Beadbijoux

Last week I blogged about my tendency to go off in a myriad of directions - especially when I start to feel like I have been pigeonholed into a specific style. I definitely do this. Versatility as an artist isn't a bad thing. But let's be honest. No matter how much I like to branch out, stretch my wings, and try new techniques ... I always come back to my 'signature' style. Has there ever been a set of beads that so perfectly captures all things me? THIS. IS. IT. The quintessential Leslie beads. Striped sprees in bright colors with fun colorful accent beads to seal the deal. Yep. Anybody who has followed my work over the last 12 years would take one look at these and know they were mine. What can I say? I am a creature of habit after all ...

If there was a spectrum for adult ADHD I am pretty sure I would land on it somewhere. Not enough to be diagnosed with actual ADHD, but seriously ... SQUIRREL! Every time I begin to have a 'signature' style or color combination I suddenly lose interest and am onto the next thing. And the next. I get bored so easily that I frustrate myself and then I step away from the torch. It always amazes me to see the large sets other glass artists put together. I wonder how on earth they can sit down and make 20 of the exact same bead. It is something I have challenged myself with often. My latest series on color families has helped me to finally achieve this goal. It worked in combination with my other mission to clear out my studio of all 'odds and ends' colors to focus on my stock color palettes. I had 2 rods left of this mystery light blue and decided to pair it with silvered ivory, amber, and brown. I also had a mystery jar of frit with all these same colors so they n

I was perusing my blog the other day and was amused (annoyed) at how much I talk about the weather. Not just a little. A lot. Pretty sure half my blog posts have some mention of the weather. Lame. It was only fitting I name these beads after the latest weather phenomenon. Even Twitter was trending with #AprilSnow last week. Because of said [April snow] I was in the studio making beads instead of playing outside in the yard preparing for my garden. These colors are a play on their namesake. Pea green and violet are for the lovelies that should be coming up from the ground dotting my yard with sprinkles of color in April. Icy blue is for the reality of what is actually my yard right now ... snow and ice. Sigh. Available for auction later this week. Message me if you want more info.

These are my happy colors. I mean how can you not smile when you look at these beads? Sunny orange, bright blue, spring green ... they just ooze happiness. I bring you another set from my new series focusing on color families. What I love about these is the concentration on just a few colors that compliment each other. My primary focus is on shaping the glass and alternating between opacity and transparency - letting the beauty of each color stand on its own and join forces with the other two. Clearly I was fantasizing about the return of summer as I was making these. Come soon summer. We miss you.