Torch-Fired Enamel Beads with Murrini

by Barbara Lewis

Hi all, I'm getting ready for To Bead True Blue and the Tucson Bead Show by torch-firing some enamel beads with murrini.  I am loving the way these beads are coming out.  These 16mm beads are incredibly lightweight because they are hollow.

The green speckling is a result of overfiring in certain areas.  Copper oxides bubble up and break through the surface of the white enamel. The darker areas of the bead are where the oxygen has been reduced during the firing process.  The pink dots are created with a stringer of glass.

More green speckling and smoky hazes on white enamel created by flame adjustments. 

If you're planning on being in Tucson during this big bead event that attracts customers from around the world, please stop in and say "Hello."  I'll be at the Doubletree Reid Park from January 30 through February 8.  I'll also be teaching workshops on how to create your own torch-fired enamel beads and pendants.  More details are available at my website: www.paintingwithfireartwear.com.  You can also register for a workshop there, too!  

I learned something about me today....

by MaryAnn Carroll

- It's early Sunday morning and the first thing I learned upon waking up is that I'm alive another day and grateful for that...

- And yesterday, after I learned that I was happy to be alive... (since I think we should all be happy for that each and every day that we have)...

- and the day progressed...


- I learned ....
- that my fingers heal rather quickly when burned...
- that I am old enough to know better when it comes to getting my fingers burned...
- that, yes, I am probably the messy-est project making person that I know...
- that must be why it doesn't bother me when I am doing projects with my 12 year old students and they are almost as messy about it as me...
- that it is okay to be the way that I am and as long as I'm not hurting anyone..... :O)
- that everything requires practice...
- that Barbara Lewis has given me the opportunity to practice...
- that beginnings are always a little more challenging...
- that I get better at things if I stay at it...

- that it is okay to mess up as long as you learn from it...

- that if you burned your finger twice, you probably didn't learn anything from the first burn...

- that with everything I was able to purchase on Barbara's website, I could create something that I have never tried before...

-that the first bunch of times, it just wasn't looking quite right....

-that persistence pays off...

-that 1 successful bead is all it took to keep me wanting to go back for more...

-that I'm not Barbara Lewis, but I bet I'll get better at this if I keep on practicing...

-that I liked these little ones...  I saved those until the end of my enameling session...

-that I think that they look pretty cool with a couple of my ceramic disks...

So.....there you have it....I've tried something new, and I'm going to try it again...

What might you be trying that you haven't attempted yet when...

~creating handmade with handmade~

looking forward to -

'each morning sees some task begin,

each evening sees it close;

something attempted,

something done,

has earned a night's repose.'

~ henry wadsworth longfellow

one of the things i love about making my own components is the process... how once one begins, each step progresses until it is done... i enjoy waking up in the morning to pieces ready to be sealed - because i know that soon i will be able to use them... 

i hope to make some necklaces with these today... 

to my delight yesterday, i saw our own barbara lewis in the registration announcement for bead fest wire in philly... her class is on april 10 - the link to register is on her name... 

she is teaching a 7 hr. torch-fired enamels class... congratulations barbara - this is a huge event!

A little lesson on torch-fired enamel ...

By Barbara Lewis

Even though I have several kilns in my studio that I could use for creating enamel jewelry, I prefer to watch the process develop during torch firing.  Here are two examples of recent work that involves embedding millefiori and lump enamel into the base enamel during the firing process.  Millefiori is Italian for million (mille) flowers (fiori) and has its origins in Venice.

Dusty Springfield, detail

Dusty Springfield

Ring Around the Rosy

Ring Around the Rosy

Please visit me at my blog to see more new work. I've been having fun with color and fiber!

"Call to Create"

by Barbara Lewis

Have you ever stopped to think, "How is it I got involved in making jewelry?  Do I have talent? Should I continue making jewelry even though it doesn't sell as fast as I would like?"  I remember talking to my first art professor about doubting my "talent."  He said, "Talent is the need to create!"  I found that so freeing ... because there was no doubt that I had the need.  I had been sewing since I was 12 years old and now I was working with a new medium.

My favorite quote, and one that has kept me in good stead, is by Martha Graham, the inventor of modern dance:

There is a force, an energy, a quickness, that is translated through you into action.

If you block it, the world will not have it.

You do not have to believe in yourself or your work.

It is not your business to compare yourself with others. It is your business to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you,

to keep the channel open.

It's a "calling" really.  To deny it is to deny God's gift.  How are we to know whether or how our work may impact another ... what joy will another derive from it. We at Love My Art Jewelry have been inspired by the Art Bead Scene monthly challenges.  Personally, there have been many times that the challenge gave me the impetus to give a little extra so that I could participate.  Even when I thought there was no way to add another thing to my plate, I did.  Thank you, ABS.

Today, Love My Art Jewelry announces "Call to Create," which will be based on a selection from Pantone's color chart. Remember, your work needs to FEATURE handmade elements. Here's how it operates:

• Weekly we will select an artist to highlight based on photos submitted to our flickr group.  Your work will be highlighted in the sidebar for the week, which we can link to whatever site you choose.
• Monthly we will randomly draw a winner from our flickr group. Your work will be featured in our sidebar for the month and on an entire page at our website devoted to you, the monthly winner!  Links will be made to whatever site you select.
• Donors of handmade beads and components will be honored in a sidebar ad with a link to your shop. We want to reinforce our conviction to our slogan: Creating Handmade with Handmade.  

So, here comes the fun part!  Color, color, and more color!  A beautiful palette of rich colors that have been grayed down for the Fall.  November 1 ... it all begins!  

The winner will receive all of the beads that were used in my necklace, "Autumn Bliss," which appears on the cover of Handcrafted Jewelry, just released.  I'm not saying you have to recreate Autumn Bliss, but you're welcome to if you'd like.  Please pass the word ... we'd appreciate it. 

do i have a commitment issue?

it's not what you are thinking - 


lately i am  having trouble creating finished pieces of jewelry... i have ideas (all sketched out in my journal and floating around my head), i try to sit down and then i get antsy... really antsy... 


i know that i need things to feel right before i can complete a piece... do i have the right gemstones to represent what is needed? the right balance of metal and fibers? plus i also need the head static to quiet down and that hasn't been happening...  


so lately, i keep making more components - 

i play with enameling (thanks to barbara lewis), setting eyelets, etching and texturing... 

i play with patina (thanks to shannon levart), fusing, stamping and shibuichi... 

i play with soldering, resin and words - getting those discs sooo close to being all grown up... 

these too - they have just graduated from wax sealing finishing school... 

'when work, commitment and pleasure all become one

and you reach that deep well where passion lives,

nothing is impossible.'

~ author unknown

New Work!

If you've been following my personal blog www.paintingwithfireartwear.blogspot.com, you know that I've been preoccupied with finishing a book on torch-fired enamel.  Today was the first day in a long, long time that I have been able to make work for myself ... without writing down every step I was taking.  It was a real treat ... very relaxing.

Here are some photos of some of what came out of the studio yesterday.

Roman Spice

Triple Delight

Confetti

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All of the pieces have torch-fired enamel.  Hey, have I ever told you how easy it is! :-)  Can I bring you to the dark side with me!