of cave paintings thousands of years old, and the design is ancient as well. The two together makes a good story.

Taking the time to be objective about my work has allowed my brain to take it this way. Thanks to this team blog.

You can learn more about me at my website. I currently have auctions at E-bay, or you can visit my fixed price shop at Etsy (with new marbles and my Largest DZI bead).

People beads inspired by “Watch Me Create” (WMC) writing.

Inspiration comes in Mysterious ways. Writing about my work here on WMC got to inspire a bead that has now inspired 5 or 10 more bead. (And, I see more on the way!)

As I wrote in my post from March 8, 2008, “my spontaneous inspiration that is coming to me right now; I am seeing little warring states beads with people on them passing the dots, celebrating the creation.”This is the first Warring states bead I have made with people passing the dots, playing around…(at auction today)

I have been studying Dzi beads, the meanings behind them, how to create them…I have combined the Dzi designs with the Warring state eye beads, and have been incorporating people into those too. This is a sneak peek at my series named, “Contemporary Dzi” (Or, I might spell it, “Dzeye”, cuz that is how I pronounce it.)

Those zig zags in the Dzi design remind me of stairs. yep, I have people walking up the steps…moving dots around…imagine? You’ll have to come back for my next post to see the results.

WMC could inspire you too

You can learn more about me at my website. I currently have auctions at E-bay (including this people bead), or you can visit my fixed price shop at Etsy (with new marbles and my Largest DZI bead).