The Studio is Open!
(orig. publ. 7/8/2019) It's been a couple (2 or 3?) years since I've spent any serious time working at the torch. We've had a lot going in in our family for the last couple of months, so I wasn't able to get my glass studio up and running as quickly as I wanted to. In order to force myself to get things finished, I scheduled my first online bead show of the year to take place in mid-July.
My husband really did a great job of updating my studio space. He brightened up my basement studio by painting the walls and floor and adding some great lighting. He also researched, designed, purchased, and installed a new ventilation system, as my old ventilation hood just wasn't doing much of anything except make a bunch of noise. I reconfigured my work surface and glass storage (will post more photos of the studio once I have it the way I want it). We tested my oxygen concentrators and re-connected the propane to my torch, and I am very glad to report that my new studio works like a dream!
We enjoyed friends and family at a baseball game on July 4th, but on the 5th, I was able to buckle down and get to work at the torch. While part of melting glass in the flame did come back to me like riding a bike, there are also some finer points that need a little work, specifically, stringer control. Lots of practice is needed, and I need to work out a reasonable torch schedule that allows me sufficient time to create. It will come, and it will be good. Thinks almost always work out when you do what you are supposed to do.