I have, for some time, been seeking the perfect octopus lampwork bead to nestle into a highly stitched and embellished undersea cranny for the Sea panel of the on-going tryptich.
I have my favourite lampwork artists, whose sites I continually pour over and much to my delight, Joy Munshower has begun creating sea creatures. I have purchased some beautiful pieces from Joy in the past ( pictures below) so I know full well the quality and detail of her exquisite work. With a solid background in tile, stone and sculpture, Joy has an uncanny gift for understanding the human and animal form. I could sense as she began creating more and more intricate sea creatures that an octopus would appear and to my delight, several put in an appearance. A large purple fellow, who is in fact a " dread" bead spoke to me in volumes and after winging his way from California, is now safely ensconced in the " Tickle Trunk" awaiting his fate .
The bead is a deep eggplant purple on a streaky teal blue watery base and is 1 3/4" high, x 2" long and 1" wide with a 1/2" mandrel size. Large indeed, but the perfect size to add dimension to an already textural stitched base.
I am in awe of Joy's work. Her attention to detail and her vast knowledge of colour and form, in my opinion, are second to none. To create such realistic pieces using a torch and molten glass is truly a gift. Not only is Joy an incredible artist, she is one of the most ethical and generous people I have had the pleasure of working with. I look forward to seeing her further lampwork developments and know I will definitely be adding more of her work to my collections.
Many of us have been immersed in the Summer Olympics this past couple of weeks and have seen some very sculpted athletic bodies. Joy has created the beads below based on her impression of these types of athletic forms.
" Mars - Male Deity" - glass, red flint
Joy loved this piece so much she was going to keep it for herself
but I convinced her otherwise (-:
"Moss Agate Goddess" - glass, moss agate ( black, brown w.green)
An athletic goddess, curvy but buff. Joy said she envisioned
Serena Williams when sculpting this bead.
"Copper Cutie" - glass, copper green
Strong but fit and a little softer with more feminine curves in the right places. Joy has used a dark metallic pewter lustre which nicely accentuates the hollows.
I am also in possession of the most intricate "Kryptonite Phallus" bead Joy has sculpted. You can only imagine it's perfection after seeing her work pictured above. It is a delightful creation that simply enchants!
How Joy gives movement to molten glass, is beyond thrilling.Lucky, lucky you to have some of her art.
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