February 2021 Creativity Challenge
Dreams of Travel
Congratulations to Keith Phillips!
Travel has often been an inspiration for creating new work. We may have to dream this year, but maybe by using our imaginations we can all enjoy each others inspirations.
Thank you to our sponsor, Flame Dame Glass Supply! 
Artist Statement
Here's my entry for the "Dreams of Travel" challenge. As a marine biologist, I've always dreamed of taking a trip in a submersible to the deep sea. I doubt I'll ever make it in real life, but I plan to go there in glass. At least I have my yellow submarine ready!
Member of So Cal Flame Surfers chapter
Entry
Artist Statement
The trip to the moon
Not everyone has this option right now, but dreaming is allowed...
This glass bead is worked with ivory, transparent opaque blue and white color and I melted silver wire in the lower part.
Happy New 2021
Pearly greetings
Entry
Artist Statement
I live to go to the ocean. The water's surface inspired this bead.
Entry
Artist Statement
The beach is my happy place! My husband and I live in northeastern Massachusetts, and within an hour’s drive we can be on the beaches of not only Massachusetts but also New Hampshire or Maine, so it’s not unusual for us to get in the car on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and take a ride to the coast, have a seaside dinner, then come home. During the pandemic, this simple pleasure is something we’ve not been able to take advantage of because of interstate travel restrictions. I dream of the day when I can feel the warm sun and a cool ocean breeze, while watching the sun’s rays dance across the water along our rocky New England coast!
Entry
Artist Statement
This bead was a recent happy accident - random applications of silver glass over a vivid blue base. When it came out of the kiln, I was immediately drawn to the comparison of continents and oceans. There are so many places to explore on our planet, how can one narrow it down?
Entry
Artist Statement
Here in Colorado the weather has been extremely cold this last little bit so this Dream to Travel challenge was just what I needed to prompt me to get out into the garage and make something. I have traveled extensively around the US and to other countries. I love being outdoors and appreciate what nature has to offer. Trips I have made to Ireland and the lushness there blew me away and still stick in my mind. So I created a trio of my impressions of the lush green landscape, dotted with stone walls, rolling hills with fluffy clouds passing by. It could actually not only transport you to Ireland, but many other vistas around the world, including parts of Colorado where I live. I used various sizes of stringer to create the grasslands, greenery, pathways, clouds and stone walls. Adding a little overlay of enamel for dimension in the clouds.
Entry
Artist Statement
Just before the novel coronavirus shut down travel, I went on a birding expedition to Ecuador where I saw numerous amazing birds and made great friends. This bead is a glass portrait of the crimson-rumped toucanet, a frequent visitor to the feeders at Tandayapa Bird Lodge. I made him in the hopes of invoking good energy toward managing this pandemic and making another trip to this amazing country in the not-so-distant future. I think that anthropologists call this sympathetic magic: if I can visualize it, it will happen!
Entry
Artist Statement
Years ago I was fortunate to travel to Barcelona, Spain and I was able to visit Gaudi's Basílica de la Sagrada Família. It was a very limited visit, but I was enchanted by the stained glass windows and the use of light in the Sagrada Familia. I would love to return to Barcelona and again experience the wonder of Gaudi's use of light in the Sagrada Familia. This inspired my use of glass colors and I attempted to imitate a bit of the stained glass feel in my bead.
I live in Wisconsin, but am a member of the Florida Glass Dragons.
Entry
Artist Statement
To the Heart of Mars
February, the month of the Heart’s desires… like landing on the Red Planet! Playing with hearts is a favorite pastime since I was a Valentines baby! I am also mesmerized by transparency and the depths it can give. This glass bead has a core of clear with Sangre and then Multicolor Dark swirls and dots. I added a hole at the tail to dangle something from to maximize the movement in the bead.
Entry
Artist Statement
My inspiration is the outdoors and my love of the ocean. The beach is where we gather with our children and grandchildren each year - we all live in landlocked cities. I love blues and greens, and love the reaction of ivory with green so incorporated a twist as a wave where these colors meet to add some suggestion of motion! During the cold winter (and the whole past year has felt like winter!) combining my experimenting with landscape beads and off-mandrel hearts led to this “yearning of the heart for the beach".
I belong to Southern Flames in Georgia.
Entry
Artist Statement
Images of sunny warm sandy shores, laden with perfect shells, interesting beach glass and nature’s artistry and the relaxing, repetitive sounds of crashing waves were my inspirations for this challenge. We are avid boaters who frequent coastal towns, and have been missing many of our usual adventures during the COVID lockdowns. I was intrigued to put to use barnacle murrini skills from recent classes with Corina Tettinger and new urchin and Ammonite tools from Bulgaria. Fortunately the pandemic has a silver glass lining with so many bead makers around the world offering fabulous online classes, demonstrations and inspiration!
Entry
Artist Statement
I call this piece “Mermaid on the Rocks.” In this scenario, the mermaid is sitting on the rocks as she ponders where she wants to go next. Should she travel her usual path or go in a different direction? Sometimes it’s easier to continue with our daily routine without thinking because of the comfort of familiarity. However, the time often comes when we have to decide if it’s time to challenge ourselves and try something new.
I often dream about water and it’s always comforting as well as adventurous.
Entry
Artist Statement
I live in Alaska and the inspiration for my work are the abundant and diverse plants and animals in two amazing ecosystems - Alaska and its sister state of Hawaii. Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I’ve spent the long winter months in Alaska dreaming of the tropical beauty of Hawaii and the warm, crystal clear waters around those islands. Due to the travel restrictions for visiting Hawaii this past year, I’ve had to live life vicariously through my creations in glass.
Entry
Artist Statement
My dreams of travel are always and especially this time, about seaside.
Born and raised by seaside, spending summers on an island in family heritage house made the sea part of me. So these are attempts of beach feeling.
Entry
Artist Statement
The Rockies, how I miss skiing down those majestic slopes.
I sooooooooooo miss skiing this year.
Entry
Artist Statement
I dream of going pretty much anywhere!
I belong to the New England ISGB chapter.
Entry
Artist Statement
My dream of travel is to visit Antarctica. The pristine, white wilderness has long been on my bucket list.
My bead includes snowy mountains, water, and icebergs. For most of the bead I used Effetre glass except for CIM azure on the sky. For the water I used Val Cox River Dance frit.
I belong to Silicon Valley Fireflies, Arizona Society of Glass Beadmakers, and Florida Glass Dragons.
Entry
Artist Statement
My mother-in-law paints, and she recently sent us a new painting of wild flowers. It was so cheerful, I’ve been wishing I could be walking through that field of wild flowers. This is my “dreaming of wild flowers”, walking with my mother-in-law through the fields of wild flowers in England.
I started with a base of white, covered it in strings of blue and green transparent, encased it in clear. The stems and flowers are made with enameled stringers and they give some lovely texture and cast little shadows on the bead.
Entry
Creativity Challenges
February Entries
