Art Bead Scene

I have recently discovered the wonderful blog called Art Bead Scene. This is put on by a number of talented art bead makers, including some of my favorite Beads-of-Clay artists Melanie Brooks Lukacs of Earthenwood Studio; Tari Sasser, Creative Impressions in Clay; Elaine Ray, Elaine Ray Beads; and Virginia Miskas, Fired Clay Artists on a daily basis. They have excellent articles and I look forward to reading them each day. For April they are having a contest with a great set of art beads for a prize. The theme is Taking Flight. I have it in my mind I want to enter so that I have a chance to win those fabulous beads. Well, I tried several ideas using some of my art beads and they didn't come out right. Jewelry designing doesn't come easily to me most of the time, but I persevere and sometimes I am so lucky. Well, while I was doing the Raku bead firing on Wednesday, it came to me--that is-- a title for a necklace I would make: The Flight of the Fire. I was so excited about the way the fire had marked the terra cotta beads that I made a necklace from them this morning and have entered it in the Art Bead Scene contest. Here is the photo of my entry:



This contest is open to anyone who makes jewelry with artists beads. Check out their blog at http://www.artbeadscene.blogspot.com/ I think you will love it.

Raku Beads

I am very excited that I finally got a chance to Raku fire some beads that have been waiting since late fall for the weather to be warm enough for me to fire them outdoors. On Wednesday, squeezed in between a week of rain and snow and another bad weather week coming up, I was able to do a firing. And make a video of it. This was the first time that I have used a terra cotta clay for a Raku firing so I was a bit apprehensive about how they would turn out. But all went well and I am so pleased with the results.