Gathering 2001
Tangible Exchanges

I started attending the (I)SGB's annual conferences in 2000. The first year I shared part of a table with my teacher, and despite a major funk (after seeing the best in the world, it's kind of hard not to) and nearly refusing to sell my beads, I did all right. I even managed to trade a few. By the following year, I was well known enough (and brassy enough) to successfully trade some more beads, though enough folks said no that I'm eternally grateful to the ones who said yes.

These beads were not so much a trade as a gift, also from Boulder: this poor lady's shuttle never showed up at the hotel; and she was about to miss her flight. My cousin Jane, with whom I'd been staying asked me if we could drive her to the airport. Missing flights being one of my nightmares, I was thrilled that my cousin had made such a generous offer. And Ms. Newtson insisted on giving us both beads!

 

I have such a vivid memory of this exchange: we were outside the white tables and chairs on Sunday, the final day of the conference (where I supposed to have sold my beads) and the sun was finally shining—entirely appropriate for these pretty spring florals. 16x29mm, Patricia Stoll.

 

Connie Christopher of Haute Glass, like me, was crammed in with the Technical Vendors at Boulder CO, when it unexpectedly rained for three days. I just love the swirling curlicues (done by twisting tweezers in hot glass). She was kind enough to trade five of her wonderful furnace beads, of which three are depicted here. The shiny one on the right is approximately 42x51mm.

 

Click on the images for a slightly larger (500) pixel image. Photography copyright sylvus tarn, but designs revert to the original creators.