Sunday, February 17, 2008

Teaching boro vessels




I have been trying to work out a tutorial for small scale boro vessels, using still photos and it just won't come together. Working with a student in my studio, going through all the steps, I finally realized what some of the problems are.
When teaching a live student, I can say "blow a little harder", or "watch how the glass is moving when you get the heat base just right." These are things that just don't translate into still photos well, or at all!
Another factor is that in my previous tutorials, I was designing them for an audience who already had an applicable skill set. So I was showing how to make a specific object, knowing that my audience already knew the basics of moving the glass around.
While talking to my student this week about my problems with this project, I realized that soft glass beadmakers, even very good ones, don't have the set of basic skills for working with boro tubing. The timing is different, the way the glass moves in response to heat and gravity is different and even the tools are different. Lampworkers who do beads and small sculptures very seldom use puntys. All of which means that I first have to teach (as I did with my studio student) some basic things about blowing bubbles, using puntys, applying dots and wraps to thicken walls, graded heat base etc before we can even get to how to complete a vessel.
So, instead of saying "here is a tutorial on how to do boro tubing vessels," I need to say "here are a set of exercises to help develop the skills you will need in order to do boro vessels."
In retrospect, that is how I taught Zora (daughter and studio wench) to do vessels. Step by step, learning each skill until I could say, "now put it all together and make a blown vessel."
I think the light bulb over my head just came on!

-Don-

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Tres jolie!

I've wanted a berry bowl with saucer for a very long time. Recently, I found just what I wanted on etsy at StudioElan http://www.etsy.com/profile.php?user_id=5001632 I opened it up today - beautiful! well made! and well packed for its journey from Ontario to Kodiak Island! And with a personal note! I love excellent customer service! Thank you so much. Eleanor, the potter at StudioElan has a blog, too, with behind-the-scenes pictures of her work. See it at http://eleanorhendriks.blogspot.com

What a great show! We just came back from a local production of Cyrano de Bergerac - complete with cameo performances from our Kodiak feature newspaper reporter, la boulangere de Mill Bay Coffee, and the dancing master. Amazing what a group of people can do to make a difference - there's a Margaret Mead quote about that, but googling around to find the exact citation will have to wait for another time - TTFN

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!


My personal collection of heart jewelry (I live with 2 heart makers!) is rather extensive, so it was a small puzzle this morning to pick out the perfect piece for this special day. In the end, I chose a pair of small red heart earrings and a small black and red heart on a fine silver chain - sentimental pieces, which is exactly what the day is all about!

Check out the Etsy link to see the Gaia heart necklace pictured here.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Hearts and Roses






Look at these beautiful hearts with wire-wrapped roses. Don has been using both silver wire and silicon bronze to decorate his boro glass hearts. You can check our Etsy shop for more information and a chance to make a purchase. While you are over there look at Zora's heart necklaces. She made them all by herself! We are so proud of her work in the studio (and other places too!)