Thank you Honolulu!

Kimmie here:

I didn't get any pictures taken in Honolulu, so here's a nice kitty we saw hanging out by the canal in Kapaa.




We had a great time at the show in Honolulu last weekend, and especially visiting with friends Daniel and Karen Howell, of Dee Howl Beads. Karen grew up there, and they drove me and Morgan around a bit. We went up on top of Tantalus mountain and caught the view of the city just after sunset, before hitting a classic local burger spot. I was especially excited to go up Tantalus, since Karen told me she and her friends used to skateboard down that road back in the day. YIKES! She said they would grab the vines to slow down going around the turns. YIKES! Back when skateboards had metal wheels and if you hit a rock you are toast. YIKES!





Sounds fun.





I also got to meet Sara Sally LaGrand, whose work, face, and name were all familiar to me from past shows, but we had never actually talked. She is so talented and interesting. Her work is wonderfully expressive!





The show was great, so now I am pretty officially cleaned out of beads. At the show while visiting with other beadmakers it was hard not to get excited and start making plans for other shows, especially the next Softflex show in Honolulu. I kept having to remind myself that I don't have a torch here, much less someplace to put it and work. We are, of course, looking for an apartment, and working outside in this environment will be a pleasure. After we find a place, we will have to make a trip to San Diego for a major garage sale/packing/shipping vacation. Whee.





This Friday is the deadline to apply for a scholarship to the Gathering, the annual conference held by the International Society of Glass Beadmakers. I am planning to apply, if only for the practice at writing an artist's statement and putting down some goals on paper. I have never really done that before, and it seems like there are a lot of opportunities out there for artists who know how to do stuff like writing grants and proposals. Also, I am self-taught and would really value the opportunity to take a class there. I think I would take a class that seems totally contrary to the kind of work I do myself. I'd also like to pick the teachers' brains about how to get started teaching. I have done lots of demos and enjoy that; teaching seems like a natural extension of demonstrating.





If any readers have some experience with writing statements, teaching, or the Gathering, I would love to hear about it!

Yes--I said FIERCE!

Kimmie here:





Feltzilla is looking much more ferocious these days!









Way sharper armor plates, angry brows, and yes flames, if you can dig it! I think they look pretty good, and not too much like he's puking at all. Next up some trimming and tidying up, a couple of pupils in those eyes and we are in business. I'm so tempted to try and make the eyes bloodshot. He's a little bigger than he was in the last post, but probably not big enough to make that actually viable. Oh well. I'm just so much happier with this result, can't wait to get him done and show off the finished piece! Maybe tomorrow.



I have lots to do right now. I didn't finish the 'update' post, so, long story short: we moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA for the ski season, and two days later Morgan got an offer of a full-time job in Hawaii. Guess where I live now! There I was, a badass snowbunny tearing up the slopes, and suddenly it's time to practice my paddling again. I hope I can remember how to surf! We have been on Kauai for almost six weeks, we're in a temporary apartment right now and without a car. Here's my mode of transportation:

I take my cart to the grocery, to the beach, even to Costco! We upgraded it with baby buggy wheels--does anyone else remember those Bill Cosby albums?--and it rolls like a charm. Morgan also made a really great surfboard trailer out of some bamboo and a golf bag cart. Don't have those photos uploaded yet, but will share next time.

Although I didn't bring my torch, I did bring my beads, so I signed up for the Softflex Glass Art and Bead Festival. It's March 4-6 in Honolulu, so if you are in town or want an excuse to visit the islands, check it out.

I'm looking forward to the show, but scrambling a bit for inventory and display. My table is bound to be pretty creative, to say the least. I'll post photos, for sure.

Work In Progress: or, Yes, I am Still Working on Feltzilla...

Kimmie here:

While we were in Montana, I got a face put on Feltzilla. This, I thought, was the final step, and I would call him finished:
Sorry about the blurry picture, but I didn't have a camera with a macro function there. The blurry photo is pretty accurate, though, in describing how the piece looked to me. I wanted it to be harder, sharper, meaner looking!

There were a couple of difficulties with this. I had trouble finding the finer felting needles I needed, and after we got back to Mammoth Lakes, I started working full time on the mountain. I was tired enough at the end of the day that FZ was not high on my list of things to do when I got home. Then, Morgan accepted a job in Hawaii...HAWAII??? So after one month of glorious snow, we moved here to Lihue on the island of Kauai. I brought FZ of course, and a few weeks ago I found a website that offered not only size 40 needles, but superfine 42's as well! WooHoo!

The finer needles are working wonderfully, but my obsession with firm fine felt is one that requires patience. Needlefelting is incredibly time-consuming: I spent an entire day on FZ, removing his face and adding felt so that I could pack it in and give him a solid, not-overly-fuzzy surface.
I tightened up his arms and legs, got rid of that paunch and lengthened his neck. He now has some very handsome plates on his back and stands a little taller. He is not so easy to pull in and out of his building though, so I have to make a decision about how removable I want him to be. I may have to compromise on those plates in order to keep the versatility. With the longer neck, I also plan to have flames coming out of his mouth.


The process of needlefelting is an interesting one, in that to add firmness, I am trying to add material while condensing the bulk. It's easy to try to add too much, and tricky on this scale to pack it in. But I think the results will be worth it. I learn a lot with each project, and this one is no exception. I am hoping to have a mold made of the ring so that I can make a multitude of FZs and offer them as special orders!

I have no pressing duties today, so am going to grab my needles and get sticking! ...I have new ideas and projects I want to work on, but am determined to Finish FZ First!

hey, it's summer!

Kimmie here:

My felt bead came back from Bead and Button with the 'finalist' ribbon:

LOL I am glad that felt is unbreakable...poor sad ribbon all creased and crumpled! I hope Joan's big beautiful red one made it home okay.

Here in N County San Diego we were socked in with chilly, grey weather for all of June and July. I'm not complaining; I love 'June Gloom', and find wearing a hooded sweatshirt on the Fourth of July is just fine with me.

But the sun finally came out and it's warm and beautiful. And we are all complaining about this crazy, 75-degree heat. I am from Texas. I just spent four days there enjoying the summer sun. Seventy-five degrees is NOT heat. But it's incredible how quickly I got un-acclimated. Just moving some furniture this afternoon made me feel the intense need for a popsicle and a nap!

Didn't make a lot of beads this week, but I have some fun pieces from my workshop with Kate McKinnon (pictures in her blog). Learned to create a rivet post ring to hold my beads; the one I used is a vintage Michael Barley that I got at Embellishment (remember that?) in Austin(!) in about 1995. I have several pieces like that, that I've collected and held on to for years...my Joan Miller beads have their very own box ;-).

Also a staggeringly cool Feltzilla ring (again, see Kate's blog for pics): a tiny building in the process of destruction. FZ doesn't quite have all his details attached yet, but somehow I must make it a priority and get it done before the San Diego Bead Society show in August!

I ordered some more buttons from Anne Choi. I didn't know it but she has several styles. Going to make some great beads to go with them, and I'm thinking of writing a quick how-to on using buttons for bails. Oh, that's the other thing I worked on at the workshop: a new idea for a snazzy bail that will hide those boring wrapped loops. Yes!

How will it show?

Lots going on this week; I went surfing 3 times with Morgan over the weekend. There is nothing like getting tossed by the waves as you paddle out, then finally making it out past the breakers to sit for a while just contemplating the ocean. Yesterday we were blessed with major dolphin sightings. There were less than a dozen surfers out, and each of us had a close encounter. The dolphins would surface and slowly move down the line, playing in the waves and surfacing all together, en masse, rolling around with each other. Mating season? One surfer got the surprise of his life as he paddled out and two leaped out of the water within feet of him! I was lucky enough to have one surface about 5 feet from me, then he playfully swam under me as I sat on my board. I think I could have touched him with my foot. Then he jumped out of the water just a few yards away. We are paddling out again today, hope they come back to see us!

(okay, so I didn't see a baby dolphin sticking his tongue out at me, but if he had done it, I'd have seen it!)

Then this weekend I expect to be taking a metal clay and metalsmithing workshop with Kate McKinnon. I think it will be a good investment in new skills, and I already have a project in mind! Not to mention the pleasure of seeing Kate again :-).

I'm interested to see how these new experiences will show up in my work...it may take a while for them to be absorbed, but I'm sure I'll be feeling their influence soon.

Bead and Button, 2010: The Day After

Kimmie here, about to get opinionated:

It's Monday after the Bead and Button show, and we are all tired, exhilirated, and ready to go home.

It has been great hanging out with friends and developing new ideas. I think that's why we all come; sales are good and important, but the quality and quantity of artists at this show make it unmatched as an inspirational experience. I hope it can stay that way. Economics have made it hard for many of us to come, especially with increasing numbers of non-art-bead vendors at the show, but we are all optimists and fully expect things to improve with each passing year. I hope Bead and Button pays attention to what people are saying and needing, because so-called 'gem and jewelry' shows are a dime a dozen, and really not what this show is supposed to be about. It's supposed to be about artistry, like the wonderful work in Bead Dreams! I saw a booth here selling cheap sunglasses and fake pashmina scarves. That is NOT Bead and Button. Enough rant; but the mixed feelings of excitement and frustration are hard to keep in. Maybe keeping them in is a bad idea, anyway. The more people express concern about the direction the show is taking, the better, I think.



But about those new ideas: I'm really bad about keeping track of ideas, never having a sketchbook at hand when something percolates up. I have, however, learned to trust that if I put something into the flowing waters of my brain, it will swirl into the appropriate eddy and come back when it's ready and I'm ready to make it a reality. Tentative new projects will involve learning to carve wax for casting jewelry, recomitting to my metal clay/embroidery pieces, and designing some exciting jewelry pieces with my own beads. Can't wait to get started--and come back to Milwaukee next year with a suitcase full of exciting new work!

*also want to add extra thanks here to Kate McKinnon for offering to share booth space and a hotel for the show. She is talented, nice, and above all, fun! I wouldn't have been here if she hadn't given me the opportunity, and I really appreciate it.

New and Fun

Kimmie here:

That's what I always try to have when I post to the blog, things that are new and fun! I have taken a couple of days away from glass this week to make some Precious Metal Clay components that I hope the shoppers at Bead and Button will enjoy. I form these hollow pieces over some very interesting burnout materials. Beader Cindy Lohry christened them 'Fairy Pods', and I think that's a great name for them.

I'd love to find some more of those nice riverstone findings at B and B! The pods sound great all jingling together in a necklace or as a pendant,. I'm making some in BronzClay too, can't wait to see how they come out. Firing them Tuesday, I'll try and post pictures next week.

Life + Art

Kimmie here:

It is interesting to see how our lives influence the art we make. Sometimes the connection is hard to spot...for example, I have been making beads featuring koi fish for years, even back in my fimo days, but haven't had so much as a goldfish in my life for years! Where does that come from? I think it has to do with the colors and the way a beautiful fish in a pool of water is evocative of peace, elegance, tranquility--totally imaginary for me.

The lentil animals are challenging to design and fun to make in bunches. They are snappy and quick and pack a lot of punch in their tiny package. When the design is right it just hits you all at once and pushes all the right buttons. I think that's why I enjoy making them so much. I've historically been really bad about not wanting to make the same thing twice. The fact that I actually like making these by the dozen has got me pondering their nature here...I guess there's nothing incredibly profound about them, but when you're staring at the flame for hours at a time it's easy to let the mind wander.

The past six months or so have been very active and exciting for me; I've been spending lots of time outdoors, learning fun new sports, and I think all that adrenaline is informing my new work.

It seems like the more I do, the more creative and inventive I feel! There's a long summer of surfing and mountain biking ahead, and when winter comes, more snowboarding. Tons of inspiration under the sun, I hope you will enjoy seeing what comes next!

A Midweek Quickie

Kimmie here:

This is where colored yarn comes from! LOL, if Ihad been able to keep a straight face, I would have had my boyfriend Morgan convinced this is true. But I went and said that they look like they have sweaters on and started cracking up and blew it ;-).

I got my felt bead sent off to Milwaukee and won't see it now until June. I have a second one almost halfway finished, but it is hard to find time for it what with glass and PMC projects also knocking on my door. It almost makes me feel guilty to just curl up with my big bead and some wool! But there's a whole month between me and B&B and I hope to have two big beads on my table to share, along with all these fun glass beads.

Whoooo's ready for the weekend!

Kimmie here-


I really can't complain, this week just flew by. The creativity has really been flowing; I am so excited about these little (10mm) lentil animals, I have about ten different ones already! I'm going to make myself a bracelet with one of each...might have to make it two strands the way things are going.

These owls will be posted on my site tomorrow, keep visiting the blog to see the rest of my tiny menagerie!

**and if you have a request or suggestion, please let me know! Post it in a comment here in the blog :-).

I have been asked recently how I my pictures turn out so well, and I must say it is pure luck. The workshop where I'm set up has a big skylight so all I have to do is plop the beads down and snap a photo. My camera is so old that it will only hold a charge for 10 minutes or so, so it's a good thing I don't have to do a lot of fidgeting! I do have one good tip though: instead of a spendy gradient sheet or tricky backdrop, I use parchment paper from the baking section of the grocery store. Just unroll it -drape it over something if you need a background- and roll it back up when you're done. Great stuff, and it keeps cookies from sticking to the sheet... ;-)

Glass and felt from Kimmie

I added these guys to my etsy store last week, I think they are so happy! It will be challenging to figure out how to display such tiny animals at shows, but I have a few ideas.
Speaking of shows, set your calendar because I will be appearing at Bead and Button in Milwaukee in June! Joan and I have both sent in entries for their Bead Dreams contest, which Joan WON in the handmade beads category a couple of years ago. Maybe she will post a picture of those prizewinning beads for us. That was an exciting year at B and B; my friend Wayne Robbins and I received the People's Choice award for our collaboration, "The Collector":

He was my first big felted project; creating him really reiterated the importance of having a good stash to draw on! He lives in Palo Alto, California now, in the library of a home up on a hill. I'm sure he is very happy there, but I do kinda miss him sometimes.

**Don't forget to go see Joan at BeadFest Wire this weekend!

-and wish us luck on our Bead Dreams entries for this year...I think we are both going to be superstitious and not post pix till we know if they've been accepted ;-).

Welcome from the West Coast side of the blog

Hi all, Kimmie here,

Thank you Joan for setting up this new blog, we are going to have a lot of fun here sharing our latest work and ideas! I am also hoping that we will be able to get together in person before too long.

I have been working on some new beads this week, adding to my selection of animals based on a small lentil shape. My current favorite? The frog, seen above. I think the belly button adds a lot but don't always remember to stick it in there. The guy on the left seems to be wondering why his buddy doesn't have one!

I already have bunny rabbits, sheep, cows and ladybugs on my roster, and along with the frogs have added penguins and baby chicks. More to come, for sure. I love this concept, and these little beads look great in bunches. How small are they? The base lentil shape is about 10mm, a bit smaller than an M&M candy. Sweet!

My focus has been on a springtime theme, not counting the penguin, but if you have an animal suggestion or request, please post a comment and I will try to make it.

It has been a super productive week for me, and I look forward to sharing pictures of my latest work, including a pretty cool new project...stay tuned!