End-of-Year Show Photos and Commentary!

Well, December and January went flying by madly and nary a blog post was made! Lots of news, but before we get to that, I want to finally share a recap of the two big shows we did at the end of 2011!

The first and biggest event was the Ottawa Glass Bead Artists show!


Andrea and I have worked to streamline and simplify our display for our smoothest setup ever. Andrea also made two collapsable spinning displays, on which we hung many sets of loose beads. They were a huge hit at this show, which had a high proportion of artists and designers.



We had some neat new focal pieces for this show, including some more abstract layered encased pieces.


Our final show of the year was our first self-hosted home studio show, inspired by our wonderful Winnipeg traditions of home shows hosted by Sumak Studios.




Home studio shows have a very different feel and flow from public events - very relaxed and comfortable.



I found it very low-stress and was delighted at how well our home performed as a showcase for our work!



As with all home studio shows, it was intimate, without huge crowds. Those who came knew our work and were excited to choose something special! We made a select group of invited shoppers and the lucky recipients of their gifts very happy. I even did a studio demonstration or two! (I should have photographed the studio - it was so tidy!)



Andrea and I were both really happy with the outcomes of the show and we look forward to hosting a second home studio sale in spring 2012! Hope to see you there.

Hearts of Glass Studio Show, Saturday December 3!

For the holidays this year, we're opening our studio and our living room, and transforming our space into a sparking holiday feast for the eyes! We've been busy creating new work and snazzy new displays so there will be a lot to explore. As a special bonus, visitors can watch Heather create a glass calla lily out of liquid, molten glass on the torch!


We are located just south of Beechwood - see the flyer for the full address!
Refreshments will be served.

We invite you to spread the word, bring a friend, meet the artists and make it an experience.

Ottawa Glass Bead Artists Show, Nov 11-12!

We're excited to announce our next art show is coming up this Friday and Saturday! We will be in Booth #8 in the far left corner as you enter the hall (far right on the map since the doors are on top). Hope to see you there. Please spread the word!



Ottawa Glass Bead Artists

Bead & Jewellery Show 2011
Friday November 11th, 4-9pm
& Saturday November 12th, 10-6pm 2011

* A Showcase of ‘Hand Made’ Glass Beads , Jewellery & Bead Work *

Venue: Hellenic Centre, 1315 Prince of Wales Drive
Ottawa, Ontario

Salon annuel de perles et bijoux 2011
Vendredi le 11 Novembre, 16-21hr
& Samedi le 12 Novembre, 10-18hr 2011

* Une 'vitrine' de perles de verres faites à la main, bijoux et travaux de perles *

For more information on artists and classes, please visit:

http://www.ottawaglassbeadartists.com



Last year's booth (OGBA 2010).

We've been working on our booth design and have a few innovations to unveil, including a new tablecovering system and some new and repainted displays! And I have a great selection of brand-new florals to share.

New Floral Stamen!

Hearts of Glass, Booth #40 at the Art in the City Festival

We're having a lovely sunny weekend at the Art in the City handmade show in beautiful downtown Confederation Park!

Saturday August 27 10am – 6pm 2011
Sunday August 28 10am – 4pm 2011

Happy Pride Weekend everyone! Huge respect and appreciation to our elders who were involved in human rights activism in the 60s, 70s and 80s. I just watched an amazing documentary on the story of the struggle from decriminalization in Canada in '69 to the addition of sexual orientation to the Human Rights Code in Ontario in 1987, thereby ending the era of needing to hide your love in order to keep your job. Thank you!!!

Also, huge thank you to our friend Jill who brought over her truck and helped us set up on Friday morning! :)

A Flight of Dragonflies!

Despite the warm humid weather, I took advantage of this rare, unbooked weekend to gear up and bust out the borosilicate glass that has been in storage since we packed up our Winnipeg studio last May! As you may remember from my last post, my mission was dragonflies. The goal this round was to make smaller, more wearable pendants while retaining all the detail and vitality of the older stickpin style.

I'm really happy with my first batch! This "flight" has a lot of diversity because I was experimenting with a variety of proportions and approaches, trying to find the best balance between durability and visual delicacy. The scale is around 1.5", so they are still "life sized", but more like the smaller species rather than the larger ones!

I just read about the smallest species of dragonfly. They are only 3/4" long! I think that's about as tiny as I can make one in glass. I made one nearly that tiny once but I didn't realize there were species that small. The "smallest dragonfly" title is a tie between the Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella) of centre North America and the Scarlet Dwarf (Nannophya pygmaea) of Malaysia. I continue to be delighted by the ridiculously poetic common names of dragonflies!

Mission: Dragonflies

I have been avoiding the torch lately! It's been too beautiful out and I've been away from home. However the urge is growing. I've seen some gorgeous dragonflies this summer, including a gorgeous Blue Dasher with green eyes:




And when we attended Andrea's father's burial in Alberta, the old rural graveyard was awash in dragonflies, giving us a perfect, peaceful and mosquito-free day to say goodbye.

So now I have an urge to try glass dragonflies again. They're challenging and exhausting to make and I have to be in the right mood, but I'm feeling ready to initiate the new studio into pyrex glass - if I can find an evening that isn't too sweltering already!



I'd like to make some smaller, sturdier and more wearable pendants, as well as a few splashy, life-sized stickpins! It will soon be time for the Art in the City festival, the last weekend of August!



Stay tuned...