New 'Random Stringer' beads

Hi, all. I've been quiet lately. This is a condition almost unkown to me! But, I've been completely swamped with custom orders and haven't had much of a chance to sit down and collect my thoughts.

Don't get me wrong. Unlike some folks, I love custom work. It sort of forces me to work outside my little box of comfort. I always get fresh ideas and perspective on things when I'm working on someone else's vision. That being said, I've really missed the Zen of 'free torching'. Nothing quite clears the attic like getting into the flame and just letting the glass speak it's mind.

I have had time to take a few pics of some of my 'random stringer' beads. These are gravity spiral beads which is not a new technique by any means, but the special stringer that I make for them adds an extra element that I'm really happy with.

I like the shifting of color, the play of transparent and opaque in the same breath. I'm not the best bead photographer so it's hard to capture sometimes, but in person these beads are so full of light and movement and so many different colors. Really pretty. These are ones I made a couple of weeks ago. I've refined my new ones, but I still think these are quite nice.

This one is actually part of a set.