Each Saturday, one of the contributing editors of ABS will share with you some of the things going on in their studio. We encourage you to participate by commenting to the post. And as an incentive, we will offer a small prize each week, given to one random commenter! Sound like fun? We hope you will join in…
This week’s winner is Deabusamor! Please use the suggestion box to send your mailing address to us and Tari will send your bead out right away!
Today, we look inside the studio of flamework glass beadmaker, Cindy Gimbrone.
Welcome to my studio! This is the best view of it – from the torch with all the glass spread out in front and all around! Like Tari’s studio last week, it seems a mess but there’s organization in my disorganization – I know where everything is and it’s right there at my fingertips.
My glass studio was built with 3 walls of windows – cold in the winter but always full of natural light. The glass almost feels alive with color in this light! Nothing like vibrant color to inspire your work!
Glass gets its color from additives which can make the glass flow easily, become stiff, hold heat or even change color. While developing new styles of beads, I choose a glass color based on color *and* characteristic. For example, if the glass is stiff, it will make nice fingers on a hand or hold its shape while I layer molten glass on top of it like in the Skully Kidz. Transparent and reactive glass show off the spirals to their best advantage.
So I use similiar colors over and over – for the actual color and its character. Beautiful color and glass qualities that allow me to achieve my bead design.
Do you have a color you love to work with? Tell us and you’ll be entered to win one of Cindy’s Water Spiral focal beads! Let’s hear about your favorite colors!
*melanie* earthenwood studio
February 2, 2008 at 3:05 pmThanks for the sneak peek into your studio, Cindy! I love to see all those colors!
My favorite color is brown brown brown, anything brown! Or since you were talking about additives, anything with IRON in my glazes. I heart iron oxide!
Elaine Ray
February 2, 2008 at 3:25 pmThanks for the info. I have never worked with glass so it was very interesting for me to learn about it’s different properties. And WOW! three walls of windows. What a great idea – that must be almost like working in the actual out of doors. Smart building!
Tari of claybuttons
February 2, 2008 at 3:34 pmI love to see organized chaos!! It makes me laugh because I know most creative people are working in a messy studio.
I took a week of lampworking a couple of years ago. It was a blast and I did quite well. But I knew if I bought more equipment to create a different art, my husband would have a fit. He already says I’m scizophrenic as an artist. Aren’t most artists?!!
My favorite color is PURPLE!
capitolagirl
February 2, 2008 at 4:19 pmI can totally relate to what you said about “organization in the disorganization!” Thanks for showing up your studio today! My favorite color is green 🙂
Bead-Mused
February 2, 2008 at 4:39 pmOrganized chaos rules! And I like the way you lay your rods out on the table where they are easy to get to. My favorite color? Teal, with a bit of violet. Yum.
Thanks, Cindy!
Theresa
Emma
February 2, 2008 at 7:48 pmI think all studios need some form of a “bless this mess” plaque. I think I’ve give up trying to keep it clean, as you say you know where everything is in the mess. there is a reason why that tool is always just to your right. It’s very fun to see this is a common problem.
I love working with any shade of blue and silver ends up in everything I do. On the flip side I find it almost impossible to work with yellow
Lorelei
February 2, 2008 at 8:10 pmIt was fun to read this post about organized mess in the studio, especially having just come downstairs from cleaning my own! Sometimes I can’t seem to think straight until my table top is cleared off.
I wish I could show a picture of my bead bin that filled entirely with green beads of every shade. I’m guessin’ that’s my favorite!! lol
And Emma, I know what you mean… my least fav. color: Orange!
Carlene
February 2, 2008 at 8:43 pmYour studio sounds great with all that light. I love looking outside while I’m creating.
I’ve gravitated to green most my life I think, but I’m becoming more and more drawn to purple. Thanks for a look into your world!
Katherine
February 2, 2008 at 9:24 pmI’m often surprised by which colors I gravitate to when I’m beading! They’re often colors I won’t or can’t wear myself. For example, I’m working on a bead embroidered necklace that started with copper colored purl buttons and moved into red, black and yellow/green. It looks much better than it sounds!
But teal/blue/turquoise always makes my heart sing.
LampworkDiva
February 3, 2008 at 12:15 pmThanks for leaving a comment, Everyone! Seems that the brown,green, blue, purple palate is a favorite for you all today.
In glass, yellow is a great color to work with because you can see how much heat the glass has in it – it glows red. If it turns yellow again it’s getting too cold to work. So its characteristics are great to design a glass bead with but it’s not a favorite among designers. Makes a great glass bead!
Thanks to everyone who commented! Glad you stopped by the studio today!
AJ
February 3, 2008 at 5:32 pmMmmm, I always love to hear about the properties of glass!
Although my favorite color is green, especially malachite or olivine, the color that I use the most is plain ol’ black. I went to make a necklace with black in it this past week, only to discover that I was once again almost out of opaque AND matte black. Good thing gem show is here so I can stock up again 🙂
halinad
February 3, 2008 at 6:29 pmI have loved the colors & properties of glass since working in stained glass a few years ago. My favorite color in glass beads is the metallic hue that covers the beads. It is so much fun to mix in with the other beautiful colors. Thanks for sharing your talent and insight into glass.
Halinad
Faerie-Jeweller
February 4, 2008 at 5:40 pmWow! I would LOVE three walls of windows. I rely on zillions of daylight lamps everywhere but its not the same. I love the organised chaos too *grins impishly* my workspace is incredibly chaotic… to anyone but me.
Favourite colours? Wow, couldn’t choose. I LOVE colour of any type. If I absolutely had to pick it would be hot pink, with sparkles – I have a husband and four sons so pink is a bit lacking in my home!
Thankyou for the peek into your world :o)