Additional "minis" & another "Lazy Man's Aquarium"

A few more minis and one more aquarium. The Aquarium piece measures approximately 11" x 14". The rest are much smaller.

A Few New "minis"

Here are a few of the newest minis that I have completed. The largest is about 5" x 7". They are made using vintage rhinestones, mosaic tiles, polished gem stones, micro beads, seed beads, glass globs, glass enamels, etc. Each have several layers.

"Almost Sunset"

This is another multi-layer piece with a traditional mosaic border. It measures approximately 11"x14" and can be displayed on an easel. There are 5 layers of glass in the distant hills. The oak tree and the larger yuccas are on the top surface glass (along with the mosaic border) and the distant yuccas and sun are on an additional layer that is spaced about 1/4" behind that . The hills are created with a couple of other layers added to the back of that layer. It is frustrating because the various layers and depth do not show in photos. Because I use a lot of iridized and metallic colors there also tends to be a lot of glare in the photos.

"Dragonfly Dance"

Here is a new multilayer piece that was created with stained glass, fused dichroic glass, glass pearls, vintage rhinestones and glass seed beads. The large dragonfly and the bubbles surrounding it are applied to a background of translucent stained glass. The additional four dragonflys and the decorative border are all applied to the front glass to create the dimensional effect. Depending on how this piece is displayed - either on an easel in front of a light source, or hung on the wall the background glass is opaque as in these photos or it can take on more of a golden glow when backlit.

"Lazy Mans Aquarium"

This piece was fun to create - very whimsical. It could be displayed in a window or against a wall. I have photographed it both in a window and against a beige wall. You can see how the image casts shadows against the wall. The border is two sections of grouted mosaic tile edged with glass beads. The clear section between is dotted with vintage rhinestones surrounded by glass beads. These seem to "float" like bubbles. The fish are on a back layer of clear iridized water glass. It is recessed about 1/2" behind the front glass which contains the floating grasses. The fish are decorated with rhinestones, beads, milifiori, etc. They each have red "kissy" lips. This would be a fun piece for a bathroom window or wall. It measures about 16" x 20".

"Texas Royalty"

This is a multilayer piece illustrating fields of Texas bluebonnets. It is difficult to see the layers but the back group of bluebonnets is spaced about 1/2" behind the front group. The border is made up of green glass tiles and beautiful cuts of albalone shell tile. The flowers are created using glass enamels, glass beads and vintage glass and crystal rhinestones. The piece measures approx. 11" x 14".

"Crystal Tree"

The past two weeks I have been helping my husband recover from back surgery so have been unable to work in my studio. Instead, I have worked on a few smaller pieces on the kitchen table. This piece has a mosaic border made with vitreous glass tiles and glass beads. The image area was created with metallic paints and powders, vintage crystal leaves, micro glass beads, and very tiny transparent milifiori. The outside dimensions are approx. 15" x 9 1/2".

A CHALLENGING Commission

A daughter and granddaughter approached me about creating a special gift for "Grandma" for her birthday. She has a favorite painting that they brought over to request that I make a glass on glass window of it. They said that certain elements could be enlarged (the girls picking flowers and some of the flowers too) One child needed brunette hair and the other is a curly blonde to represent the two granddaughters as children. Also there were to be no facial features on the girls. I used mostly stained glass but the flowers are created using vintage rhinestones and millefiore. I am not sure how successful I have been - they haven't seen or picked it up yet. Hopefully it is what they are looking for. If not, it has at least been a terrific learning project for me. Many things I tried here will definately be used in later pieces.

Large Bluebonnet Vase

This piece measures about 13" tall and is about 8" across at the widest point. The bluebonnets contain many different types and sizes of rhinestones and teh bottom area is painted with glass enamels.

"Lavender Yuccas"

This piece is very difficult to photograph. It has a mosaic border and a multi layer transparent image area. It measures 15" square.

"Pink Flowers on Parade"

This window measures 16 inches wide by 20 inches tall. The border is made up of vitreous glass tiles and rhinestones. The image area is multi layer glass with flowers created with glass enamenls, stained glass, glass beads, and dichroic glass fused flower centers.

Yucca Field

This piece is created with a mosaic border, an embelished mat, and the image area in the center is multi-layer glass that light will pass through. It has a total of 4 layers of glass in some areas.

New Group of Minatures

Here are a few more minatures that feature Texas Yuccas and Bluebonnets. To get an idea of the sizes, the small pieces are 2"x2".

"Fantasy Flowers" and "Four Seasons"

"Fantasy Flowers" is a small window. The flower centers are fused dichroic glass and the large glass tiles in the border are thick cast glass pieces made by Chicago Art Glass. The rest of the border is made up of vitreous glass tiles and transparent glass agate stones.

"Four Seasons" is one of my opaque pieces. The mosiac border contains beautiful mother of pearl tiles. The image was created with glass enamel paints, metallic powders, glass seed beads, and very small no-hole beads from China.

3 New Pieces - All different techniques!

This first piece titled "Bonnets, Brushes, and Sunflowers" is one of my glass on glass mosaics that is displayed like a stained glass window. The Bluebonnets are made with stained glass and vintage rhinestones. The Indian Paintbrushes are made with stained glass and vintage glass agate stones. The centers of the sunflowers are fused dichroic glass. There are polished christophase rocks at the base of the flower stems.

The next piece titled "Oak and Yuccas" is a combination of techniques. The border is mosaic glass tiles and glass beads. This portion of the piece has been grouted. The center image of the oak tree which is on clear glass has been painted using glass enamels and the leaves are made with glass seed beads. This image spills over on the mat also. After framing the piece an additional image of yucca plants has been added to the front surface using stained glass, glass enamels, and vintage rhinestones. Because light can come through the center of the piece it changes dramatically depending on the lighting conditions.

The last piece titled "Jade Tree" is made up of jade-like vintage leaves, stained glass and rhinestones. Although it is not apparent in the photo, the glass around the image is clear and has a mosaic border that is transparent. Light cannot pass through the image of the tree but comes through the border.