Beth Gripenstraw and Wayne Robbins, Santa Cruz, Calif.

One more collaborative piece with Beth and Wayne. I think Wayne did a great job matching Beth's colors.

Beth Gripenstraw's clay with Wayne Robbins glass beads.

Collaboration with Mak....

I love this artists' Raku. She is very talented. This piece has her Raku heart, Waynes glass beads, abalone discs, and bicone agates with geometric designs. 
 

www.makustudio.com and www.etsy.com/shop/makustudio

 

Sunshine colors

A collaborative piece with Beth Gripenstraw's clay flower drops.

A canary with large freckles!

                  Some more bright colors.

Getting ready for Arizona!

It's getting time to start planning for our annual month tour in Arizona for shows and teaching. I'm trying to brighten up our work for those mid-westerners that follow the sun in the winter and enjoy the bright colors of the southwest. Here are a few new pieces with them in mind.

More green....

Here are a few more greens and a yellow for good measure.

Green, green and more green

I'm on a green kick! I just love that yellow green color so I had Wayne make a bunch of new beads for earrings. Here's how some turned out.

New pieces for Open Studio

Some new strands that can be worn as one single long necklace, a shorter double strand necklace or a five strand bracelet. Lots of beautiful beads mixed with Wayne's lampwork glass beads.

Collaborative piece

Here is a collaborative piece I did with Susan Pierle from Colorado Springs. She does seed bead work as well as fused glass. We are really enjoying collaborating with other artists.

Long overdue post!

I've been a real slacker...no posts since June! But hey, I'm back! Getting ready for our annual Santa Cruz County Open Studio. It's crazy as usual. Here's a sample of what we have been up to. I'll post more photos as I get them.

Here is one of Wayne's new sculpted glass heads waiting for a body.

Bronze focal piece to be used for jewelry or other art project.

Another sculpted glass head hanging around waiting for a body.

 

We are hosting a new Open Studio artist this year, Patrice Ballou.

 

 

Here is another piece created by the new artist, Patrice.

Save the date....Oct. 11-12 or Oct. 18-19

and come see us for this year's Open Studio.

We are artists #149, #150 & #151.

2014 Bead and Button Flame off

Wayne and Kimmie Van Antwerp participating in the flame off to raise money for breast cancer research. Wayne made a dichroic turtle and Kim created the seaweed that it sits on. A nice green silk cord added to each end turned it into a lovely neck piece. The event took place at this year's Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee.

2014 Bead Dreams

Some of this year's competition in the Bead and Button Show "Bead Dreams".

 

Susan Pierle piece

Here is an elegant pendant created by Susan Pierle from Colorado. We met her at the Denver show and are delighted to have her working with some of our pieces. We will be seeing her soon at this year's Denver show.‎beadedartjewelry.blogspot.com, beadedartjewelry.etsy.com

Purple bird piece

Look at this beautiful piece Marcia DeCoster just made using one of Wayne's little glass birds! It's beautiful Marcia.maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com www.MarciaDeCoster.com

New Grouper pendant with bronze shell

This little dude turned out really cool with the bronze shell dangling below him. The grey piece between them is a stone from Lake Michigan. We will take this
guy to the bead show this Saturday in Oakland at the Convention Center.
www.beadsocietyofnorcal.org/bazaar.html‎

Bead Bazaar this Saturday

We will be at the Oakland Convention Center this Saturday, April 19, 2014, for the Northern California Bead Society Bead Bazaar. It's a one day show but it will be wonderful, I'm sure. Stop by and see us if you can make it. We are booth #804. To your left as you enter the show......against the wall. beadsocietyofnorcal.org

New focal piece for seed bead artists

Focal piece with Wayne's glass and my bronze

All bronze focal piece

Presentation at the Bowers Museum

Those gnarly fish just keep coming!

That Wayne....he just loves to make those gnarly old fish beads!

Gnarly Fish Bead

Silver glass heart..

All is not critters!

Talk about goofy fish!

And here are some of the goofy fish I mentioned in the last post..........

 

The frog man is still in action!

I know he's been creating a lot of birds and goofy fish lately but the frog man hasn't lost his chops......

Rustic Bling

It's always fun to see what another artist does with something you have created. Marcia DeCoster never ceases to amaze me. She has a very special eye! Here she uses one of our rustic bronze arrowheads with sparkle that's full of fire! maddesignsbeads.blogspot.com

Proud new owner!

Yes.....it's true! Wayne is finally a proud new owner of a Mac! We had to finance it but it's all ours and we worked really hard on the road to pay for it!

Wayne in front of the Apple store with cardboard Apple People.

Frist show of 2014

Pasadena Bead and Design...our first show on our one and a half month show tour of 2014. A quick shot of the booth.

Wayne at the torch right corner and a couple of bird sculptures at left.

Tubac 2014

Epic weather....visit with old friends....wonderful customers....and we sold one of Wayne's large sculptures! What more could we ask for?

Yes.....Wayne is actually in the booth taking care of business!

Chihuly at the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix

We had a wonderful evening wandering through cactus accented by colorful glass created by the Chihuly Studio. To add to the experience we attended an open air music performance. All was good!

                                                 Looks like a giant puff ball!

                                               Fire looking glass over cactus

                                         Colored and contrast altered cactus

                                                   A little like a moonscape

                                            Beyond words!