Here’s a treat: a video of me making a bead. It’s been about three weeks since I did this, but it’s taken me a while to figure out the computarmachine and get the video edited.
Making a Bead from Brandon Mason on Vimeo.
Now that I’ve got that figured out, I’ll have another up soon showing how to make a hollow bead.
Here are some examples that Laurie told/showed me how to make. It will probably be a while before I’m able to make these myself. 
I’ll have ample opportunity to practice on my own now that I have my setup at home, so the last few classes I’ve asked for some demonstrations of more advanced projects which I will have to work myself up to. First Laurie showed me how to make a frog. Here’s the one she made:
I plan to practice making some components of that before I jump into the full thing… It looked pretty involved.
She also demonstrated making a bead with a hollow mandrel. My hollow bead didn’t turn out so well – the walls came out pretty uneven and after one side touched the mandrel I had a lot of trouble keeping an even shape. I’d like to get a hollow rod at home so I can practice it some more. It seems like a good way to understand the basic concepts behind glass blowing.
Laurie also explained the techniques behind making a marble. This is one that she made, and you can see the awesome 3D effect she was able to get. This is definitely something I’d like to try out in the future:
I’m a little late posting this up, but just for the record here are the finished murals, and a link to a video. Thanks to all the artists, musicians and sponsors who made it happen! I’m glad you all had a great time!
I’m heading into my second half of Laurie Nessle’s flameworking class. Here are some of the creations from my first four weeks.
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I’m particularly proud of the hollow bead. |
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…and the evil bead. }:) |
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The free form ‘galaxy’ bead shows how much fun I am having with the temperature control on my stringer. |
Enjoy the rest!
So Desert Bloom 2 is coming right up! We’ll be hosting it next Friday the 16th at the new Gangplank location in central Chandler. I’m really excited to see all the activity in that area. Shauna and I went around talking to local merchants about the event and were met with a lot of encouragement and interest.
A few weeks ago Eric helped me design the frames that will hold the murals for this event and last weekend Kyle and I built two frames. Each of them will hold a mural on both sides, for a total of four murals. They were a bit shaky but once I applied some cross supports as Eric recommended, they became quite sturdy. I’m confident that they’ll be useful for this event and many to come.
Today I dropped by the studio to build the last components needed – some braces to put at the ends of the shelves. I’ll put them on this weekend.
The planning crew and I are hoping to head down to Gangplank on Wednesday to test lighting, get the frames constructed, and the murals primed and ready. Not much time left! Can’t wait to see what people create!
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Next Friday March 14 Studio Meridian will be contributing to an event called Desert Bloom. This event is about bringing out creative spirit in the valley. There will be hours of live music and sculpures, prints and paintings with the artists present. If you are passionate about what you do, come out and party with us! More info and FREE tickets here. We will have the damselfy on display as well as a pair of Kokopelli. Hope to see you there! |
It’s been awhile since we’ve posted anything. We’ve been bad, and busy, but that is no excuse. You see, after suffering some serious setbacks with the nautilus, we took the opportunity to look back on our entire process, and see if we can do things a little better for the business( It is a business after all). While Brandon is working on another unrelated project, I myself have decided to go back to school. This leaves us with less time to pursue artwork. However, I do not believe that this will have as substantial an effect on the studio as it might sound. Now that we’ve had some time to evaluate our process for producing work, we believe that we will be able to make better use of our time in the studio, and be fresh for the next opportunity to get in there and work at what we love. We have come to the determination that every part of the business should be approached as an art. This gives us a unique mindset towards the business as a whole, and especially the works that we are crafting. Soon you will have a chance to see the results of this change in the way we do things. I for one, cannot wait…
Till next time (Which I promise will not be as long between posts as before),
Kyle
With the official launch of our studio website, I figured it was time to focus on the sculpture currently at Art One. This is the first sculpture in our developing Eden series entitled “Odonata” the order of dragonflies and damselflies. This work took quite a while for development and some serious consideration was given to the method of assembly. There are no visible welds anywhere on the damselfly itself, and no apparent way that the piece is put together. Many of the pieces were forge-worked and carved or machined into their final shapes from stock steel. The glass eyes were created using custom made molds to form them into shape at high temperature, and all four glass wings were hand-carved with a vein pattern that exactly matches that of a particular species. The paint scheme required many color tests and several trials before the final finish was achieved. The overall effect that is intended is to portray a creature with vibrant colors that is immediately given notice. I felt that it was important to model this after an insect that I don’t feel is given much notice, however is beautiful in its composition and various colors depending on the species. Take a closer look at the world around you. You never know what you might miss – Kyle
Special thanks: Paul Wagner, Terrill Deaton
The Odonata sculpture is now on display at the Art One gallery! Doors are open every Thursday evening for the Scottsdale artwalk. Check out their website for location and other visit times.
While you’re at Art One check out the work of other local artists. Kyle and I have been really impressed with the art here. You’ll find anything from thoughtful or beautiful, to downright funny. If you’re looking for fresh new art and people that are friendly and down to earth, this is the place to be!
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Last Sunday was the second day we’ve spent working with the new torch. I was trying to get a feel for how the viscosity of the glass changes at different temperatures and how best to keep the pieces from cracking due to heat differences. A couple pieces made it out intact – here are some pictures.
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