Meet the Snow Queen, queen of the snowflakes or “snow bees”. In the past the snow queen beads have made an occasional and unpredictable appearance. For some reason they are finicky and fussy and I usually burn them. Recently I discovered why.
Glass is a very forgiving medium, you can push it, prod it, pull it with picks and poke holes in it. You can let it droop and swirl and then move it back to where it should be. It’s like playing with hot liquid candy. Up to a point. It also has a mind of it’s own and working with it is learning what it wants to do and how to tame it.
Taming clear glass and silver leaf has been an issue for me. The snow queen and I did not see eye to eye and we just couldn’t be friends. I tend to work hot and fast on the torch, I use a large torch (a Nortel mid-range), I’m naturally hyper and I always have a huge to do list. I charge at everything full on (could be why I burn a lot, yes you can burn glass). The snow queen does not like my working style. At the last One of a Kind art show I gave a daily demonstration and the torch in the demo studio was this tiny little torch (a Nortel minor) that I used when I learnt how to make beads. It was so bloody small and slow! Drove me crazy for the few demos. And then I sat back and wham! got slammed in the head with a revelation. Some glass just doesn’t like to be rushed. Sometimes it wants less heats. I mean, yes, I knew that, but even when I turn my torch down I don’t turn it down enough. Working on a tiny torch made me go very very slow. It is not in my nature to go slow. I need to compromise and meet this glass halfway.
I thought about it. I turned my torch down, with a deep breath I worked slowly. The snow queen and I became friends. She’s back and she make lovely jewelry.