Jim Smircich class 2005

Here's Jim working on his signature bead called the "apple core" bead.  Notice how he's resting his arm on a metal platform.  How clever is that!  He brings 2 for each student.  I found the one for my right arm a little awkward & ended up not using it because of the amount of movement the right arm makes, but that left handed platform was so comfortable!  And Jim's beads are a process - some can take up to an hour to make, so being comfortable is imperative.

This is another shot of Jim making the apple core bead.  I realized at the end of day 2 (our last day) that I hadn't taken any pictures of Jim working so the only ones I have of him are of him making this particular bead.  It worked out anyway, because this took almost an hour to make & explain the steps & techniques at the same time.  He's got bead making down to a science & every little nuance is recognized & explained.  I learnt so much about heat application, rotation, the melting process...etc. ~ Jim recognizes that not only are we glass artists, but we're heat & chemical technicians too.

Here is a photo of the beads I made.  Each bead represents a special shape & design technique.  For instance, the last bead on the bottom right is called a "flying, hot, wedgy bead" & is both hollow & faceted as well as designed with a special white to create the thin black lines in the middle of the white swirls.  The one above it is called a fat olive bead & it has a webby/see through appearance on the surface created by using intense black frit & just the right amount of heat (the picture is a bit darker than the real thing).  The possibilities for some of his techniques are endless & I'm really excited to experiment!

This is a shot of some of Jim's beads.  He makes BIG beads, bigger than I've ever made, but the shapes, especially the long, thin ones, are perfect!  He also makes a lot of buttons & gave us a quick tutorial on them, which pleased me because I love things that are utilitarian & beautiful at the same time.  I just need to get one tool & I might become a button making machine.

Finally, I took a picture of just one of his beads so that you can get an idea about size.  This was on the small end actually, but quite stunning to look at, don't you think?  Well, all in all it was an amazing experience & a true honor to learn from one of the original North American beadmakers.