Behind the Scenes

Black & White Ukuleles

This is what the process looks like during the stage of creating a new pattern, trying ideas out, and making changes. Here the glass has been cut and ground to a smooth shape. Fragile glass stringers have been placed atop clear glass as the four strings. I might try incorporating wire in subsequent iterations for an interesting mixed-media piece. This 6-3/4" round piece is ready for a contour fuse firing in the kiln, and has its own full fused and slumped glass stand I made in the matching black glass.

Flameworking (AKA Lampworking)

I have a lot more to learn, but I'm at the beginning stages of figuring out how to make mini candy canes by using a flameworking torch and rods of colored glass. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Glass Nugget Musical Notes

Nuggets are ground, ready to be foiled and have wire soldered to them to become Eighth Notes and Double Eigth Notes 🎶 🎵

GCEA Hearts

I'm attaching a second-story platform with a smaller bit to my grinder to finish these hearts, and after copper-foiling them, will solder wire across them that will spell out 'gcea,' the most common ukulele string tuning.

Treble Clefs

Copper foil complete on one of many treble clefs... ready to be soldered outside with the others, hooray! 🎼

Double Eighth Notes, Rainbow

These colorful notes are all cut out and ready for the next step, which is to grind them to a nice, smooth shape. Then they'll be washed well with warm water and vinegar, dried, and ready to be 'foiled'--which entails a thin copper foil tape carefully applied and then burnished. If you think that they're colorful now, wait until you see them held up against the sunlight!

Fused Glass Blossoms Plate

Completed and ready to be fired in the kiln twice--once to be contour fused, and the second time to be slumped into a plate
Bullseye glass

Eighth Notes & Double Eighth Notes

A heap of copper-foiled and burnished glass pieces ready for wire work and solder

Fused 8" Waves

Before… and after a kiln firing. A bit of striker glass snuck in the pile of glass I was using. By striker I mean that it looked like a pale, clear color, but firing it had it come out a bright yellow. S’OK. The first one I keep for myself, anyway. I’m making a clear glass stand for it.

Before

After

Plumerias

I'm gathering photos of plumerias and hibiscus to create patterns for my next flower suncatchers. This one I found posted on my friend Tim's social media account, taken by his partner Christina during their recent long stay on Maui. Feel free to send me your favorites as inspiration 🌺

Spider & Cobweb

Though wildly expensive, unfortunately, dichroic glass is amazing! I’ll make some finishing touches on this, wash and dry it well, and then add black patina to the solder, wire, and zinc frame. Then a rinse, dry, and polish. I’ll add a second loop a bit higher up for the spider to hang out, and the loop it’s on now will hold a line dangling below the piece from which it has the option of hanging… as spiders do.

Fused Hearts

A dozen hearts in the mold, ready to be fused in the kiln overnight

Stars of David

I ran out of daylight before finishing soldering this piece, and the next few days we'll have rain here, so there will be no glass-working outside. Either way, the flux must be washed off pretty much right away. I use running water, a toothbrush, and Dawn dishsoap. To be continued with this beauty...

Sea Glass Ring

I'm working on my first pronged ring, and it's quite an elaborate process! I find sea glass during countless, beautiful hours spent roaming beaches for treasures.

Mini Monstera Leaves

When the weather is especially nice, I take advantage of it by scoring and cutting boatloads of glass outside. I always keep my eye out for stained glass sheets that will make great-looking monstera leaves. The fun color-combinations seem never-ending!

Driftwood for Mobiles, Windchimes, and More

As I stroll the Southern California beaches, when I find a particular piece of driftwood that I think might make a great part of a glass art piece, I collect it, bring it home, and keep it for whatever project I'll be dreaming up. I see fused glass and stained glass mobiles and wind chimes, for certain. The larger pieces might make good landscape bases for Bigfoot!

Beveled Hearts

During the process of making these, each piece is traced, scored, cut, ground, cleaned, copper foiled, fluxed, soldered, has jump rings added, and then the piece is cleaned, dried, patina is applied (optional), and it's again rinsed, dried, and polished.

Santa Stocking Ornaments

There are times when I feel compelled to stop everything, shift gears, and play with something new. This was the case with these Santa Stocking ornaments. Truth is, I nearly always have more than a half a dozen projects going on at the same time. :)

OC Ukefest Logos

Cut, ground, cleaned, and glued in place, these logos have been placed in the kiln and are ready to be fired overnight. Then ready for the inaugural event on 2024-03-23!

Bigfoot!

Bigfoot's leg slipped out of my hands and dropped to the floor and broke, so this is his second left leg, cut and ground. Next up is to foil and burnish it, like the other parts. Will he become a plant stand or a stand-alone piece atop a glass forest floor? Suggestions welcome :)

Flat Panel Lamp

These six panels turned into my first flat-panel lamp. I made it to use with a solid brass lamp base that my Dad made long ago. It was fitting to make something special for a piece that he treasured, with the end result being a collaborative effort - spaced out over about 60 years.

Flameworking (also known as Lampworking)

I'm learning the glass art of flameworking, and these are some of the very first beads that I've created, as I learn how to wrap molten glass around mandrels.

Luna Logos

Here I show part of the process of making some Luna Sandal emblems. I wanted to give my friends Barefoot Ted, the Founder of the company, and his wife Liv a gift. Experimenting with slightly different glass types (different shades, textures, and level of transparancy/opaqueness), the all-around favorite was determined. I used black patina on them (not shown) and gave them a nice wax shine before tying black leather chords around the tops and boxing them up, ready for gift-giving.

Flower Plant Stakes

Making flower plant stakes results in a lot of joy! Just before painting flux onto the petals and tack soldering them together, I prop them up a bit with, of all things, Play-Doh to give it a more 3D shape. They can be placed in potted plants, but can also be placed alone in a vase or with others to crete a bouquet. I daydream of becoming a sort of stained glass florist where neighbors can choose their stained glass bouquets much like they do from the local florist.

Early Morning Sketching

What's on my mind this morning is if these little glass nuggets would make fine ukulele tuners...

Sailboat Panel

All of the pieces are ground and ready to be washed. Next up is to copper-foil and burnish each one. This will be a little hanging panel with a zinc frame. I have a special fondness for yellow hulls because when I was a little girl my dad sailed a type of boat called a Laser, and it had a yellow hull. 💛

Purple Flowers

ready to be washed with vinegar and warm water, dried, copper-foiled, and then burnished before heating up the soldering iron

Tulips

I’m in love with them already, for the positive memories they evoke of a past time. Testing combinations for these 3” squares of very special tulips - ready to be ground, cleaned, and then fused in the kiln

Butterflies on Plant Stakes

Cut out, ground, and ready to be copper-foiled, these pretty pink butterflies will become plant stakes.

Good Thing Work is Fun...

I have my work for the day cut out for me... wait... no... I have to cut out my work for the day. :) These will be more music-themed pieces in different colors and textures to play with light. Hooray!

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