Old Town Alameda

Alameda had a great small town feel to it. The Alameda Theater had some great neon. It is in a bit of disrepair, but restoration is being undertaken....

Tiki Time!

First, at Alameda in the Bay area, there is a wonderful little tiki bar called Forbidden Island.
great retro atmosphere that is casual and nice.

Bead Bazaar!

DH and I drove up to Oakland for the Bead Bazaar at the Gathering. I am still recovering but when I do I will post more....for now, some pics.....

Photographing Boro

Boro is one of the most beautiful glasses to play with. The sparkle is like no other. It is, however, difficult to get good pictures of. What is the true color?
When in sunlight, the colors play and brighten. The pinks seem especially clean. When indoors, the light no longer sparkles through the glass and the art pieces appear somewhat dark.
Getting a good picture that is representative of the true colors is always the goal of an artist. I think I am going to go with slightly shaded photos. They appear slightly bluer but value wise is closer to what the marble would look like indoors....
Below are the comparisons between shooting in full sun and in shade.
Neither photo has been color corrected. The images are straight off my camera and cropped for size....

Earthquakes and Glass....

We just had an earthquake today right before lunch. Thank goodness it was relatively small but it does make one wonder--what to do when the big one hits.....

Thinking about my studio, I realize I have a lot of loose glass and areas when glass can fall and block my exit. DH has created a cabinet for me but I still have my rod buckets between me and the doorway, and that has to change. 

Also, labelling loose glass so that if it does fall and get mixed up, the COE's can remain separate.

I haven't been home yet to check up. Cross your fingers for me :-)

Double Helix's Terranova II Rocks!

I finally got some time to make a bead of Terranova II. I was making some boro beads and though the setting was for boro, I really wanted to make a bead from this glass. I haven't been able to torch, so I figured it may not turn out, but at least I made a bead.
I made a solid bead and struck it--only part of it turned purple--the rest was athat tannish greenish look of unstruck silver glass. I dotted some clear on the purple parts in case it all turned brown, so at least some of the purple was preserved. The kiln cycle was still at 3 hours at 1058F but I had to leave, so that was it. I've never tried such a long soak time at boro temp for soft glass.
When I pulled out the bead this morning WOW! I couldn't believe my eyes--the whole bead struck purple!
I love this glass and can't wait to have a bit more time to play and see what else I can do with it!
:-D

New Colors from Momka!

Momka has done it again! She has created some new colors and has put her spin on some classic colors!
First is Yellow Pearl: Beautiful creamy yellow that turns a nice white when worked hot. I think this will make a wonderful transluscent to opaque white substitute. More testing ahead, but if you've been waiting for Momka to make a yellow, this one is it!
Momka is also working on an extra light yellow. I have yet to test it, due to not being able to torch for a bit, but it looks amazing. This for me, is a dream come true--smooth consistency is a Momka trademark, so I am really looking forward to working with this color!!
Pink!! You heard it--Pink!!! I just got some rods, but I haven't had a chance to work it. Maybe this week sometime! The pics that Lodahl Glass has posted are out of this world! More results soon!
Secret Green(that's all I'm gonna say so far!)
Hopefully in the next few days I will post some new work....Thanks again Momka, for always creating the colors we love!!