FireBearDesigns - The Blog!

Summer Days

2011-07-31T19:51:00.004-08:00

Look at me, a new post! I'm a hot item in the blogosphere! :-p

Well, hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I've been busy with my fellow Hot Headed Honeys at the Spenard Farmers Market. It's a great place and the company has been great as well! I think I've just about mastered the mysteries of the market tent. :-D I'm excited because it has pushed me to work on some new designs that will be coming out in the fall shows - I've got some pretty pieces in store for the Bead Arts Gala!

Watching the heat move across the country, I'm glad to have my cool spot here in the far north - just the right weather for torching.

Well, keep cool everyone and happy creating!

Shed a Little Light

2011-01-17T11:56:00.002-09:00

One of my favorites!

To all those who went before and to all those who still strive to bring us all together...

Showtime!

2010-10-28T00:40:00.005-08:00

Well, it's been less than a year since my last post - I'm improving my posting rate by leaps and bounds! :-p

Been very busy lately - shows the last two weekends. The Bead Gala at the Anchorage Museum weekend before last. Great to be back at the museum again! Was great company and a big THANK YOU to all the customers and friends who stopped by.

Last weekend, the Alaska Bead and Gem Show with the Hot Headed Honeys. Always good to hang out with the H3s. Also got to meet some new friends and get to know some familiar faces even better. It was great!

It's officially "after The show'" so I can start on my next set of projects before a show in December. Next - working on re-visioning the workspace. Exciting, but still means a fair amount of sleep deprivation for the time being. :-) Things are coming together very well and I'm working to get things in place in the next week or so so I can get back to some productive, creative work. Lots of ideas rattling around in my head!

Back on the Blog Horse!

2010-09-05T13:44:00.003-08:00

I cant believe it has been a year plus since my last post! Life happens - argh!

Well, let's get back on that horse!
I'm going to start off by posting this video - currently playing a lot on my iPod. It seemed to fall into my life when I needed it and hope it now falls into someone else's the same way.

The past year or two has been rather tough, but I've found a lot of support and friends who are also dealing with life's odd twists (to put it kindly). I don't know where it's all going, but I've got some spectacular company in the family, artists, co-workers and community I find myself with. You're all in my thoughts and prayers as we all take it on day by day.

With LOTS of LOVE,

Carol

Hello? My Camera? I'd Like to Order a Photo Please!

2009-08-27T22:21:00.005-08:00

Ok. I came across this iPhone app in one of my photography magazines and just couldn't believe it - I can phone in my camera settings and take a picture! This is just a bit wild! It is yet another reason to get an iPhone. I've been resisting, but between this and the Magic 8-Ball app, an iPhone is sure to be in my future :-)

Brought to you by onOne Software (Portland, OR)

Honestly, I don't know much about this app and it's not one that I would find very useful in my current photographic work, but it's such an interesting intersection of technologies. What's your opinion? Are you using it? I'd love to hear from someone using it in the field, so please leave a comment and let me know what you think of this app.

Get out and bond with your camera today!

Traditions Meeting In Glass

2009-08-16T12:20:00.017-08:00

Hi All,

I've really got to get better about posting more regularly. There are so many things to explore and talk about!

Today's artistic inspiration is brought to you by glass artist Preston Singletary.

I came across an article about his work and an exhibition of his currently at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. I was totally captured by both the glass and the way he has applied it to traditional Tlingit art forms. I like how he considers the luminescent qualities of glass as part of the spiritual presence of the pieces. The shadows and reflections of the glass reach out beyond the physical presence of the art adding a dimensional quality not achieved with other media.

Gunalcheesh Preston!

The show is currently in Tacoma, but look out for dates when it hits the road. There are plans that include Alaska and I'll be sure to pass on the details when I hear them. This is really something to see. Until then, think about ways of adding more dimension to your own art.

ENJOY!

FireBear

Glass brings another dimension to Native American art. It’s luminous quality and shadow effect are like a spirit that appears when this lighting is right” -Preston Singletary

Exhibition- Museum of Glass, Tacoma WA

Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows

11 Jul 2009 - 19 Sep 2010

Museum of Glass: Singletary Exhibition

Preston Singletary Web Page

Going To Market!

2009-07-23T23:13:00.007-08:00

Greetings All!

Well here's some FBD glass news

FireBearDesigns

will be at the

Anchorage Weekend Market

this weekend July 25th

as part of the

Hot Headed Honey's Lampwork Co-op booth.

I'll be there with some new pieces along with fellow lampworkers Deborah Spence, Julie Levitt and Laura Young on Saturday. We'll have lots of great pieces out including work from other members of our little troop. We will also be firing up the torch to show you how lampwork is done and what keeps us coming back to the flame. Meet additional artist on Sunday including Michelle Pearson, Joy McLaurin and Susan Kaplan.

Want to learn more about our group, check out the Hot Headed Honey's page for links to our artist members and creative supporters.

http://hotheadedhoneys.com/

Hope to see you there!

Camera's In Space!!!

2009-07-21T19:21:00.007-08:00

A couple of years ago, Dr. Carolyn Porco made a visit to the University of Alaska Anchorage and it was another one of those moments that impressed on me the wonder of photography. Carolyn Porco is leader of the Cassini imaging team responsible for imaging Saturn, its rings and moons. This exciting project has provided new imaging technologies, spectacular images from an aesthetic point of view and a wealth of scientific information that has fundamentally changed our understanding of our solar system (to put it mildly).

While I appreciate the science behind the imaging and the astronomy, the images are stunning, Being a science, photography and art geek all rolled into one, I feel comfortable and even proud admitting that I have a favorite moon of Saturn (XO Hyperion XO)!

There are so many gorgeous images from the Cassini project. Take a few minutes to marvel at the images, the technology and the just plain ‘thinking outside the box’ creativity that made it all possible! Thanks Cassini Imaging Team!

Links

JPL Cassini Equinox Mission

http//saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm

Ciclops: Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations

http://ciclops.org/index.php

Hasselblad as Performance Art

2009-07-01T19:11:00.006-08:00

There's sure to be more about Hasselblad in this blog, but thought I'd start off with a short, inspirational introduction to one of my favorite camera systems and one of my favorite photographers.

Lois Greenfield came to Anchorage a while back with a group of dancers. The show involved her taking pictures of the dancers which immediately became part of the performance as the images appeared on giant screens. I was struck by both the beauty of the images and the privilege of watching her work. It was like being in a studio session with her. I'll never forget it! It serves as a reminder to me of how dynamic photography can be.

Check out Lois Greenfield at
http://www.loisgreenfield.com/index.html

New LensWork Workshop Series!

2009-06-29T00:55:00.005-08:00

I was just stopping by the website of my favorite photography magazine LensWork - www.lenswork.com

To call it a magazine doesn't do it justice. Editors Brooks Jensen and Maureen Gallagher put together a fantastic collection of print work in each issue with a print quality unmatched by any other (IMHO). LensWork isn't just about the photographs, but about the creative process as well. Lots there to feed the creative fires.

The hot news from LensWork is the release of LensWork Visual Workshops on disk! I've longed to go to the workshops in person, but getting time and cash to occur in the right combination is a bit of a challenge. I'm really excited by this development and encourage you to stop by the LensWork site to check out both the magazine and the workshop offerings.

The first in the series is on PDF publishing so get your images together and see what you can put together!

Starting Off

2009-06-21T22:40:00.004-08:00

Welcome to FireBearDesings - The Blog!
Hello there! I'm Carol Jones - the 'creative force' behind FireBearDesigns (meaning I came up with the idea so there's no one to blame but myself ;-). FireBearDesigns is the latest creative outlet for me and currently covers my interests in photography and hot glass work (these days lampwork bead making) - though you never know just what a FireBear could get into :-). I get ideas and inspiration from all sorts of art so you'll probably see a variety of topics show up here in the FBD Blog as well as FBD news and events. I'm looking forward to blogging and hope you find something here that gets your own creative fires going.

Flame On!

Carol Jones
FireBearDesigns