Lampworking Tips & Techniques Any lampworker who has ever attempted to work with 'striking' glass has experienced the struggle. How do you get all those fabulous color ranges and not just boring tan? Not that tan is a bad color ... but when you spend a small fortune on premium striking glass, tan is not the desired outcome. If we go way back into the glass time machine, the whole striking glass frenzy started with a furnace glass: Reichenbach R-108 Iris Orange - lovingly nicknamed 'Raku' by the lampworking community ... now I'm sounding like a food blogger 😉 There have been countless forum threads, e-books, tutorials, and conversations around how to get Raku to do its magic. Every single one of them has excellent information that anyone who chooses to work with this glass will benefit by reading and watching. I am no expert. I still can't get the full color range I want out of this glass after all this time. However, if we break down the already kno...
Soft Glass Color Inspiration What better way to re-ignite your color muse than to go back to the very basics. Why are rainbow color palettes so thoroughly pleasing to the eye? The primary colors. There is just something about red, yellow, and blue ... and the rest of their 2nd tier friends that makes your heart sing just a little bit. And perhaps bring out that childhood joy elicited from your first fresh box of Crayola crayons. While those colors together might be a little too bold for your home decor, a slight deviation in tonality and suddenly you've got a bohemian or rustic flair. From a fashionista standpoint, what better way to complement that chic black and white outfit than to add a bold ensemble of jewels in the primary color palette? And quite frankly, if you are even the slightest fan of pop or modern art you simply have to incorporate the primary colors in there a bit. Try it. I think you'll like it. These base glass colors were used in the beads: Effetre 212 P...
Lampworking Soft Glass Color Reference Red is not a color I tend to gravitate towards. Whenever I pull it from my glass stash I usually just stare at it aimlessly trying to figure out what to pair with it. Then it goes back in its little cubby ... until I feel guilty that it never gets attention like the other colors do ... and I pull it out again, only to repeat the cycle . But Fall is another story. When mother nature paints a gorgeous picture outside your window full of reds and yellows and greens and blues, then you know it is time. The red glass will have its day. Red, orange and yellow are a natural pairing as they are on the same side of the color wheel. Red and turquoise have been a popular combination for southwest designs. Red and green are together frequently at Christmas. But put them all together and it's like the most perfect woolly sweater ever made. It's as if Fall just opened up the gates and poured itself all over the studio. And really, who doesn't swoo...