Lampworking workshop with Heidi Lowe

On Saturday I took a one day lampworking workshop with Heidi Lowe at UWM. The metals department has been turned into a lampworking studio over the break. There is a class in the metals studio completing a project with Heidi over the 3 week class. They have setup a blog as well. Here is their blog. They don't have much up now, but will very soon. I think they are posting research for their projects, and I'm excited to see what they come up with. Maybe we will see some images of what they are working on too. Saturday was a lot of fun! We started at 10:00, Heidi demo'ed and went over safety and then we just made beads. All the glass and tools were provided and all we had to do was make. She brought in some of the work she has been experimenting with over the years that she has worked through this process, so it was nice to play around with a different material for a day. Heidi is really great. She runs the Heidi Lowe Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I get to pick up my beads tomorrow, so it will be exciting to see what worked out and what didn't work out. I haven't worked with glass before, but hopefully one of the many experiments I tried will work out and I will be able to make myself a nice piece of jewelry.

Durston Rolling Mill

I feel the need to take a few moments and confess my love for the brand new Durston Rolling Mill that was just installed in our graduate space at UWM.

Oh rolling mill, you sit there in front of me, taunting me. You beg me to roll your perfectly flat, never been touched rolls around my patterned metal, and I give in! How can I resist you? You are perfectly polished and greased, ready for years of love from UWM graduate students, and the occasional professor who suddenly has to roll some sheet down, just to be with you. You may be new rolling mill, but you are loved. I look forward to slowly forging my metal down, gauge by gauge, in your also perfect curved rolls. We will have many long nights together, I will play music for you and create for you--although sadly--I must share you soon. Because there will be others, but remember me DURSTON, I was your first. You are amazing, and I'm so glad you found me.