Jami's Blog

Flowers

Random pics of a piece I've been working on.

Firescale is making me polish this way more than I should have to.

I love this piece!

Gotta love macro!

Sunday dinner

Today was a wonderfully laid back day. It rained almost an inch last night and we slept in to the sounds of raindrops hitting the roof. DD and I actually cooked together today. She made a udon noodle dish with lots of ginger, carmelized onions and spinach. I made egg rolls stuffed with curry fried tofu, basil, lettuce and cucumbers. All in all, it was a very edible Sunday dinner.

I tried to talk her into going to see Julia and Julia to finish off our culinary Sunday but she is busy with homework and laundry. 

I'm counting down the hours till Big Brother and Sookie Sunday! Yippee!

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Pretties

Some new glass I am playing with.

((((Love))))

Berkley Class

Just a quick drive by post..

Still here in CA and finished a two day class with Hadar Jacobson in Berkley.

She is the most awesome teacher!

PMC and Copper Rock

Bronze Clay hollow form

I absolutely love the patina of these. This is straight out of the kiln, no polishing or finishing. 

My Kitchen Window

I think it would be pretty cool if other people would posts pics of their kitchen windows. I love my window. A collection of plants and little curiosities from the past. My Orchid which I neglect and still blesses me with flowers every few months, just when I need them.

A new use for art glass marbles

I had fun yesterday playing with my marbles.

I used a bunch that were all around the same size and remembered that quite a few were purchased or was gifted to me at Moon Marble. 

(L-R) Lewis Wilson, John Kabuki, Me, and I think Mike Edmondson (can't read his sig cane). 

Velvet silk scarf, pre dyeing.

After dyeing. 

Focus what focus?

Lots of things going on which include buying Euros and making sure DD has what she needs for her trip to France, spending hours on a stupid DVDR cable box, trying to find a direction design wise and being seduced by glass.

I have only torched a few times this month and have been trying new double helix glass. Their new clear Aether is devine as is the rosey pink, Aurae.

Learning From Mistakes

I can't believe it is February already! Time flies when nothing goes like you imagine it will. I'm still fiddling with dyeing a bit and knitting and torching every now and then. I have beads to show but never get around to photographing them. 

This scarf was supposed to be black. The second dye attempt that has resulted in purple. I will not give up! lol

After I dyed it I then decided to wrap it around a pole and scrunch it and then try discharging the dye in a hot chemical bath. It did nothing.

Hmmm.... okay try again.... nothing.

Then I decided to try using a discharge paste stenciled on then ironed.

That worked and turned out pretty cool. Then I decided to wrap it again and set the pleats again. 

So, for what was supposed to be a black, white and gray pleated shibori scarf, it turned totally into something else.

I love it and am wearing it tonight at the Gallery Show

Color play

I have been very negligent in posting to my blog lately.

I suppose it is a funk of sorts. I keep plugging along with shibori experiments and trying to catch up with endless chores. I've been cooking a lot for DD and spending time with her. I made a yummy corn chowder yesterday with tofu. Gotta get protein in that girl somehow!

Some random pics... My camera and cloudy days do not mix.

This picture really does not show the depth and variations of color. A scarf that I mounted as a hanging banner for the KC Art Institutes Continuing Education Art Show

Update of sorts

I was reminded that I haven't posted in ages to my blog so thought I'd do a quick update. I had two shows in December which went very well and then I did a few handmade gifts for family. I've also been knitting up a storm and enjoying our new fireplace. 

It is a quadra fire super energy efficient model. 

Our old insert was about 10 percent energy efficient, the new one 85%.

It is so nice to turn it on and have it heat up the living room!

Mulvane Art Museum

A quick drive by as I click through my list of things to do.

Photos are current items I'm working on. 

Brrrrr! It's cold in the studio!!

Four days till Mulvane Merriment!

You've been Obamaed

Sunday morning when I took my dog out I saw the cutest thing.
My next door neighbor has a McCain sign and underneath it was a itty bitty cute little sign.

And here is the Right's really classy way of respecting another persons choice.

Update drive by

I thought I would share a few photos from the Obama Liberty Memorial rally on Saturday.
I tried to write a post about it on LE and found myself lacking for words to describe the experience.
Pride, joy, hope and fear where the words I came up with. It was an amazing once in a lifetime experience. I am so proud of Obama and he makes me have hope for my country.

WWI Memorial building with secret service stationed on the roof.

Only a small portion of the people lined up

Pandora

I am addicted. I want to just sit and make bead after bead with this glass.
Freaking awesome color. Can it be even better than boro?
Gasp.... no NEVER! lol
But I do likey alot!

Making stuff with bronze clay

I have been busy making lots of experimental stuff. It has been fun but sometimes you just get way off track and before you know it you have five days to get ready for a show. So I am making boro beads to fill in blank spots in my usual inventory. Se la vie!
Here are some bronze clay experiments. The three columns on the left are the first firing, using maybe 120 grams. The right three columns are the second firing, 180 or so grams. I have a couple other pieces floating around from the first firing. I used the acid washed coal and am liking the colors better in the second firing. This bronze is incredibly hard after firing. I learned the hard way that 99% of the fabrication needs to be done when it is soft. Drilling holes later is a real big laborious pain, even with a foredom and diamond bits.
Love it! Don't you?

Pandora Glass

Here are some shots of some beads I've made lately.
I have been using a new glass called Pandora by Double Helix.
Great stuff, a lot like boro in it's temperament meaning it can be unpredictable.

Unstruck ones needing to go back in the kiln.