Angelas Diner

I’ve decided to give a glimpse into my creative process - and want to explain beads and why i love to make them…..specific beads, that is! today, let’s look closer at the enameled beads that i make with clear glass - i just listed an etsy necklace using this type of bead… here’s a really large picture– you can see the detail really well (click the picture, it gets even bigger!) :

i take clear glass, and layer various colors of enamels to come up with beads that have a depth and movement to them….. i was thinking of winter sunsets when i made the ones in the necklace above. i remember one necklace that i made last spring - i had come back from a weekend away in western massachusetts and visited the clark museum. at the clark, i saw a Renoir painting of peonies that vibrated with reds, white, and pinks.

this is the necklace I made from the beads inspired by the Renoir painting.

yesterday i worked my normal shift at the gallery - and didn’t really expect to see anyone since the weather report predicted heavy rain and wind from the remnants of a hurricane that was passing to the east. it was funny how busy it was! karen maynard stopped by and we talked for a while about the work, her work, my work, and the gallery in general. her work is always some of my favorites - her palette reflects what i would choose if i worked in oils. here are a couple of pics of what she has in the show this month:

at our auction this summer, i grabbed a painting of pears by karen - it’s hanging in my cubicle at work…. funny to see “real art” in a cubicle farm!

my work this month includes the felted bowls - here’s a couple of pics of how they are displayed:

I love the complementary colors - the bowls are really fun to make, as I mentioned before.  Even in the rain and wind, we had some shoppers yesterday.  First, a woman bought a scarf that Karen made - and said she “loved shopping for gifts at the gallery” during our November and December shows especially.  THEN, I ended up making my first sale of my own art while I was there! Up until now, my stuff has sold when I haven’t been gallery sitting.  This time, I got to meet the person purchasing - FUN!  She bought one of my felted bowls from the left photograph above.  It’s a gift, so I won’t say anything here to identify her - but I was so happy to meet her.  She loved the bowl, and I had some of the yarn with me that I showed her as well as talking about the lampwork beads embellishing the front of the bowl…. absolutely a wonderful day, even in the wind and rain.

spent the last couple days getting things ready for the gallery… I made some lampwork bead embellished felted bowls. the hand dyed wool is knitted and then washed in hot hot hot water to make them. because the bowls don’t take all that long to make, i like to think of them as “knitting snacks” - i can take the work anywhere (like soccer games) and finish up one or two while watching television or sitting in the car waiting for kids to come and go. how do you like them?

There is an artist here in my state, and I am a big fan of his work- CW Roelle.

I’m using this image with his permission….. I just saw an ad in a local magazine — he’s going to have an exhibit November 2 - December 1 right here in Providence. His own website has many many more pictures, as well as in the gallery section on Flickr. If you are in the RI area, I REALLY encourage you to go up to Wickenden St. and see the exhibit. While you’re there, you can grab a bite to eat at the Brickway on Wickenden (love their omelet that has the tomatoes, spinach, and feta) and then hit Utrecht if all the exposure to local art has got you itching to create something.

As for me, my fingers need to make jewelry, but my soul wants to melt glass. <sigh> Off I go to the jewelry studio (NPR, and Chai tea) today, saving the beads for a day when I’m not so drained from the daily grind.

This morning on my two hour drive up to class, I listened to NPR on the local public station WGBH. One feature on Tuesday is “morning stories.” Today’s was about Kevin Jankowski and how his love for art was sparked and nurtured by a couple who owned a Frank Lloyd Wright house in New Hampshire. You can listen to the six minute piece here ; and online it is a video, which is cool. I especially love how they described the fireplace in the house - listen to the story and you’ll know why.

Spent my day way the heck up in Massachusetts (a 2 hour drive - ugh) at a class that was just awesome - mySQL.  It’s rockin…

My boy was busy today too - makin’ little dudes like these:

They rock too - don’t they!?!?!

So, I had to work my regular shift in the Artists’ Coop gallery yesterday; here are a couple of pictures that I snapped. This month’s show is the All Members show, and the gallery walls are just packed.

Here’s a shot of just one of my displays this month:

After my shift ended at 1:30, I drove up to Hope Valley for the HopArts Open Studio Trail. Of the many studios and homes I stopped in, two were my absolute favorites. First, I’m sort of a “fiber nut” as well — so when I stopped by Linda Perry’s home studio, her wall of hand dyed yarns made my afternoon! Continue Reading »

So, I decided to get all professional now and redo the business card….. here’s what will be coming in the mail in the next couple of weeks:

I ordered two books by Claudine Hellmuth recently and they came today. The first one I’ve already looked through quickly while eating dinner…and the beeswax technique looks interesting to try. The second one awaits…

I’ve been interested in making collages for a while now, in fact I have a pile (or two!) of old magazines and wooden boxes and “stuff” I’ve collected at flea markets and antique shops. It will be a new medium for me–collage. I’ve really enjoyed browsing the web and checking out folks like Michael deMeng, Nina Bagley, and Claudine Hellmuth, as well as others.

Look for some explorations in collage from me, probably over the winter.

Made this one a little while back, when it was still midsummer. It was in the mid 80’s today which was why I brought this up — doesn’t this remind you of beach glass? Or drops of water? The combination of both transparent and opaque glass gives this both weight and lightness. I plan to make more beads and jewelry in this style, alternating the discs and the beads, stringing it on silk, knotting it…. I want to vary the shape of the discs as well. Not everything is perfect. In fact, when you really think about it, not much really is.