Irvington Art Walk

Color Gizmo Series, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

This weekend...I'll be at the Irvington Art Walk for a trunk show and visiting my friends!!!! It sounds like a good time, so stop in at
Blooming Dragon Emporium to say HI!

Here's the info...
On June 20th the public is invited to join Irvingtonians in celebrating this unique east end community. During Celebrate Irvington the neighborhood will unveil the new Irvington logo at 1:00 pm in the former Vogel appliance store located at 5607 E. Washington St.

Celebrate Irvington features the Irvington Guild of Artists Art Walk from noon to 6 pm showcasing the art of various local artists at many merchant sites and leasable locations concentrated between Ritter Avenue and Audubon Road. On the day of the event pick up Art Walk maps at 5607 E. Washington Street. Also, adults and children may participate in a Cultural Fact Quest as they follow a map and answer questions created by the Irvington Historical Society. Complete your Quest and you might win a prize. Winners will be selected by a drawing for prizes to be held at the Blooming Dragon Emporium at 5620 E. Washington Street at 7:30 p.m.

There will be various events happening throughout the day including the Irvington Presbyterian Church Fish Fry, the Friends of Irving Circle Vintage Sale and evening concert.

Contributing sponsors for the various events are Association of Irvington Merchants, Historic Irvington Community Council, Irvington Development Organization, Irvington Guild of Artists, and Old National Bank.

Later Gators!
~Moon

I've been busy, busy....lots of lampwork beads to come

Color Gizmos Series, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

I'm still sorting out the studio. What I did was set up the torcher chamber first then have been working on the rest of the studio. Mostly I've been on the torch.

Now I've got to get ready for a trunk show this Saturday. I'm not complaining but I really need to sleep once in a while. :-) So I won't be taking any more customs until I get EVERYTHING unpacked and get back to 8 hour work days. I've come to a point that I know that I'm on the edge of getting burned out. So I'm paring down a bit.

On the bright side, I've got over a dozen bead sets that I will be uploading to Etsy this week.

Now for the question of the month, for all you bead heads...do you want focals? I mean just focals without the accent beads? IF so, let me know. I've been thinking about doing a focal day once a week. More organic beads that could go with stone and metal/wire.

Have a wonderful day!!!!
~Moon

Back working with PINK again...more lampwork beads

Summer Dali Garden II/Focal Set with matched earring pair-indoor pic, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

Well, I've been kinda busy so it's another drive by post. I'm back working with pink right now. I just can't seem to stay away from this color. I used to dislike pink...funny how tastes change.

I just finished up a mini series of silvered glass. I will be posting them on Etsy sometime this week.

Ok...off to the PO and to the studio!
Have a happy, creative day!!!!
~Moon

Drive By Blog...Lampwork...More Alien Candy

More Alien Candy view 1, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

Just a drive by blog post...

I love this green...it's an old Vetrofrond odd lot. It make the colors pop. Anyway...I'm off to the studio...it's going to be a long day. I've got lots of ideas for beads.

Hopefully, I will have more pics soon and do an Etsy update on tomorrow afternoon.

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Moon

I'm back....more lampwork beads to come

View 2 Black and White set 1, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

The studio is FINALLY operational. This is one of the first bead sets that I've made for a while. It feels good to be back in the saddle. I have to admit...it missed making beads.

Now it would be much better once I find everything in the studio. There are still a few boxes and I'm still getting used to the torcher chamber setup. Mostly it's where I put the kiln. The sink was installed today so I have water.

More later...
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Moon

Word for Today...plus a lampwork bead

Experimental II , originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

Ok...I'm in the process of beginning a new series. The above bead is from the developmental stage. I will be working on this direction today and several to follow.

Now for the 'word' for today....dystopia (dis-TO-pee-uh) noun

An imaginary place where everything is very bad, as from oppression, disease, deprivation, etc.

I do not live in an dystopic world nor do I life in an utopic world either. My life isn't made of straight lines nor in black and white...it's a process of color and curves. :-)

(as Moon does Zen)

Have a great weekend and enjoy the weather! It's sunny here.

~Moon

More Beads...still cleaning beads

The Social Dynamics of Chatty Lampwork, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

This is just a drive by posting...got lots to do. Will drop by later for chatting. :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Moon

Tray of Lampwork Beads

Tray of Lampwork Beads, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

I just finished up silver coring these beads...they are sitting on my design desk patiently waiting to be turned into necklaces.

A silver clay artist, Marti, and I are doing come colaberation work. She is doing the pendants and fine silver beads. The fine silver pendants will be from Indiana foliage designs. I'm doing the bails, lampwork, metalsmithing, and design work. Sounds much more complex than it is. The pieces will have a sleek look with color (via the lampwork).

It's rather icky weather wise here. Lots of grey and misty rain. Yuk. So I'm going to do a rather unpleasant task myself today....I'm am picking and cleaning my design area. I've got a 12X12 ft mess. I'm not doing a redo of the area...just getting it picked up so that I can start packing it to move it (again).

Have a happy, creative day!
~Moon

First Trial Focal...Lampwork Experiment

First Trial...Experiment, originally uploaded by Moon Stumpp.

I started out encasing stringers...like emerald trans over sky blue...like trans red over ivory...and ink blue over pink. Then I encased the base bead in ink blue...then added the surface decor.
I'm working on the beginnings of a mini series...this is the first focal that I've made that I like.

The whole favor to the series is to create focals that I can used as pendants for seed bead rope necklaces.

The encased stringers keep the colors from getting muddy...they are a PITA to make (not hard, just takes time) but well worth the effort.

This is a flash post...I uploaded a few things on Flickr...now I've got to get busy at the torch.

Have a great day!
~Moon

Studio....a real blog post.

I had to pick out paint for the new studio. I could have had it painted in the boring eggshell or stark white. I’m betting that a lot of folks will make that color choice because it’s a safe bet. Vanilla boxes work for studios…a lot of folks like them. I guess it helps some folks to focus the creative juices on what they are working on at the time.

Now, me…I believe that color makes the world go round. Yes, I do like some of the more subdued hues like sage and a warm ivory in my home’s walls…but I also have an eclectic blue sofa and lounger with leopard carpet in my living room too. (yeah, like that’s typical American family) In my kitchen and family room, the wall colors are the same but with more subdued furniture. I also have a lot of wood in my home too. So it’s a balancing act.

On your right is Elfa Storage that I use for my seed beads and other stuff in the studio.

In the studio, I don’t have wood anything. Most of my design studio furniture and storage is white and from IKEA or Elfa. I like IKEA furniture because it’s modern, functional and affordable. Plus they make all sorts of different color covers. It is also easy to add to, say if I need extra storage or a table…I can drive to either Chicago or Cinni to pick it up. I picked up all the Elfa storage while I was in Austin. It’s is perfect for my seed beads.
The above is a chair that is in my bedroom...see I can be low key. :-)

Now you are asking, “Why is COLOR such a big deal?” Or why is any of this a big deal…well, I spend huge amounts of time in my studio and I don’t like hum-ho boring or overwhelming either. Beyond pure aesthetics…color also elicits emotional responses, which as a tangible linkage to my creativity.

I didn’t want green or yellow or orange because it’s a studio. The cast of wall color will change the color though the room. For example, it’s hard to pick out jewelry or beads or color combos of glass when there’s a greenish cast to the room. Normally, white walls are best if you don’t have natural light. Since I do have 4 windows of natural light, I logically had other choices.

I’m doing a Texas Folk Art color scheme…a retro turquoise (1958 Thunderbird blue) hue for the walls with accents of red, mango, lime green, and terra cotta. There will also be a great deal of black and white. I use black grid panels to make walls and used a separators…plus all the white furniture.

I should be moving in...starting the process on May 11th. I will have really pictures later but at least you got a real blog post for once. :-)

Have a happy, creative day!

~Moon