So this year for Bead&Button I'm featuring my sculptural animal heads, particularly felines, but also my first effort at a horse. None of these beads struck me as really exciting, so I didn't make large version of the photos.

an assortment of animal head beads for B&B. Hollow, with assorted stringer, thompson enamel, and frit decorations, clear cased. Spring 2010.

This group includes some new designs, including a lion and a couple of snow/clouded leopards.

My very first pony. The neck is hollow but the head is solid. I'd guess it's between 1-3/4–2" high. Effetre soda-lime, 2jun10.

reverse of same, signed. That weird shadow-image in the middle of the neck is a reflection of the photographer, le sigh.

So that means it took me six days to work up the gumption to attempt another horse. What a wuss. I do think the newer effort is slightly better—it's sitting at a slight angle to the camera, and that's somewhat unflattering (but I'm still recovering from the six or eight wheelbarrows-full of weeds I yanked yesterday, so I'm not reshooting—it's not that great a bead) but I thought the ears and eyes showed some improvement:

Today's horsie. Includes yellow and black frit (made from the glbg commemorative bead sig cane) and random weird brown stringer.

other side. I evidently touched the tip of the mane to the mandrel rest in the kiln, heat-shocking the tip of the mane, bother. Not that I really thought anyone would purchase such a weirdly colored horse—I was just screwing around.

photos yesterday, today, 2010jun08 directory.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.