It seems like I barely had time to recuperate from the Alaska trip before heading out to Miami. And, it seemed like I was in Miami forever -eight nights. But oh, it was worth it! I had tons of fun with the class, a great day at the beach, and all the delights of the ISGB conference.
First, I had a class with Akihiro Okama and Ryo Ono. Both are great lampwork artists. We used Kinari glass and Japanese fan torches. On the first day, we made a flower murini. And the second day we made a few beads – one with the flower murini.
My beads came out kinda gross – I got soot in the clear and it looked all brown. I’m going to have to learn how to adjust the torch better, because I bought one! Just as soon as I figure out how to hook it up, I’ll be making Japanese style beads. So that was one souvenir from Miami.
On Wed. we (my Gathering buddy Beth and I) went to the beach. We chose a more quiet beach with less sun – it was perfect for us. And, I didn’t even get sunburned! We spent a few hours lying on the beach in the shade and bobbing in the ocean, then it was back to the hotel and dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant we found. What a great day.
More to come in a little bit…
