Large Focal Beads, Or

Everything but the kitchen sink

Having gotten over its initial bright 'n' gaudy phase, the art glass bead movement seems to be heading towards more subtle effects and colors---browns and greys, matte, rock-like surfaces, dull copper or silver staining instead of brilliant gold leaf.

Not me. I haven't been making beads long enough to appreciate all that subtlety. Give me bright clear colors (though I've finally come to appreciate the value of transparent tints, and not just rods in colors at full blast), shiny leaf, and, of course dichro.

An assortment of dichroic focal beads---2005 postcard.

Dichro comes in many colors and patterns, and in these beads, I use 'em all. Like most of the beads I make, these are hollow, though they start out as slim cylinders before I add three to four layers of glass, sometimes with additional decorations of two or three kinds of leaf, reduction frit, and of course, dichro. Lately I've been softening the dichro with pixie dust.

A not terribly successful series of Bullseye dichro focals, which at least attempts to document how I refine my ideas throughout the design process. Late 2006.

 

My take on the big expensive gaudy bead. Bead release keeps breaking on me, and so, in attempting to overcome this, I've keep making more. I could just buy heavier duty bead release, but no...Lots of new pix, 17mar04. (Original version of the index page.)