Making beads

People are sometimes puzzled when they see my jewelry.

glass rods

You made the necklace, and the beads?  The bead stringing they can understand, but they are sometimes shocked to hear that I made the beads themselves and ask how.

It all starts with glass rods and a torch.  Here you see my work area with the many colors of glass rods arrayed on a hotplate.  The red knob at lower left is part of the torch.  At lower right you see the didymium safety glasses.  Click on the photo to see a larger view.

Lampwork is the term used to describe working with molten glass using a small ‘lamp’ or torch.  The beads are made by heating up the glass rods until liquid, and wrapping it around a steel rod coated with a release agent.  After the bead is complete, the rod is removed and that leaves a hole in the bead.

Stay tuned for weekly posts about beadmaking, other artistic adventures, and the Friday Mo report!

the mo report

Hello Mo fans!

Mr Mo

Mr Mohawk, aka Mr Mo, aka Mr Silkypants, is my black cat.  He has a natural spiky hairdo that inspired his name.  His buddy, Miss Nimbus, is white with some dark thunderstorm grey spots and a grey tail.  The salt and pepper cats.

The Moboy was lording it over the homestead for a second week.  Miss Nimbus stayed a second week at the cat convalescent center in the mountains.  I hear she is finally approaching regularity after a diet that includes cooked pumpkin and prune juice!!

Meanwhile, Mo is so happy to be the only cat and have his mistress all to himself.  He will come over for a snuggle and that extra high pitch to the purr tells you he is REALLY happy.  There are purrs and extreme purrs.

Here’s a photo of Mo in the garden, sporting a bead on his collar, hanging below the bell.

Aura Sun Arts

Welcome to Aura Sun Arts!

Aura Sun Arts

I love color and glass is a chance to play with liquid color in three dimensions.  Each bead is one of a kind, and most have a thick encasing of clear glass that makes them resemble the marbles I collected years ago.  Come explore my world.