While glass is my first love, my knees weaken when I see something lovely. I think I mentioned it in an earlier post - but - I've decided that at this point in my life, it's time to take the time to take note... stop the car - get out and take that picture that you saw in your mind's viewfinder.
Along with this realization, I was given a good firm nudge from an old friend - saying she missed my taking my camera out for the day and shooting. I'd made a note to do that more also. (*lots of notes to self here lately*)... so I took these with her in mind - to add to the gallery and make mention that I owed it all to her. But sadly, she passed away before I could tell her.
I will always think of her when I add to my image gallery. Life IS a celebration and she just helped to remind me... I like that.
8.21.2014 - Packed with Personality...
It's funny - torch time is a pretty solitary time, usually accompanied by radio or simply thoughts running through my head. I've often said I believe in the 20min bead, that any more time spent means either it's way too complicated for my taste or it's just never going to work out! If I labor over it longer AND it doesn't work out - it's become a frustrating mental loss... accompanied by a potential financial loss from wasted time.
SO. I am torch-bonding with the newly born bead, and find that it often will name itself during this time... I then have a pretty good idea of whom it will become. The final sealing of its identity takes place during photography, where it can also develop a personality!
While the stringing of this set will definitely allow it to stand vertically upright - I think the falling down of several tiles add a sense of playfulness to an otherwise rather rigid set.
I also like to vary the size of these tiles a bit - to allow for visual fun. Because these are always made with transparent glass, I make sure to flame polish both sides of the tiles to make it read like old fashioned window glass. A smooth surface will more directly transmit light/sparkle/reflections. : )
I try to line them up to show edge progression, angles... maybe another shot showing clarity, or how when two light colors are superimposed - how the blending of colors naturally will occur.
Maybe it's safe to say - I love photography almost dangerously as much as I love making beads! ; )
smiles, Jill
8.20.2014 - Making it your own
We all start somewhere.
Like dry sponges, we soak up everything that's put before us. We wrestle with techniques and diligently practice, practice, practice.
Starting anything is a journey where we are inspired by someone or something. We emulate someone while learning the basics... while the world watches.
Back in late 1998 I saw lampwork beads on eBay that piqued my curiosity. I searched online for resources about lampworking. I eventually ended up on Sundance's site - making lists of what I'd need to get started.
“...because you’ve been so diligent and read so thoroughly, we are offering a beginner’s set - free...”
After devouring Sundance's site - I found a hidden reward link they'd posted that went something like this:
I ordered the kit and was soon on my way. It consisted of a small fiber blanket, release, mandrels and a few shorts of glass. I added a plumbers' torch from the local hardware and I was on my way. The oxygen deprived flame scorched and muddied most of the opaque colors - but even so, I knew I was hooked! I kept a blog for awhile where I posted images of my work's progression... take a look here: JillSymons.blogspot.com
I also found an article in an early issue of Bead and Button magazine (circa 1996) that interviewed Andrea Guarino (Slemmons) (Please forgive my memory - as I can't find that issue anymore - but loosely - this is what it said to me.) I strongly agree with what was said, that while we all need to start somewhere - copying is ok, but it's always good manners to credit your teacher/source.
It went on to say that when you master a technique, move on and modify it to make a design that's your own. In other words - Find Your Own Voice, this helps to define who you are as an artist. While coming up with a design that is your own is great - it's usually not very long before people are copying it *in some form or another*... so - always be moving forward on to new things AND if you're still making that signature bead , you'd better make sure that YOU are the one who still does it best!
My Weekly Wednesday Update each week has helped me always move my designs forward. This is paramount in my work, as people come here looking for things that delight, new things each week, or they don't come back.
I think many factors go into the making of an artist - these are just some of the things that shaped me into who I am and how I think... what and/or whom inspired you?
Smiles, Jill
8.13.2014 - Keeping it simple.
The first cool front of the summer rolled in last night, so it's coffee & oatmeal enjoyed on the deck on this gift of a summer morning - simple pleasures.
It is so easy to over complicate the things we all do - daily. I am constantly looking for that least common denominator - to knock it down a few notches, simplify, and get back to the basics.
I'm heading towards photography and light today. I started selling on eBay in 1999, at a time when there were fewer than five pages of lampwork listings. It was all just beginning for us back then and the market was hungry for what were offering. Listings sold for crazy high prices and it began a process of thinking for me. "Online sales - how can you stand out?"
The means of promoting your items was through the photographs and descriptions in your listings, and the images needed to be drop-dead gorgeous with well written descriptions. I have always loved the sexy side of photography - the careful arrangement of a set to capture crisp edges, a necessary reflection or the effect of a light flooded bead spilling out a color-filled shadow.
These minute nuances of serenity and beauty - in their simplest of forms - were what caught and kept the attention of online buyers. To allow them to enjoy the absolute sweetness of pure form and color - thoughtfully arranged and beautifully delivered.
It took me awhile to find my voice and understand how important the concept of being consistent was. Early on, I photographed in natural daylight, I loved the sparkle my glass gave off in the sunlight, but quickly realized that sunlight had differing color "temperatures" depending upon time of day and season, this caused my images to be inconsistent.
I moved indoors, giving up the sparkle and bought an illuminated light box and high(er) dollar equipment... (because we're used to "more is better" - right?) NOT. Currently, and for perhaps the past eight years, I photograph indoors with an old 5megapixel Sony Cybershot camera on a piece of printer paper with two daylight lamps overhead.
Keeping it simple... I strive for the quintessential compliment from customers - "I just received my beads and they're even prettier than the pictures!" I love it.
smiles,
Jill
ps - I am looking for a few more of these memory sticks:
if you have one, contact me and I'll give you a $50 credit (for a 128MB stick) to use towards purchases on my site.
8.6.2014 - It's all about choices... (I have an idea!!)
Each morning - we paint the way our day will eventually unfold. Whether it's the care we take with our appearance, the colors we select to wear OR even the music we absorb during the course of our day.
There are times - such as today - when I ditched the idea of wearing black and opted for a wonderful fuchsia linen top, I feel ALIVE in color - even if it's just to put together tonight's Weekly Wednesday Update (I never get to actually leave the house on Wednesdays!) but I choose to feel good - I get to set the stage to encourage this emotional lift.
I listen to music or talk radio each day and recognize the influence that my audio choices have on my work. I absorb what I listen to in my environment and often see it 'float' to the surface of my work. Change the music and see a different style bead!!
I just joined Spotify recently - and love the endless selection of music. It's easy to compile playlists AND share them. I am planning to put together some playlists of music that I love to listen to while I torch, and IF I'm not mistaken, they can be easily shared! So - stay tuned and I'll let you know when I've got one (or more) for you!
These were made during the Presidential election - I was deep in concentration, listening to the news. I find that this fine stringer work (on 1/2"d beads) is relaxing as well as mindless after awhile - that day I filled the kiln to capacity!
This style of bead came about when the US invaded Afghanistan in search of Osama Bin Laden. I was so creeped out upon realizing this - I remember quickly shutting down work for the day.
The emergence of these Urban Chic Tile sets usually indicate a sense of personal joy or mark a shift of season, or just my listening to acoustic music. Transparent glass usually dominates my work in the Spring, as I think its weightless appearance is especially appealing after a long dreary winter.
So, whether it's intentional or not - we do wear our emotions and are influenced easily by outside forces... what do you see in your work, can you remember if significant events appeared in some way in what you produced?
smiles,
Jill
7.30.2014 - ISGB membership & the reasons...
Bear with me, as this is a convoluted means to an end...
Back in 2004, I fell in love with my new golden retriever, Sam. He was a pup from an unknown KY backyard litter - he was awesome, then quickly he wasn't. He ended up with two blown knees, two expensive TPLO surgeries & eventually bone cancer - and we lost him before he was 9.
So...
When it came to getting another golden, (enter Charlie) I bought one from a reputable breeder - what I learned there was amazing. Debra Keen, of Brio Goldens shared her vast knowledge about the breed, & how the intent of breeders is to maintain the integrity of the line. Breeding the best with only the best (hopefully) only helps to strengthen the line and keep hip, cancer, elbow, eyes, heart etc. issues to a minimum.
So - yes - here's my point.
Yesterday I was reading the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers) page/forum on FB - where Libby Leuchtman was talking about the importance of supporting the ISGB. I, for many reasons, agree. I have been making beads for over 16 years and learned in, what was essentially, a vacuum. How would my experience have been different if I'd had people to bounce things off?
There was one post from a woman who questioned the $65 membership fee - why it was so important to join - going on to say how she was struggling to have money for glass, let alone this additional fee. Within minutes there was an incredible outpouring of reasons supporting membership AND many, MANY offers to send her supplies! What an incredible outpouring of support! I was totally floored. This is more the norm than the exception... how cool is that?
I can tell you that over the years I've gone to the forum on the official ISGB site to look up technical questions, find resources, teachers & answers. So - much like the breeder - the goal of this professional organization is to educate and promote this craft. To help glass artists produce art that is in the upper echelons when it comes to quality. It's very easy for this to be an incredibly solitary sport... and it's just so much nicer to have peers to encourage a direction or answer a nagging question.
7.25.2014 - Progression of an idea...
I have always enjoyed making raked/feathered beads and felt a distinct tug this morning in that direction. I'd been reading about what has caused Terra 2 to be unlike the original Terra... so - set out to make a focal to see if I could get it to strike in all those wonderful ways.
I realized that I don't like the results from my experiment - as the green just has tinges of plummy/purples at the ends... but what I did like was the "fluke" design - its crispness... and although somewhat organic, the encasing makes it too dressy. IMHO
Next try is 'ditch' the Terra 2 - go for more drama... DH Psyche... While my results of late seem all over the place with this color - I am liking the "Kronos/Picasso blue/green OPAQUE color" I'm getting, and know if I hit it with a nice reducing flame - I can get some metallic effects. YES!
So then we're off to the races... hmmm - how does one make a directional rake on a round cab. I am taking the liberty of assuming that this will be set with this direction in mind. I've raked up and down - while they do look like whale flukes, I now remember a focal I'd previously made - called Sea Grasses (yes, Louise - yours) - that had a similar look. BUT.THIS.IS.A.CABOCHON. (so it's ok).
This is the final result - *below* - I love it - and proceed to make two more! : )
7.23.2014 - What if?
I've always said that lampworkers all cook with the same ingredients, but have different recipes.
I became inspired to make cabochons a few months back when fellow lampworker Stacy Hilton Glaze fell hopelessly into the cab abyss.
Back in 2004 I took a silversmithing class - and set my first few cabs... they are tiny.
The challenge for me involves working in a totally different way - as instead of wrapping around a bead, it's rotated 90 degrees - and the design is built on the end. Your work faces you - straight on! Just imagine how much heat a red hot disk 1 1/2"dia can give off.
After a few years of making cabs at the end of glass rods, nipping them off, then grinding them - I bought some cabochon mandrels from Zooziis - as it seemed easier to get uniformly larger cabs - and it IS.
My work is evolving, and it's fun to see which of my favorite designs can easily translate to this form of 'bead'... just know that I am having fun! (yes, we crested 100 degrees here yesterday!)
smiles,
Jill
7.16.2014 - The Tesla Project & glassy friends
A few weeks back I saw that there was an event called the Tesla Project at an east side studio... so we loaded into the car one Saturday and went. The cars on display were privately owned and were fun to look at but not touch. Also there were artist studios, FUN... we went in and out of several - then I spotted her - Karen Woodward - a fellow glassie that I'd met about 10 years ago in Missouri! We had crossed paths here about 3 or 4 years ago as well... but this was cool.
Glassdaddy & Karen Woodward
Karen lives rather close by, and has stopped in to buy glass from Glassdaddy - so this was cool us both being there to say hello to her. I LOVE what she does with glass - I mean, how much emotion can you pack into a little lump of glass?
Karen has a way with whimsical. She sculpts.
She.is.COOL.
I also admire sculpture, and the amazing use of bright eye-popping color! Who knows where this type of inspiration will lead me... but at least you now know who to "blame"!
smiles,
Jill
7.9.2014 - Montage
Montage - JillSymons.com
Close up Peek of where I've been... wonder where I'm going??
7.2.2014 - Late night purchase on Facebook....
I was burning the midnight oil late one night on Facebook, when up popped a post telling of an oxygen generator for sale. I jumped on it, and after a few quick notes back & forth - it was mine. I had figured I could ask a good friend of mine to intercept it in a nearby (Arizona) town and bring it with them on their return trip to TX. Things worked out differently than I'd hoped and I found myself planning a cross country trip with my son. We left last Friday and made it to the Phoenix area AND back by Monday.
It was an amazing time shared with my youngest son - who had just learned to drive a stick shift... A bit mind numbing - zipping along at 75mph on I10. It allowed us to see a big part of the country we'd never before seen... and gave me time to impart some of those stored 'pearls of wisdom'. This photo was taken at a rest stop area called Texas Canyon - where there were these amazing rocks HUGE teetering rocks.
I went to pick up an oxygen generator, and that we did. It filled the car and was crazy cargo to be hauling while going onto a military base in El Paso... don't you think this would cause some raised eyebrows by security at the gate??? They didn't bat an eye...
Needless to say, the installation and learning curve that will follow are next to come - and I look forward to the extra boost it will allow my torch! Staying put for a good while... over 2k miles driven is quite enough!!! smiles, Jill
PS - update tonight at 9pm EST
6.254.2014 - Not Glass Related...
The other morning I quietly laughed as I looked at my coffee table... normally there are beads and catalogs... but it was strewn with instruction manuals for tools. A reciprocating saw, and a trimmer... and it was nice. I love tools... but I don't like having to buy them to get my life back in order.
Almost two weeks ago parts of Austin were hit with the scariest storm I've ever experienced. (next day reports were of 70-90mph winds) Terrifying doesn't even begin to describe the terror I felt as I stood in the living room, watching my beautiful oak tree sway like it were a weeping willow - not an OAK!
I took this photo with my iPhone at 11:30PM by a lightning strike - nearly two hours into the storm - which shows the beginning of the many downed fence panels and the loss of the center portion of my oak. The past days have been full of hard work digging out huge chunks of concrete as many fencing panel posts simply snapped at their bases! We rebuilt a good 70' of fencing solely on my property and repaired the common panels of adjacent neighbors. Sheesh... makes one feel really small....
...and incredibly lucky.