Melting

It has been a hot few days in Los Angeles.  This weather does not inspire me to spark up my torch and melt metal.  Instead, I've spent some time reminiscing about my trip to Athens and my dramatic visit to the Acropolis.

A quarter for your thoughts

I spent my 30th birthday in Jerusalem.   I snapped this picture while in the Arab Quarter a beautiful and intense neighborhood.  The stripes lead you to the ajar door, I love the faded color of the plaster.   

This is one of the first pieces I made when I got back from my trip.  It is a mens bracelet, sterling silver, handmade and one similar will be for sale soon.  
I gave this bracelet to my uncle Rene, for photographing my jewelry.  Thanks Rene!

Sprite Leaf

I can imagine a sprite wearing this necklace as a good luck token.  It has a subtle bluish, iridescent tint to ward off the evil eye.  The Sprite Leaf is now for sale in my etsy shop.

A trip to Judson Studios

About a year ago my husband and I were driving around Garvanza, just a few blocks from our house, looking at the old and mostly decrepit Arts and Crafts and Victorian mansions along the Arroyo.  Sandwiched between two hideous apartment complexes we came upon an intriguing building that was different than everything else in the neighborhood.  We parked, and as we walked up the circular driveway a flock of hundreds of parrots flew by.  It turned out the building was Judson Studios.  I then signed up to take a studio tour.  Last week I received an email that a spot had finally opened up a year later!  Today, Los Angeles was overcast, cold and muted, I swilled my coffee and as I walked up the circular I once again heard the loud squawking of the parrots.  Judson Studio is a working stained glass studio, it has been in business since 1897.   Before this building housed The Judson glass studio, when the glass studio was in Downtown, it was The Judson art school where painting, drawing and architecture were taught.  It became the glass studio in 1920 when the art, architecture school moved to the USC campus.

This is the room where all of the windows begin.  First they are drawn on paper and painted with watercolor.  These first drawings are called cartoons.

Once the windows are approved the small pieces of glass are cut in this cutting room.

It was overcast but the light still shone through these are color swatches.

A work area, I love the looking glass.






Here is a giant kiln where glass is fired.  When a face, hand or other detail is painted with a glass based paint, firing makes the image permanent.  More on this later.  

Restoring an old Judson stained glass window from maybe 80 years ago.
Windows waiting restoration.
This artist paints the fine details onto the glass.  The paint he uses is actually very fine glass, it is fired so the image becomes permanent.
Lots of faces.
A lot of the work Judson Studio does is for churches.  This is a finished face, two identical ones were made.  The twin is in a church, somewhere.
Rays of paper rolls surround the face.