My first International Glass Conference in New Mexico!

Preparations are now well underway for the July 2015 Glass Conference in New Mexico.  "The Gathering" is an annual conference organised by The International Society of Glass Bead Makers (ISGB) which brings together glass bead artists from around the Globe.

I'm a bit nervous as you can imagine but at the same time, I'm excited to be able to meet and learn from the best in the business including Heather Trimlett, Kristina Logan and Stephanie Sersich.

This year's conference theme is "Forging Connections" which, as the title implies, celebrates and encourages connections amongst flame workers.  On a practical level, the theme of the conference this year is also strongly centred around jewellery making and specifically, how to set handmade beads into silver and other metals.

Another really great aspect of this year's conference are the workshops on teaching glass bead making.  These workshops offer the best possibilities for working artists to gain a greater understanding of how to teach people at different levels.

Last but not least, I am excited about being able to present my beads to international buyers.  Whilst New Zealand is a fantastic creative environment, art appreciation is still very much developing, particularly in the fine crafts area.  It is not uncommon for individual art glass beads to sell upwards of $150 each at an international juried show.

The work I am planning to present will celebrate the uniqueness of New Zealand which includes the more obvious things such as our native plants (the bead in the picture features Manuka and Kowhai flowers) but also our lifestyle and how we live in New Zealand which is quite unique from other countries.

So stay tuned to see the work I develop for the conference!

Upcycled work space

 

 

Well, it has been a very long time indeed since I last posted a blog!  I could put this down to being consistently busy but then again, aren't we all? 

 

This past year in particular has been a massive learning curve for me.  Taking my hobby to a fully fledged business has not been an easy undertaking.  I think perhaps I underestimated just how many areas I would have to be across to make, assemble, market & sell my glass goodies as well as teaching my craft.

 

Thankfully, I have some really great people involved in the business, people who are committed to making this work, people who realise what the dream is and are hanging out with me as my little boutique business goes from strength to strength.

 

One of the biggest challenges of late has been how to continue working from my existing space.  Now that I'm teaching more often, I need a really user friendly and happy place for people to come and do my workshops.  I think people really like to get away from it all and enjoy and experience, where they can return to something "handmade" in our over-processed and over-engineered way of life today.  Being in a country village certainly adds to the ambience but my little "playhouse" is now increasingly becoming far too small to cater to my workshop participants.

 

I've looked at retail space, had plans drawn up for a studio extension so it's now a matter of making a choice about which direction to take to expand the space. 

 

George Clarke's small spaces has been a great show to watch lately, it's amazing to me what people do with their tiny spaces and how they make them so functional!

 

Numerous trips to places like Junk & Disorderly (love that place!) and other vintage shops have given me some really good ideas about up-cycling and creating a unique, quirky space.  Yes, it takes a bit of effort but I really like the idea of taking found objects and giving them a new purpose vs creating something new.  It plays further on the handmade theme too.

 

One thing I purchased recently were these wine boxes.  $60 for the lot!  These will be mounted on the wall to create a clever glass rod storage area.

 

I'd be keen to have you share your experiences with me in terms of how you have created your studio & retail spaces.  What were the challenges?  How did you make the decisions you did?  What were the key considerations?

 

I wonder what the final result will be once I up-cycle my happy little place...

 

 

New Lotus Flower Collection

I did a course in silversmithing at Hungry Creek last year.  Being accustomed to working with glass, I found silversmithing a totally opposite although facinating experience!  For a start, working with glass under a flame requires immediate action and focus.  Metalwork is slower, more labour intensive and requires many steps and stages.  Glass is in some respects, quite forgiving and quick whereas metal definately is not!

The idea to learn silversmithing came to me as I did not want to use the predictable and common findings that are available through the likes of Rio Grande and Fire Mountain Gems.  Not that they don't have a great selection but I really wanted to add a unique style and point of difference to my work.  In particular, I wanted to be able to bezel set rings and pendants.

So off I went to Regal Castings and bought a basic silversmithing kit.  The staff at Regal were super helpful and I really believed with my new tools and newfound knowledge and indeed, interest in silversmithing, I was on my way.  Even with my tuition at Hungy Creek with the teacher guiding me step by step, I felt I had come to grips with it seemingly effortlessly albeit laboriously!

When I was on my own in my studio that was not quite the case unfortunately.  It took quite some time to master sawing on my own bench (I think I went through 50 or so blades in the first few weeks), soldering (which everyone tells you is easy but certainly is not!), finishing and setting the glass. 

Soldering in particular, requires practice, practice and more practice.  You need to know which solder to use for which stage of the piece you are working on, you need to be able to recognise when the solder has flowed and the exact time to pull the flame away etc.  Good eye sight is certainly a bonus but it comes down to practice and patience in the end!

Bezel setting also proved a big challenge.  For a start, you can buy all the correct metal to do this job but you also need to make your glass cab the exact right height to fit your bezel!  Then there is the issue of bulk and proportion, all of which are more difficult to achieve with handmade glass than stones which you can select for size and fit.  I recently bought an interchangeable ring system which was such a breeze in comparison!

In any case, I feel I have got a really good understanding of silversmithing now some 12 months later and have sold quite a number of pieces lately which are "completely handmade" (quite satisfying really).  The cost of precious metal is expensive, paticularly if you make a mistake which can't be fixed (like the time I tried "reticulation") and this cost has to be passed on to your customers if you want or indeed need to make money from your jewellery making.

My suggestion to new comers to silversmithing is practice first on scrap metal (like brass or copper) and move on to silver and gold only when you have perfected your techniques.  No one will pay extra for your bad silversmithing, no matter how much effort you have put into it.

I also find that, since I make my own glass beads, there is only so much tolerance people have for paying even more with handmade silverwork included as well (the premium you need to charge for your additional time and cost of materials).  Therefore, the complete piece has to be really special and unique, that's what I would say to any newbie silversmithers!

From wearable art to glass sculpture

After a long school holiday period and manic sales, I can finally take a mirco breath and compile a brief blog entry!  My little work space is just wonderful, I'm loving it!  The smithing bench is set up too now so you'll see more silver, copper and brass complimenting my pieces this coming year.

Lately, I have been working up lots of ideas for glass sculptures.  This is an area that has always interested me as it offers so much scope for implementing the many bizarre and whacky ideas that occupy my daily thoughts. 

I started recently with a very functional thought - I love fresh flowers but buying them in summer seems futile since the summer heat always seems to make them wilt very quickly.  The solution for me was to compile a floral arrangement using various sculpted glass beads mounted on floral wire.  Above is an example of the first design concept - rather fun and whimsical isn't it?

Albeit I do admit this type of sculpture is quite safe, unlike my current project/body of work.  A little hint, it is science based, it is controversial & thought provoking and perhaps even a bit shocking!  All will be revealed very soon.....

Good things come to those who wait...my new glass playhouse!

Hey woop woop!

I know I'm kind of totally histerically excited right about now..that's because I finally moved into my new studio!  This has been two long years in the making and to be honest, the timing could not have been bettter.  I've had a fantastic couple of months in sales thanks to all my wonderful and gracious customers and, I dunno, perhaps I feel kind of deserving...  My hard working husband has been a true gem in getting the place painted so much so that not even I was trusted with a paintbrush in hand within the premises of my own pad!  Gotta love the results though..

Honestly, it feels great having this space now because it symbolises alot of hard work and dedication to my craft.  Even as a child, I always knew I was going to be an artist in some shape or form but my parents soon talked me out of it.  Hey, I can understand their skepticism but I truly believe you can achieve anything with passion and hard work.  I've got a grand old way to go but it feels like things are coming together bit by bit..

So I'd like to welcome any visitors to my little atelier, have a coffee (Puhoi coffee of course!), try on some wearable glass and perhaps even watch a glass demonstration/have a go at making a bead yourself.  Oh and if you get lost and only get as far as the village, the Puhoi Art Gallery also has my work on display.

Well, I'm beat and it's a case of over and out - better make some more beads... or at least, think about the beads I will be making tomorrow.

New studio arriving end of August!

Can you believe it's August already? The year has been racing away, I guess when you're really busy it goes even faster. Much to my great delight, sales activity has been great and I haven't implemented my marketing and advertising strategy as yet.

That's because I've been waiting for my studio to arrive. I decided to go with a kit set which will be erected on site in a few weeks. The studio will have a large work space as well as a retail/showroom area which will stock glass and precious metal jewelry.

The ultimate plan is to offer a range of craft related classes (facilitated by expert teachers) and one to one tuition, in a gorgeous country setting a short drive from Auckland city.

But first there is the task of fitting out the studio! No mean feat but ever ambitious, I hope to be finished at the end of October, ready for the busy summer tourist trade here in Puhoi.

With all that exciting stuff happening, I'll also be exhibiting in the Rugby World Cup " All Glass" exhibition in September/October.

And not to mention I continue to do my studies - could life get any crazier?

In the meantime, keep the orders coming! Best sellers this month have been earrings & pendants. I'll have more pictures posted next week of new pieces.

Inge :)

Crafty ways to be arty

I've always believed being creative is good for your brain.  During my days as a fully fledged marketing professional,  I swear I used to get home with a sore head from all that thinking which of course got me thinking maybe it is good to close the door on analysis paralysis for a bit and go with the creative flow.

This is how creative addictions invariably start, mine happens to be jewellery & glass.  I was telling my disbelieving and bewildered 7 year old that I used to think in colors as kid - you know, Monday was white, Tuesday Blue, Wednesday Orange and so on so this is me getting back to my roots in a way.

So I would encourage anyone, especially those with stressful right brain oriented careers to think about ways to be creative, whatever that is for you.  Here are some ideas (some which I have observed from friends and family over the years as well as some of my own ideas:

• Create a puzzle from a favorite photo.  Print the photo out, laminate it and cut it into pieces.  This would make a great gift or something for your kids to do at home on a rainy day!
• Given the cost of greeting cards, why not make your own?  Take some well priced scrapbook paper and fold it over in half.  Put a folder piece of plain paper the same size or slightly smaller (white or colored) inside.  With both pieces folder over, hole punch the spine and weave the two papers together with a ribbon.
• Be creative with your kids.  Take an I Spy book and re-create a scene shown in the book. We recently made a space station using all sorts of stainless steel pots, graters, cookie cutters, aluminium foil.  It was played with for ages!
• Make a light shade from rice paper.  When my son was little, I made a light shade using two colors of rice paper.  I cut shapes out in the top layer with the other layer showing through.  Next step was to stick it together with steel rods on all four sides (I used masking tape).  Very cool!
• Make a piece of jewellery!  Keep an eye out for my new "bead it kits" (to be released in August 2011) which will feature some of my own lampwork beads and other items so you can make something unique and fun.

I'd love to hear some of your ideas too.  Feel free to share on my Facebook kleurglass page.