These are the images of some of the beads I've made in the past. It should be an inspiring page, one that will make you want to come to the Bead Show nearest to you, so you can see all of the lovely things I make now. I MAY have a few of these left, but am constantly tempted on to other colors, other techniques, other types of glass. The infinite possibilities of this medium, even with the small scale I prefer, is one of it's most exciting facets.

Although no measurements are given, I have tried to keep the proportions in scale, with a few exceptions, which I will describe. The beads range in length from 3 3/4" to about 3/4".

Eye Beads

Each new beadmaker starts with the ancient eye bead, I believe. These were the ones I did in 1999, getting ready for 2000. Gradation and color intensity have always been inportant aspects of my work, dating back to my quilting days.

Earth and Sky Cylinder Beads

I started making these long, long Earth and Sky Beads in early 1999, several months after I had taken my first class from Andrea Guarino at the Puget Sound Bead Show in July of 1998. The gradation in color is what originally fascinated me about these landscape beads. The Moretti glass comes in many different shades, but the gradation from one color to another is not a smooth one. Consequently, most of the glass for these beads was hand mixed from other colors, drawn out into rods, cooled, then used, in the order of their saturation. The evolution of my technical skill was a continual challenge, as the whole bead needed be kept hot as additional glass was applied to the mandrel. These were made on a Minor Bench Burner, an oxygen/propane torch.

These Sky beads were made in several different landscape styles: Forest, Water, Lakes, Ocean, and Desert, and in different lengths, too. (The ones in this image are about 4 1/2 inches long.)

Apple Blossom Beads

For almost 20 years we lived here in Washington State, surrounded by apple orchards. In the Springtime of 1999, after throughally studying the Lapidary Journal Article by Kristin Franzen Orr, with the fragrance of thousands of blooming apple trees drifting in through the open windows, I was inspired to make these cased Faux Labradorite Apple Blossom Beads. The background, with bits of dichroic glass and goldstone, allowed these Faux Labradorite beads to match the fire and brilliance of that genuine semi-precious stone, making very fine match for designers wanting to use them together.

Unfortunately, in the last few year, thousands of acres of apple trees here in the Okanogan Valley have been ripped out of the ground, left laying on the ground for months, with their branches and their dry, bleached roots silhouetted against the sky like dead soldiers in a vast, silent war.

Including the ones surrounding my home....

But that's a different story.....

So now these Apple Blossom Beads, as are the orchards, a bittersweet memory.

Iris Cylinder Beads

"Oh, I love when the flags bloom," my grandmother would sigh when the irises blossomed. "They always arrive on my birthday, and fly for the 4th of July." My Iris Beads were inspired by those of Leah Fairbanks and Kristin Franzen Orr. I first started making them in July, 1999, when the iris were blooming here in the rural Pacific Northwest. I love the way that they stand so tall, proud and patriotic, yet with their fluffy bottom petals frilly and feminine.

Long cylinder beads must dance in the flame to survive. As the glass artist melts and forms one end of the bead, the opposite end cools and needs to be reheated. A even heat base over the entire bead must be maintained. If not, the partially formed bead will crack, shatter and even explode. So the artist must dance with his hot glass, from dripping hot, to moldable viscous, to firm, and back into the flame before it shatters. All the while, keeping the heat base even and then finally the application of fine, delicate, detail.

Consequently, the time and skill necessary to create very long cylinder beads increase geometrically, as the length of the bead increases. And of course, tiny ones, flat ones and cube beads all have their own challenges, too.

Garden Goddess Beads

These Iris Garden Goddess Beads were subtle and modest, referring back through eons to an ancient, primitive, tribal tradition. Some of the oldest relics known to man (or woman) have been female fertility stones. These goddesses whisper to that tradition, yet are thoroughly modern.

During the summer of 2000, I was lucky enough to take a class given by Loren Stump, one of the world's best glass artists. One of the things he is famous for, on a large scale, is his understanding of glass as plastic fluid substance. After his class, in my own small way, I had a great time designing these tiny sculptured irises. These are tiny, light beads, the longest just 1 1/4" long, with a large hole running from side to side.

Sculptured Alphabet Beads

Sculptured Alphabet Beads are actually a bit more difficult than they look to be. Made from Moretti glass, the flame has to be just right, not too hot, not too cool. Gravity will help with the formation of the letters, but you must be able to switch hands, get the front and back of the bead hot, rather than just turning the mandrel in the flame, as is usual for round beads. And some letters are definitely more difficult than others (a capital "K" and "B," for example :-)). These are all made on a 1/8" mandrel, so a cable or chain will easily pass through the bead.

Bullseye Hollow Beads

During the Spring of 2001, just before the annual meeting of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, Pam Dugger taught a great class illustrating the techniques she uses to make her hollow glass fish and birds. After the class, when I came back to the 5th wheel to make hollow beads, they rather naturally came together as Hearts and Roses.

Borosilicate Aromatherapy Vials

And now, of course, I'm playing with Aromatherapy Vials, borosilicate (Pyrex) glass and all of its wonderful, magical qualities. As they say, "To infinity...and beyond!"