One Lovely Bead

The new tools sparkled on the workbench, beckoning him to try them out and see what new creations he could create.

The first bead he made was fairly good, although not as symetrical as he would have liked.

Beads two and three went right into the water can with a couple of curses.

Four went into the kiln, only to later be thrown into the trash when it came back out as its shape was a complete disaster.

The new tools did not seem to be helping at all. "Practice makes perfect", he thought and pressed on further.

Five showed real promise, as did six. However, the final step in the beads design sent them both off kilter.

Hours passed and more and more beads went into the water can. More curses followed them and more glass was wasted with little to no improvement in the success rate of the beads.

Growing ever more impatient and ever more doubtful of having any skill with glass whatsoever, it was time to quit. Put the new tools away, turn off the torch and stomp out of the studio.

A small, still part of his mind, which was wiser and calmer than the remainder of his cognitive abilities, suggested making one last bead, but not with the new tools. The old way.

He grabbed a few different colors that he would use in the new bead and began creating one focal bead.

The glass melted as can be expected and the pattern blossomed with ease. The glass flowed and he balanced it with years of practice as he had done so many times before.

The water can sat silent and unnoticed. No curses were hurled.

And into the kiln went one lovely bead.

Great Show, Bad News

First off, let me say, "Thank You" for all the well wishes for my show today that I have received. I really appreciate it and the show went very well. I had some new customers and repeat buyers alike purchase my work. That made me feel great.

Thank you to all of you wonderful folks!

Now the Not So Great

After waiting and waiting and waiting. Septemberfest's letter arrived today, and I didn't get into the show. I am on a waiting list, but that isn't something that can be counted on at this point.

Once I got home and checked my e-mail this evening, I got the notification from the second show. I didn't get accepted into that one either.

WOW, a double whammy. One show rejected me late while the other one did it early to create the perfect storm of OUCH.

Now its time to pick myself back up and keep moving forward which I am doing. It's just a little tough to be rejected by both shows nearly simultaneously. Now I'm focusing back onto my work, new designs and creations since I don't have a production schedule to keep any longer.

There are some shows in the late fall that I'll be looking into and more will be coming about those as they develop.

There is a glass sculpting class coming up in July that I'm looking forward to. It's being taught by Ken Herman whom I saw demonstrate his craft a few weeks back. Click HERE for the blog entry about his work.

That will be really cool.

Thanks for all of your support and interest.

Take Care!

My Bags Are Packed, And I'm Ready To Go!

Good evening Everyone!

Tonight I reorganized all of my stock (and there's more than I thought I would have) into fewer, but more tightly packed boxes and am just about ready to go to the show tomorrow.

I'm feeling really good about everything I'm taking and hopefully folks will respond to it.

I've polished up the silver bangle bracelets since they needed a little more shine and they look great now.

Still no word from Septemberfest, but hopefully soon.

Have a great night, make like Dionne Warwick and say a little prayer for me!

Prepping For A Mother's Day Show At Work

I've been very busy this weekend getting ready for a new show that I 'm doing at work in preparation of Mother's Day.

I've made up a bunch more earrings, beads for letter openers in various colors and desings and am going through the many and varied beads I have for other jewelry design options.

I'm pooped! (So this is going to be a short one tonight)

All of the earrings I've made have been photographed, but probably won't be put onto the web site until after my show on Wednesday.

I did one of these shows just before Thanksgiving last year and it was very successful. Let's hope that lightning will strike twice!

And to answer that question that's probably on your mind, no, I have not yet heard from Septemberfest. Hopefully soon one way or the other.

Have a great night, and keep your fingers crossed for me!

I Haven't Heard Yet, But I'm Waiting--Patiently

Have I mentioned that patience is not one my better qualities? I'm still working on it though. Trying not to think about it too much.

I have not yet heard from the Septemberfest folks to find out if I've been accepted into their fall show or not. I'm hoping that I have been, but I won't know until I'm notified. *obviously*

Since I haven't gotten an e-mail yet and the notification date was yesterday, I'm assuming that the information is being mailed out by snail mail.

When I got home tonight from the gym, I thought there might be an envelope for me. Not yet. I'll just keep trying to put it out of my mind. *I really want this show*

As Scarlet O'Hara says, Tomorrow IS another day!

Wish me luck!

*Dear God, I need this show*

A Big Day For CGGE On Etsy!

As you may recall, I am a member of the Creative Glass Guild Of Etsy or CGGE. Today was a very big day in the Etsy forums for us since we have had one of our biggest, if not THE BIGGEST posting of new glass art today.

There has been so much new work posted that I have not been able to keep up with all of it and still have more to look at.

Our thread for today can be found HERE.

There are so many wonderful artists in this group, I think you will find persuing the links to new items and the chit-chat and banter between everyone very entertaining. Who knows, you might actually find something you can't live without.

All of the artisans in this group are very open and friendly and love the chat with anyone who may have a questions or request.

Won't you come take a look at some of the beauty you may have been missing?

I start one of these "What's New" threads each day on Etsy. The link to the new thread, once it has been posted, is added to the prior day's so that everyone can find the new posting since there are so many on Etsy going at any given time.

Come dive in!

On The Hunt

This is going to be a short one tonight since it so late, but I wanted to tell you about my hunt that I have started at the urging of some friends and customers.

What am I hunting for, you ask? I'm hunting for a gallery that I can display and sell my work in addition to my on-line and art fair presences.

I've contacted a couple so far and have sent out an official e-mail to one gallery tonight that looks quite promising.

With any luck, I will hear back from them soon to arrange a meeting. I'll keep you posted on how the search goes as things develop.

If you have any suggestions, I will definitely take them!

Wish me luck!

Happy Anniversary, O'Reillys!

Saturday afternoon, I went out to the stained glass shop that I took my first lampwork glass class in and where I now teach intermediate and advanced classes for their anniversary celebration.

O'Reillys Stained Glass has been creating and serving glass artists for 9 years in Crystal Lake, Illinois. To commemorate the event, there was food, cake and huge crowd of folks to watch demonstrations by glass sculptor Ken Herman.

Ken works in Borosilicate glass and has an unusual torch set up with a specialized table he's built so that he can use several flames at various angles all at the same time. He even has a large flame that comes up from the bottom of the table for melting larger pieces of glass, like paperweights (as you can see in the photo).

This blue perfume bottle is really gorgeous, but I'm partial to blue anyway. However, the stopper with the large flower is really something and quite a work of art in its own right.

The red bottle below is very dainty and a wonderfully executed piece of glass art. The flower stamen stopper is also a very nice touch to this piece.

It was great fun getting to see him work and all of the lovely creations that he has made. He works on a much larger scale than I do, and he was quite an inspiration to watch.

He makes some really amazing glass flowers, perfume bottles and floral scenes that must be seen in person to really be appreciated. I've grabbed a few of his pictures from the web, but more can be found in the For Sale section of O'Reillys Stained Glass's web site.

He's just starting to put his work out into the public and is looking into art fairs and other venues for his work. Who knows, he might just be at an art fair near you in the near future.

Thank you so much, Suzy for the wonderful afternoon and great party. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to celebrating your 10th anniversary next year.

Have a great night!

It's Official...I've Applied

To what, you ask?

Well, I've applied for the Naperville Art League's Riverwalk Fine Art Fair.  I attended this fair for the first time last September at the recommendation of a co-worker of mine.

I checked it out and was very impressed with the quality if the items in the fair and beautiful setting of the fair along the river.  If I get in, I will be amongst some amazing artists in a number of mediums including painting, sculpture, pottery, textiles and of course, GLASS.

Last year there were a number of glass blowers and sculptors present, but only one lampwork jewelry booth.  This year I'm hoping to make that two or one (if she doesn't come back).   Wish me luck.

It will several months before I know anything, so now I just have to wait and see what happens.

New Glass Ordered

In preparation for attending the two shows I've applied to (so far), I decided to place a new glass order to replenish a number of colors that I've run out of over the year since my last order and get a few new colors into my supply.

It's amazing that I can make beads for a year at a time and still have a ton of glass, but need more since I'm out of so many colors.  How can I have so much glass in the basement and not have enough?

Oh well, I guess it's just an artist thing.

Any New Store Items?

Today's torching session was quite productive in that I got some new canes pulled for vines and grapes and created a couple organic beads (one will be stopper, hopefully) and I also created a new fish bead which should also end up being a wine/bottle stopper if it fits.  I haven't made a fish in nearly a year, but I certainly haven't forgotten how.  I think is one of my best ones yet.

Of course, there will be lots of pictures this week if I don't put anything into my shop.  Now that I've taken care of a number of business items, I should have more torch time on Tuesday so that may generate a new store item or two.

Stay tuned!

The Tax Man Cometh And Other Disappointments

Well, I'm probably up way too late tonight since I have an early morning meeting with my accountant, but I'm pulling together all of the paperwork that I need to take with me in the morning.

While I'm anxious to find out what my refund will be for the personal taxes, it's always a little nerve wracking to put everything down onto paper and let an outsider scrutinize it and ask questions.  I'm always afraid they're going to find that I've done something wrong.

Fortunately, that has not yet happened in the four years I've been running this business.  So, it's doubtful that this will be the year for a major mistake.

After the tax meeting, I'll be heading over to the glass store for a bit of a visit and to pick up the beads that I made during the class I taught a few weeks ago.  

No Club Bead Show

I also found out this morning that a bead show, that I was hoping to participate in for the first time this year, has been cancelled.  Our local bead club always has a show in mid-September and I've attended it for a number of years.  This was the year I was going to actually get a booth and give it a try, but now that will not be happening.   

Back to drawing board on that one.  I'll have to research additional venues for the summer months and see how it goes.

Is Septemberfest Ready For Me?

On a positive note, I have submitted my application to Septemberfest, which is a large arts and crafts show in Schaumburg every year.  It's a great show and I hope it works out that I can display there for my first time.  

I won't find out about this until May 1st, so think happy thoughts for me until then.

Have a great night and a terrific weekend!

Tools Of The Trade Part 4: The Price Is Right?

While strategies for pricing a work may not be considered a classic tool used by the artist, the technique of calculating a fair price for a work is an essential tool for any artisan that is in business.  Without an objective method of assessing a price, we run the risk of not being able to afford to continue our artistic pursuits.

As artists, we often struggle with how to price our items since we are creating items from base materials whether they are paint, fabric, stone, or in my case, glass.  Our creations are, hopefully, worth more than the materials we used to create them from, but how much  more?

When I first started out, I had no idea of how to price my work and just kind of did the "Shot In The Dark" method.  I find this tends to be how everyone initially starts pricing their items when they first start out.  At first we're thrilled that anyone would want what we've made.

At my first show that I attended with my lampwork beads, a teenager came up and asked about buying a couple of bead that he wanted.  When he asked the price and I told him, he looked up at me as said, "Why is it so expensive?  It's just sand, isn't it?" 

I didn't know how to respond to him.  I'd just lost a $20 sale and had no idea how to answer him and educate him at the same time.  He'd obviously never been exposed artisan beads and jewelry, and in comparison to the price he could get beads at the craft store, it did seem expensive to him.

After several years of selling my beads and jewelry, I was still guessing at the worth of my work so when I found a class at last year's Bead And Button Show on pricing artist's work, I signed up immediately.   I would highly recommend it for any artists out there who are struggling with pricing there work... and you know who you are!

Finally, someone was going to tell me how much my work was worth  WRONG!  What he did do was give the class a number of factors to consider before pricing our work since everyone in the room worked in a different medium.

The instructor worked in fine jewelry using gold, platinum, diamonds and other expensive materials in the fabrication of his jewelry.  So for him, he needed to really price out how much his material cost was going to be in order to weigh whether or not he would actually complete the work since the materials could end up pricing it right out of the market--no matter how fabulous it would have been.

Fortunately, I work in glass, sterling silver and natural stone instead of gold, platinum and diamonds.  

After spending hours working out formulas, spreadsheets, material pricing, etc., I found that my material costs really didn't impact much of the final price.  The most important factor in pricing my glass work turned out to be my TIME at the torch.

Time turned out to be such a factor, that it is almost the sole basis of pricing my lampwork.  I keep track of the time I work on making the set of beads or a single bead and then multiply it by my hourly wage that I pay myself (pretend you're your own boss), and that's the price of the set.

While lampwork glass can run anywhere from $8 per pound on up past $100 per pound, there really isn't a lot of weight involved in a set of beads. If there is a lot of weight in the beads, such as a large set of tigers, then there is also an equal amount of extra time needed to work and shape that extra glass which can be translated back into time spent in that set.

Well that seems pretty cut and dry and simple doesn't it?  Not so fast.  If I'm working out a new design or trying a technique that I'm not familiar with it may go much slower initially until I get the hang of it.   Is it fair to charge the first few customers of that style twice what it will cost the rest of the customers just because I wasn't as adept at that technique?  Of course not.

If I find that my time is unusually long on a particular bead or set of beads due to technical proficiency, then I examine the finished set and figure out the amount of time it should have taken and price it based upon that instead.

When it comes to pricing my jewelry and gift items that include my beads, then I must include the prices of the silver wire, toggles, findings, stones and other items into the cost of the piece.  Fortunately, I know what those costs are and that is an easy calculation to add them into the formula with the additional time of designing and stringing the items.

I always strive to give all of my customers good value for their money, but at the same time ensure that the prices I charge enable me to continue working in this wonderful medium.

If art was priced solely based upon the materials used, then I could buy a Picaso painting for the few dollars of paint and a canvas that it took to create it.

If I ever get asked again, "It's just sand, isn't it?"  I can guarantee you I'll know how to answer them this time around.

Pucker Up - A Hallmark of Quality

I'm Blogging on my lunch break today, so I'll need to keep this one short.

Today, I'd like to talk about puckered ends...no not your end or mine for that matter, but the ends on beads around the hole.

A sure sign of well made bead is that the area around the hole on both ends of the bead are puckered, that is, they dip toward the hole in a smooth curve and there are not points or jagged edges which could possible fray or cut the medium they will eventually be strung onto.

When wrapping glass onto a mandrel, a steel rod that will eventually be removed to create the hole in the bead, the footprint of the bead should be evenly wrapped so that the glass creates this round pucker naturally.

Due to the physics of glass (which I won't bore you with, I promise), it naturally wants to be round and gather toward the center of the mass on the mandrel. When a beads footprint is wider than the amount of glass wrapped, the bead will form a football shape with very sharp ends around the hole.

If the bead is going to be shaped, either in a press or by marvering (rolling the bead on a surface to shape the glass), then this shape is sometimes necessary when wrapping. However, in the final bead when all shaping has been completed, there should not be any sharp or jagged points.

During the summer, I attended an art fair in a lampworker was selling necklaces made of beads that obviously where too wide and had jagged points on their ends. She'd hidden these flaws by using some rather large bead caps in her jewelry.

This is just something to keep an eye out for when buying beads on-line or in finished jewelry that I think everyone should know before putting down your hard earned money. If you get a bad bead from another artist, that may well put you off lampwork from other artists, and that would be a shame.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to suggest topics, I can be reached through this blog or through my web site or shop at:
http://www.lampofluxury.com
http://BurningScentsations.etsy.com

Have a great day!