The Blue Between: lampwork

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Blue Tiger Bead

I'm trying this out in some other colors (though I love the traditional topaz and cream and gold!). So far, this is not quite right, I got a reaction I don't love on the blue - the part that looks a little pink? Not what I wanted. I'll try again though! And I'm going to try purple too!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Hear Me Roar

I am so excited. These are the beads... THE BEADS... that have been waiting to come out of me for ever and ever. And they are finally here! My big cat beads, wild cats, beasts of the jungle, the Serengeti, the mountains, and yes, even the back yard. My Tribe of Tiger Beads.

The inspiration:

For many years, I've been messing around, trying to create "jungle print" type beads. Several years ago, for my birthday, Frank got me a private class with Corina. (My favorite birthday ever, Friday Harbor, kayaking, melting glass with Corina - pure perfection). I remember Corina asked me, what beads did I want to learn how to do - and I answered "animal beads, jungle beads". I'm sure she was thinking, "oh no! not animal beads" but she was great, she pulled out a big encyclopedia and found a picture of a giraffe and another one of a jaguar and we made "animal beads". They were lovely beads, I still have them and will treasure them forever... but they weren't "it".

I tried doing the tiger thing, the jaguar thing, even the zebra thing (I know, that's not a cat!)... but it was never "it", not quite what I was going for, whatever that was. My Rainforest beads hinted at "it". I love those beads... but there was something... else... I was still reaching for.

I finally found "it". Big cats. In glass. Beautiful reactive metallic sparkly shiny glass. My Tribe of Tiger beads. I love them - I hope you do too.