My Fused Glass Mosaic Is In A Gallery!

It's been a bit more than two years since I started working with fused glass and I'm eager to make bigger and more complex pieces. I LOVE making jewelry and my microwave kilns were a fantastic investment, but I'd really like to create vases, sculptures and larger art forms. Since I still only have my microwave kiln, I've had to get inventive in what I CAN do -- and have designed several fused glass mosaics. My hard work has paid off, though, because my piece, "Winter Frost" is currently on display at a gallery!

I made this mosaic by using clear dichroic glass, which I layered and fired multiple times. From some angles, the glass appears to be clear, but from other viewpoints, it's very colorful. I was inspired to create the piece when I saw some frost on the ground during a sunrise. I am not usually awake that early, so it captured my attention!

"Winter Frost" is part of an exhibit called "Of Women," which is at the Studio 7 Gallery in Fort Tilden, Rockaway, NY. Fort Tilden, as you may have guessed, was once a military base out in Queens. Many of the buildings are in ruins, but several have been converted into galleries and a theater. The compound is right near the beach and is in the middle of Riis Park. It's isolated, but apparently well known. I've been told the area is packed in the warmer months.

"Of Women" runs through April 8, celebrating Women's History Month. The exhibit isn't so much about women as it is about honoring female artists. True confession: Winter Frost is not my favorite mosaic. It's not the one I would've chosen for this exhibition. But once I saw it hanging on the wall under the large amethyst sculpture, I could see just how it fits in.

As you can see, Of Women features some very talented artists. The gallery itself is stunning and I still can't quite believe that I'm a part of this thing. I went there on Saturday to do my volunteer shift and really enjoyed looking at the other ladies' masterpieces.

Far Rockaway itself is kind of a pain to get to. It's in Queens and is part of NYC... but it's in the middle of nowhere. I didn't think the middle of nowhere exists in NYC, but it does! My neighborhood has a suburban feel, but we're near the subway, LIRR stop and several bus routes. It's easy to get around and takes 15 minutes to get to Manhattan. Rockaway does have an LIRR stop and subway, but you have to switch trains several times and then take a bus to Fort Tilden. The first time we went there, we took three trains and two buses -- remember, we were just traveling in Queens!. We then discovered that you can take a bus almost all the way back to our area, so that cut down on the travel time. Still, it takes about 90 minutes to commute in our own borough!

Rockaway is also super windy and cold. It's beautiful, though, and I'd love to return in the spring when it's warm enough to walk along the boardwalk. While I was doing my gallery sit, my husband spent several hours crawling around the abandoned military ruins. Yes, this is how Jon entertains himself!

If you're in the NYC area, try to check out Of Women. I have one little piece in the exhibit, but there are many memorable and provocative paintings and sculptures. It's the type of exhibit that will stay with you for a long time.

Meantime, please check out my NEW Naomi's Designs website!

Handmade Portuguese tile azulejo necklaces

In my last post, I shared stories and photos about our trip to Switzerland and Portugal. At this point, it's been about three weeks since we've returned, but I still have our travels on my mind.

Switzerland was beautiful, but while in Portugal, I was very taken by the gorgeous tiled buildings. They're on nearly every little, winding street and one is more stunning than the next. The Portuguese are, of course, very proud of these tiles -- azulejos -- and sell them in almost every shop.

Azulejo jewelry is also ubiquitous. Basically, photos of the tiles are placed into a glass cabochon tray and then attached to a bracelet or necklace chain, or ring backing, or whatever. The jewelry is cute and affordable and a great way to "wear" one of the azulejos. I purchased a couple of azulejo bracelets from a woman who was selling them outside of one the churches we visited. The bracelet had a photo of a blue and white tile, and a band made of cork. It was really simple, but pretty.

I loved my bracelet, but it broke after only two days. I was upset for a few minutes, but then thought, "I can just fix it... or better yet, make my own version."

As soon as we got home, I ordered some inexpensive glass cabochon trays. I then printed out the azulejo photos I'd taken, many which were close-ups. While taking the pictures, I kept saying to my husband, "I need to stop photographing these. I'm going to have too many similar-looking pictures!" Now I'm glad I was so obsessed with the tiles.

After printing out the pictures, I simply cut the photos to fit the cabochon... and voila! Here are my versions of the azulejo necklace:

Now again, this is NOT my idea. This type of jewelry is sold in literally every store and on every street corner in Portugal. You see it everywhere, from outside churches -- like where I bought my bracelet -- to the airport. I can't even credit a particular artist because so many people make these items. However, I did personalize mine by using my photos. I also figure that azulejo necklaces aren't that popular in New York, so I plan to sell them at Ridgewood Market this month. I'm going to display a photo of the Portuguese tiled homes I photographed and then have the necklaces hanging next to it. This way, customers can see where the pictures came from -- and can wear a tiny piece of Portugal.

These necklaces are easy enough to make that I'm going to teach my seniors how to create them in this week's class. First, I'll show them my photos from the trip and will then instruct them on how to make a necklace. I think they'll enjoy getting a presentation and a project.

Meantime, my goal is to make my own glass azulejos. Much as I like these necklaces, I much prefer making original pieces. I just have to come up with a great design for a mosaic.

Check out the rest of my azulejo jewelry and other handmade pieces at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

A Visit To Portugal and Switzerland: Getting jewelry making inspiration

Wow! April and early May were quite busy for me -- though in the best possible way. After participating in the Reader's Studio convention, I had a few days off before Jon and I took our trip to Europe. Now that I'm back, I'm happy to have some time to do what I enjoy most: making jewelry.

But first, a little about Portugal and Switzerland: both countries are absolutely gorgeous and I encourage you to visit at some point in your lives. I hadn't been to either one and loved both. Zurich is a very comfortable city and we spent a lot of time in the old section. I especially liked seeing the Medieval buildings and colorful shutters. The city looked as if it were out of a fairy tale, even in the rain.

Lisbon was brighter and more energetic, almost to the point of being chaotic. It's one of the hilliest places I've visited, even topping San Francisco. Though you can take a cab, trolley or tuk-tuk to get to the various sights -- all of which are on top of mountains -- we walked everywhere. The streets in the old city are winding, narrow and paved with busted and broken cobblestones. They're barely a person-width, but somehow cars manage to fit through. So you're climbing steep hills while trying not to break an ankle... and dodging cars. It was insane! Still, I had a great time exploring and was blown away by the city views and glimpses of the tiled buildings. The tiles -- called "Azulejos" -- are unlike anything I've ever seen in my various travels.

However, Jon and I agree that our favorite place was Sintra, which is a small town about an hour out of Lisbon. It's filled with castles and palaces, all painted in crazy colors. At times, it felt as if we were in a dream or on another planet. There, we hiked a 1378-foot mountain to a castle... where we climbed another 202 steps to reach the top of the highest turret. I wanted this trip to kick my ass in terms of fitness because I really need to lose some of the weight I've gained back over the last few months. It did the job! I haven't climbed and walked so much in a long time and while it was challenging, I'm glad I pushed myself. Plus, I got to see all of this!

Sintra's palaces were, of course, a prime spot to see the tiles. I was so inspired by the beauty of the azulejos that I've decided to somehow incorporate the idea of them into my jewelry. I purchased an azulejo-style bracelet, which contains a print-out of a tile design under glass. I'd like to make my own version of this type of bracelet, working it into a wire wrapped design. I'd also like to create some fused glass azulejo art. We stopped at the National Tile Museum, which gave me some thoughts on how I can etch a geometric tile design.

Our final stop was in Geneva, Switzerland. We only spent a day here, but we still managed to find plenty to do. We wandered around the lake, visited the botanical garden and took a trolley up to the top of Mont Saleve. The mountain is actually just over the French border, so we got in a third country on this trip. What's interesting is that we simply walked into France without having to get our passports checked. It was as simple as walking from NY to NJ. I spent a month in France in 1983, but the only other time Jon has been to this country was in 2002 when we took a day trip to Paris from London. So we really need to actually visit France on its own so that Jon can log more than a mere 15 hours there.

Though I'm an avid traveler, this is the first time in a few years that I went overseas. With everything going on in the world and in the USA in particular, I've been nervous about leaving the country. Happily, all went well and we had a safe and fun trip.

Taking this trip reminded me how much travel inspires me, both in my personal life and as an artist. Now that my travel bug has returned, I hope to see many more beautiful places.

Check out my jewelry at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.

Southwest-inspired wire wrapped and enamel jewelry

This Valentine's Day, my husband gave me a really nice surprise: the chance to accompany him on a business trip to El Paso, Texas. He has a client who's based in Las Cruces, NM, so we flew into and stayed in El Paso, which is about a half hour away. We then traveled around that area of Texas and New Mexico for the next few days. The trip was last-minute -- and we flew out in the middle of a storm! -- but we had a wonderful time.

I've always loved the Southwest. The scenery is amazing, especially in the National Parks and there is a lot of history to take in. My parents first took me to that area of the country when I was 8 and we spent the summer driving across the United States. We visited pretty much the entire area: Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. We went back to that part of the country when I was 17; I then traveled there with Jon a few times. However, until this past trip I'd never been to Texas! Now I can add another state to my list.

When in the Southwest, I almost always purchase some type of jewelry. Much of it is made by the various Native American tribes; in fact, you often see stands on the sides of roads where pieces are sold -- and where you can watch the artists make their items. I don't know what the prices are like these days, but when I was a kid, you could buy a handmade shell necklace for just a few bucks... which was way underpriced for the labor put into these items. I still have a few of my pieces, including a purple shell butterfly necklace, but after making my own jewelry, I have much more respect for these artists' talents and craftsmanship. On this trip, I bought a handmade clay pin, which was made by a regional artist. Since I don't make pins, I figured I'd buy something that will help support a local jewelry designer.

One thing that I love about Southwestern-style jewelry are the colors. A lot of reds, blues, blacks and silvers are used. I like that color combination because the hues are extremely vibrant. I've used these colors in a few of my wire wrapped jewelry designs. I have a long way to go before I can make pieces that are as intricate and complex as some that I've seen in, say, Arizona, but here are a few of my Southwest-inspired items. You can see more of my jewellery at Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations.