Monday, March 11, 2013

Hatching WIPs

I was inspired to play with more sculptural pieces of lampwork.  In part because as the studio name implies I live near the woods and enjoy nature.

Off I went to Pinterest to round up some owl pictures and some others of mushrooms, more on the mushrooms in another post.  The shrooms still need to be annealed and cleaned so they have not been  photographed yet.  I didn't pin any birds, mostly because growing up as the child of a bird watcher many of those shapes and colors are ingrained in my memory.  Owls on the other hand are more often heard than seen due in part to their nocturnal habits.

Next it was time to sit at the torch and create.  I enjoyed making these little guys more than I can explain.  I like some much better than others and will incorporate features of most of them in future beads.  Hence the WIP in the title of this post, my little hatchlings are a work in progress and as I build better parliaments of owls and flocks of birds I will list some for sale in my Etsy shop.  In this round of owls, some of them got a tad too hot and burned and bubbled the glass.

Below are the beads I have created so far.  Which are your favorites?  All critiques are welcome :)



Also, if anyone has a used annealing kiln they would like to sell either comment or email me.  As I as worked on these I realized it's time for something larger than my mini annealer.

What's hatching in your studio as spring approaches?

7 comments:

  1. I think they're all great but your great horned owl is fantastic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you :). Both my girls want that guys, but since I thought he was the best of the bunch he is going on a necklace to be (hopefully) sold this weekend. I will make more so they can each have one.

      Delete
  2. I pick your cheerful little songbirds, Ali, particularly the one by the penny, as the streaky effect is charming... but all are marvelous!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Monique! I need to make some more robing type birds with that glass (without scorching it this time :)).

      Delete
  3. they are just wonderful. I'm not much into the owl trend, but can see how lovely yours are, it's the birds I love best

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ali, they are LOVELY!!!

    You know I still use my pmc kiln.... very small 8x8x8 - for most of my glass work. It's far easier on the old electric bill as well!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Holly, it meas a lot coming from a lampworker such as yourself! Mine mini annealer is about a third that size, lol. I'm looking at maybe a Chili Pepper or Blue Bird Jr. Which pmc kiln do you have and how do the mandrels fit in?

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by, I'd love to hear your comments!