Thank you Sally and all the participants of the Focus on Life challenge. I am humbled by all the comments and thrilled to get to know some friends better and meet some new friends.
This week I went to the Glass House at the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, Virginia to create lamp work beads.
I took my first lamp working class with Kerry Bogert at ArtBliss in the fall, Sally and Elisabeth were in class with me too. Since I do not have a kiln to properly anneal (harden) my beads I go to the glass house and use their studio and kiln. I had a great session making headpins and beads, but in the kiln they went and I will not retrieve them until next week. Since, the Workhouse is about 40 minutes away, I can only get there a couple times a month. I plan on retrieving the beads when I go to the studio on Wednesday.
My hope this year in doing this challenge is to take interesting and beautiful photos.
Clearly, I could not have a post without a photo, so here is a picture from Great FallsPark Virginia. It is a photo of the what was part of the first canal system in the United States that used locks to raise and lower boats.
Thank you so much for visiiting.
Please see what everyone else created by visiting the Studio Sublime.
Can’t wait to see them when they come out of the kiln! Isn’t this just the greatest blog hop? I look so forward to Friday for the weekend to start seeing what everyone has done with their prompt…beautiful shot of the stairs…looks medieval, doesn’t it?
I second what Stacie said. I can’t wait to see what you created. And those steps are so neat.
I can’t wait to see your beads. I bet they are beautiful. It has been fun getting to know everyone over the past few weeks. It is going to be a fun year.
Yay for bead creating! Can’t wait to see. I love the picture you chose to share today – a strong and hard creation that has stood the test of time. I think there’s an art there too
Looking forward to seeing what you created; your picture is very beautiful too, I like snapshots of moments in time!
can’t wait to see your creations, make sure you show us another time
it’s a great photo, though!
have a great week
[no 19 - i overslept!]
Beautiful photo! I too cannot wait to see your beads!
I hope you share photos of your creations in future posts. I like the picture of the steps from the canal.
So excited for you and the glass! Sounds absolutely heavenly and I can’t wait to see what you made.
Ah, things do not always time out the way we would like. I love the shot of the stairs though. Photography is still art!
Hi Sandi,
I am looking forward to seeing you beads. The photo is something I would concider creative art. I find the texture and colors of the old stones in the steps and wall very intersting and artful. You should blow this one up and frame it.
Therese
I can’t wait to see your glass creations either Sandi, but I have to tell you that the photo you took is one of the most intriquing ones I’ve seen – I absolutely love it!! I can’t even really pin-point the exact reason it speaks to me,….the stones, the colors,..the textures,…what it was used for – all of the above!! It’s perfect!
How fun! I like the anticipation of having to wait and see how they turned out.
(I’m #41 this week)
I love those steps. What a great photo. I agree with everyone else and can’t wait to see the beads you created!
I’ll bet those beads are lovely, and I’ll bet you can’t wait to see them right out of the kiln!
Your photo is gorgeous. I love the muted colors and wonderful textures. Our family loves to travel the U.S. and so I’m adding this link to my ever-growing list of places to visit.
I tried lampworking once in NJ. I have vision problems and the teacher was trying to tell me where to put the glass in the flame but I couldn’t see the color correctly and boom! Glass shards everywhere. It was exciting! Then the teacher was smart and figured out to to turn out the lights and then I could see where to hold the glass in the flame.
Needless to say I decided it was not something I should do on a regular basis. I will look forward to seeing your beads.
So great to have such a wonderful service center within travel distance. There are several beaders in my area, but haven’t been able to connect with them YET!
Can’t wait to see! Love this pic, and didn’t realize the locks were all the way down to Virginia? I thought they were only up near the Erie canal? I love it when I learn something new
What a lovely picture – makes me want to know how long it took to create them. I love that it looks like they have been there forever and withstood who know what. Can’t wait to see your bead creations.
Can’t wait to see your completed beads! Love the pic of those steps!
Those steps are quite awesome … I bet your beads are as well!
Can’t wait to see your beads, and love your beautiful photo! I live not far from the Welland Canal, another historic canal in Ontario, Canada.
Hello over there! I am glad you have access to a kiln! Cant wait to see. BTW – lovely photo!
How wonderful that you got to make lampworked beads. Please show them to us when you get them back. I took my first glass class last fall and I was mesmerized. I am saving to take another one. Your pic has great texture.
Great photo, I love history! It is so cool that you are getting the chance to work in glass too! I can’t wait to see the pieces when you get them back, it will be so rewarding to make jewelry using your own lampwork beads!
That’s really dedication to drive that much for your art. I’m sure it’s worth it too. Your photo is lovely though!
Can’t wait to see the beads you made at Workhouse Arts Center! I drove past there the other day on my way to Woodbridge, I had wondered where it was located and there it was along Ox Road (I believe).
Cool photo of the canal remains. I like the different textures that juxtapose one another. The Erie canal in upstate New York is also amazing and still in use. It runs from Buffalo to Albany.
Very interesting photo Sandi! I love all the texture of the stacked stone and the composition of the shot! I can’t wait to see your headpins and beads, i’m sure they are going to look beautiful!