Thinking Pink!

I could have sworn I posted more recently than September ... didn't I mention my enameled heart throb work? My ring a week and my work a day?

So following my enameling mania in January (yes that was the Heart Throb posting - must be on my website - sadiecuming.com) I got stuck on hearts and continued the theme with 1950's style lampworked cutesy hearts.


Fuschia pink is the Holy Grail in the glass world and I thought my fuschia pink hearts were the bee's knees! Well that was until I lost two days of manic pink glass heart making to cracking ... all but one bead destined to be a pendant and one small heart with a prospective future as one earring cracked in the classic thermal shock line down the middle!


I was using an old variety of Effetre Gold Pink #456 and encasing it with Effetre Crystal Clear #006. After discounting thermal shock (all the black cored hearts survived) I had to conclude an incompatibility with my version of Rubino. The Pink quest was on!

Friends rallied around sending me various samples of #456 (different from my own)... and suggestions of other suitable colors to try. How wonderful! I'll be posting examples of the pinks as I produce them color by color as a record and for comparison over the next few days. I'll be aiming for some consistency.

Here is the color of my incompatible #456 purchased around 2005 or so. I'll be hoarding mine for it's fuschia properties ... despite the incompatibility issues.

I'm going to let go of having my blog be perfect - and unused! Since unused is definitely not perfect!

I've been busy working on my black and white creations for a theme we will be having at our local gallery. In place of a small group show the theme "Black and White" was chosen, and even though this will only be up for 3 weeks I've found I'm really inspired by it!

I've been madly lampworking and making scrolled creations which lends itself to the black and white theme very well, as well as beginning to apply it to my enameled creations - they're emerging with a very urban/industrial feel so far but I'm hoping to soften the look a little with some more floral theme type work ...

These enameled earrings show the urban end of things!



I'm hesitating to use opaques on silver as it seems such a waste! I do have a copper flower that I used as the design basis for a class I was teaching at a local community center so I may use that hydraulic press test to enamel initially, and I've a few cloisonee enamel ideas lined up too - Just have to finish a lampworked black and white necklace for a special display with a fellow artists hanging necks that we're collaborating with!



Here are some of my black and white lampworked scrolls ... I really like the slight touches of metallic that give this pendant a bit of depth.