These were even easier to do than the green beads, because the client requested “blue/purple”, thereby automatically giving me a range of colors to explore. (Perhaps the task was almost too easy, so I started with something with “just right” the amount of challange, the green, which in effect I forced to a range by adding a tint [i.e. color diluted with white] of greenish blue [that's what turquoise is]. Well, actually, I started with the “too hard”, and bombed, so I should say ‘just right’ was the first successfully completed challange.) In any event ‘blue/purple’ is very freeing, because they don't have to read as one or the other—thus, I could afford to be a little sloppier in my interpretation. Very freeing, for me.

Hollow bumpy blue/purple abstracts, some chiming, roughly 14–18 mm hole to hole. Effetre soda-lime, thompson enamels, 22k gold leaf. Spring 2006.

Not only did she give me a range, but one I've done many times before: in effect these beads are the evening dusk color scheme, shifted towards the blue end of the spectrum. I eliminated the black trailing and switched the leaf to gold, but didn't settle on a single, absolute recipe. I used whatever light blue or violet base glass appealed or happened to be hanging around (alexandrite, with its habit of shifting from blue to violet depending upon light would be ideal.) They might start with a base of 9740 (I think) purple, or more likely the 9620 sky blue, with additional touches of 9650. The small opaque frits were either the 254 purple or turquoise/sky blue base. The large transparent frit was a mix of cobalt and aquamarine blues, the latter's green component lending a bit of zing to the overall blue-violet (i.e. red-tinged blue) color scheme. I might've thrown some of the pale transparent purple frits into the mix as well.

file created 11jun06.

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