Eye Bead Fundraising exhibition in Adelaide, Australia

[woodart]

Originally Posted by woodart

Here's the bead I've made for the exhibition - thanks to Sara LaGrande for her helpful hints !
I was heating the bead too much and ending up with a molten mass of colour before she put me on the right track.
I am trying to decide if I'll make a replica and use them as earrings or just replace the middle lentil in the tiger striped necklace for this eye bead. I think if I do this it needs to be a bigger bead?

Suggestions welcome folks!
Cheers
woodart.

Trust me to forget to add the attachment - I'm in such a hurry to get back to the torch - AND I know I promised to send pics of the 3 I made yesterday but one isn't very impressive - the other I knew was going to end up a disaster as I noticed the bead release at one end of the bead had lifted and in my marvering of the bead it pushed the glass on the uncovered section and it stuck like glue! and broke in two as I tried to get it off.
We live and learn!
woodart.

[artyfacts]

Hey Ainsile

I'm getting together with some beading buddies to make a few more eye beads for you... will send them over to you as soon as they're made.

Liz

[woodart]

Hi folks,
I'm darned if I know why my attempts to attach an image to my posting here is not working!
I'll try it AGAIN now.
Cheers
Ainslie.

[woodart]

Originally Posted by woodart

Hi folks,
I'm darned if I know why my attempts to attach an image to my posting here is not working!
I'll try it AGAIN now.
Cheers
Ainslie.

It worked! I'm off to bed before I goof up anything else! Cheers
woodart.

[Moth]

Oh, that's a beautiful eye!! I love it.

I did finally get a picture of mine. I'll pop them in the mail in the morning for you. I hope they help!!

~~Mary

[Kathe]

How about also using the website to guide people to your cause and get legal with a foundation designation and a bank account. Many of us would like to contribute a few bucks to your friends' commitment to creating a clinic in Bhutan. Will get a bead to you too.
Best of luck,
Kathe
Red Tara Glass Studio

[woodart]

Hi Kathe,
Thanks for joining in with our project. I'm copying out the invitation to the opening exhibition which has the official information.
<quote>
Eye for an Eye
You are invited to join Andrew Griffiths to celebrate 20 years of independent 'Optometry With Attitude' and to help raise funds for the Bhutan School for blind and vision impaired students.
Eye for an Eye - an exhibition and silent auction of works by established and emerging artists.

Sunday 26th October 2008, 2pm 33 Unley Rd, Parkside. South Australia
RSVP appreciated phone 8373 2210
or email agotom@adam.com.au

If you can't attend but would like to make a donation, deposits can be made to Bhutan Blind School, BSB 805 005 Account No 5211645
<end quote>

The exhibition is being held in Andy's optometry premises and going for 10 days after the opening.

I collected Tim Skilton's turned trinket box yesterday which he donated as the Viewers' Choice prize for the eye beads - its a beauty made out of huon pine, river redgum and a highly figured piece of red mallee inlay on the lid. A real gem of a box - 9.5cm diameter - 7.5cm height. Ideal for keeping a valued lampwork treasure in!

Tim has also suggested we work together with lampwork cabochons set into the lid of smaller (ring) boxes. My problem is going to be getting perpfectly round cabs made and batch annealed as my kiln isn't big enough to anneal on the run.

I was wondering about making the cabochons on the end of a glass rod after the same manner as those pendants with their glass loops for hanging - but I'm concerned that these won't survive the process of cooling in vermiculite and then batch annealing - if anyone has any suggestions which will help I'd appreciate it!

Cheers
woodart (Ainslie)

[woodart]

BTW - re the prize for the Viewer's Choice - are we permitted to post a picture of something that isn't glass on this forum?
Cheers again,
woodart.

[woodart]

Hi folks,
I don't know what happened to the message I typed out and then clicked on advance to add the image!! A mystery to be sure!
Anyway - here's a picture of some beads I've been playing with as I'm concerned that the 40 or so who promised to send an eye bead won't all make it here on time !! I have five packages in storage at present and whereas I'd suggested sending ordinary airmail to get them here in Adelaide by the 2nd week in October it now looks as if they will have to come Express Post - more costly for the senders - to make it by the end of NEXT week.

FOr those taking part - please don't forget the bio which we'll have printed up and on view alongside each exhibit. Include your website URL and email address so if someone wants to follow up with an order after viewing other beads you make.

The eye beads have been fun to make - the first attempts are tucked away out of sight! The next one was the trans. amber with the eyeball and pupil on it. Then I made the lower striped one but the bead release lifted near the hole and the glass stuck to it - the bead broke in half while trying to remove it. The next black and white striped attempt looks more like an eagle eye than a wild cat!
The other beads are a result of playing with orange, blue and green - I liked the reactive demarkation between the green and the orange background - but if I used a blue base bead and dotted the other two colours on to it only the orange showed up - as with a green base - both were a waste of time and glass!

I tried a number of different ideas for spacer beads before coming up with the dark red. WIll be a nice necklace with summer dresses - summer starts here on Dec 1st I'll have a dress or a couple of tops ready to wear by then.

Cheers
woodart. (Ainslie)

[woodart]

Hi again folks,

WOW Its been like Christmas eve and having a sneak preview at the presents at 11.55pm to open these packages as they arrive!

Two more this morning - Sarah LaGrand with her stunning ye in shades of grey, transparent green and bright orange! and an assortment of zipper pulls from Jinx with the most delicate and intricate of eyes all beautifully and individually gift wrapped.

You guys continue to amaze me with your talents and your generosity.

Kate and Andy will be sending everyone a personal message of thanks once the exhibition is under way. They've been working in the APY Lands in the north of South Australia for a few weeks and only just back in Adelaide to get the exhibition under way.

Thanks again
Cheers
woodart (Ainslie)
IF only I could shake this rotten flu bug - maybe a spot of torching will help sweat it out ? At least it will help take my mind off my health woes!

[Moth]

I mailed mine Sept. 27th so I hope they make it in time and that you can use them. They aren't great, but they might fill in some gaps. LOL

~~Mary

[paintingwithglass]

When are they do? I am willing to donate and eye bead too.

[Moth]

Hi Fay...I think the exhibit is the last week of October, but we were supposed to have our beads there by the end of the second week of October. I think you missed the official 'due date', but I bet if you could get some beads there by the exhibit, they would put them in! Not sure, you'll have to wait until Ainslie checks in again. I'm waiting to find out if mine made it there. LOL

~~Mary

[paintingwithglass]

Oh...guess I missed it. Thank you Mary!! Just thought I would donate to a good cause.

[woodart]

Hi there Fay,

Reckon if you sent your bead express post it would still make it for the exhibition!

Send to
Ainslie Pyne
PO Box 381
BURNSIDE
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5066

The exhibition runs for about 2 weeks so if it arrived a few days late it wouldn't matter.

Mary, I did send an acknowledgement that your beads had arrived safely - or I think I did!!!
We're just now planning how to display them all - there are some fantastic works coming in - the organisers are talking about putting them on a website so I'll post the URL when they get around to doing it.

It was a little disappointing that despite around 40 or more people signing up for the exhibition there's actually been work from around 15. Most of these folk have sent off more than the one bead and they're all exceptional beads so the show will be worth seeing.
As well as this, Andy and Kate have been talking about the project and other artists have offered work for a silent auction and that should make up for the shortfall on sales of the beads.

High time I hotfooted it back to the torch - I hear beads wanting to be made!
Cheers
Ainslie (aka woodart)

[Moth]

Hi Ainslie,

I didn't receive any word, so I'm glad you posted in the thread.

Sorry you are disappointed.

~~Mary

[woodart]

Hi guys,

Andy and Kate had other (non glass) artists offering work for the exhibition so they are having a silent auction on the opening day (this sunday)
I re-vamped one of my relief carvings after deciding to make a tiny glass eye to replace the carved one.
I made the bead on the end of the fine mandrels so I could take it off easily and it would have a hollow inside to fill with the glue and make a tighter bond than if I had an eye made on the end of a black glass rod. I did try that method but the glass was slumping too fast - or I was working too slowly! - so the end of a mandrel with bead release on the mandrel, was the easiest way.

I started with an ivory base and then a dot of black in the middle of the top of the 'knob' of glass - then used the medium amber to encase the black.
After melting this into a dome shape I plunged a hollow just off centre in the top and covered that with clear to leave a tiny bubble '[highlight' -
It looks really good - might make some more and get back to carving miniature animals again!
Hope the picture isn't too big for LE?
Cheers
Ainslie - aka woodart.
Hi folks, I forgot to add the size of the carving - its 48.5cm tall but the picture I've attached is 2/3rds of the whole carving. It's carved out of huon pine - a native timber of Tasmania which has around 100 more more growth rings (yearly rings as the tree grows) in half an inch!

[woodart]

Originally Posted by Kathe

How about also using the website to guide people to your cause and get legal with a foundation designation and a bank account. Many of us would like to contribute a few bucks to your friends' commitment to creating a clinic in Bhutan. Will get a bead to you too.
Best of luck,
Kathe
Red Tara Glass Studio

Hi there Kathe,

The exhibition opening was a great success. Other artists provided a heap of paintings, sculptures etc. for the show which greatly supplemented the eye beads. After the end of the day's viewing, when we took stock of the day as we relaxed afterwards, we discussed further fund raisings for later in the year and into the New Year.
I've suggested arranging a music hall/dinner in my local church hall for around March next year and have another display of eye beads for sale on the night so if anyone keen on donating a bead who missed out on a chance this time around would like to get back to me with suggestions or wanting to sign in for it please email me at woodart@woodart.com.au (or leave a message here)
and I'll keep you on the mailing list as to developments for this next event.
Astrid's cat's eye bead was snapped up (by me!) However a guest at the opening was upset at it not being for sale still and he has asked me to arrange with Astrid for a replica AND he'll pay the price I did for the bead!
Astrid said it was her very first 'eye' bead. If that's her first, I'll be snaffling up her 10th too!!!
Cheers
woodart.

[woodart]

Hi again,
Here is the group of beads I finished off for the exhibition.
Three sold within the first hour of the opening and the woman who opened the exhibition from Guide Dogs for The Blind ordered two beads like the piece on the top left. One with an eye shut and the other with the eye open.
She has a glass eye in one eye and only 20% vision in the other!
Cheers
woodart.

[woodart]

The bead on the bottom left is one I made a while back - it was included in the photo as I wanted a comparison bead for someone else I sent the image to.
The floral is around 3.5cm top to bottom.
Cheers
woodart

[nivedita]

Originally Posted by woodart

Hi guys,

A

Hi folks, I forgot to add the size of the carving - its 48.5cm tall but the picture I've attached is 2/3rds of the whole carving. It's carved out of huon pine - a native timber of Tasmania which has around 100 more more growth rings (yearly rings as the tree grows) in half an inch!

wow, i am so impressed with your carving....i was doing a bit of that a while back, and seeing your precision beauty instills in me the desire to do so again... it is the opposite of the building-up process of glass, with wood, or stone, it is the act of removal...with little room for midcourse correction
thanks for the inspiration of your fine work

[nivedita]

woodart, do you have more pics of your wood art?

[woodart]

Originally Posted by nivedita

woodart, do you have more pics of your wood art?

Hi there Nive,
I have my work on this site - but I have a lot I just haven't got around to uploading! - www.woodart.com.au
My site badly needs an upgrade so I'll be removing some of the furniture makers pages and adding my different crafts other than the wood carving in due course.

Actually I was in the same boat as you ! When I'd finished re-vamping the pygmy possum and had three coats of Danish Oil rubbed into it and the lampwork eye glued in the eye socket I just didn't want to part with it -
I think the bidding on that went to $500 by the close of the exhibition but Andy and Kate have been so busy that the rest of the T-Bar Mob weren't given an updated report.
Cheers
Ainslie.

[woodart]

Originally Posted by artyfacts

Thanks Mary

Your tutorial was fun and very easy to use....

You'll be pleased to know that all your sets of eye(earrings) sold at the exhibition as did the bracelet - Not sure of the set of beads but if they haven't I might make those into a bracelet as well because Andy and Kate are planning to leave unsold pieces on display in his rooms for his patients to see - and hopefully buy seeing that Christmas is approaching fast and people are looking for 'stocking fillers' from now on.

Thanks so much for your contribution to the cause - I know that there are letters being written to each of the exhibition participants to thank you all so much for your help.

Cheers
Ainslie (woodart)

[Marcy]

Hi Ainslie,
I would like to donate an eye bead or two next time. You can see the style that I do if you poke around in my etsy shop, http://www.StudioMarcy.etsy.com

Marcy