Spring Classes

I have a new batch of classes that I’ll be teaching this spring at the UCSD Crafts Center and at Brea Bead Works. Please see my website for more information, schedule and descriptions of the glass bead making and fusing classes that I’ll be teaching in the next several weeks. Come learn, have fun, make things out of glass and not break the bank!

www.joycerooks.com

UCSD Crafts Center
BEGINNING GLASS BEAD MAKING
Learn all the basics!
8 weeks Wednesdays, 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. April 8-May 27

NEXT STEPS IN GLASS BEAD MAKING
Individual 1 day workshops, choose your interest or take them all!
Pre requisite: Beginning glass bead making
Section I Encasing plus… Saturday April 25 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Section II Frits, foils and powders Saturday May 16 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Section III Hollow wound beads Saturday May 23 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

INTRODUCTION TO GLASS FUSING
Come learn the basics and explore the many possibilities of fused glass!
8 Weeks Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. April 9-May 27

http://www-crafts.ucsd.edu/

Brea Bead Works

Bead Skills with Joyce $95
In this intermediate workshop we will move from the basics of making simple beads and into more complex shapes and design, working larger and utilizing various decorative effects. We’ll cover basic cane and murrini making, decorative stringers and encasing. Heat control, color chemistry and tools will be discussed along with ways of working with more precision and a refinement of skills. This is a process-oriented class with an emphasis on how to achieve consistent results in your bead making. Pre-requisite: Intro to Flameworking.
Saturday, May 2 10a.m.-5p.m.

http://www.breabeadworks.com

Flakiness...

An installation at the Smithsonian in 2005. The artist is Chinese and he grew up in a coastal area. From time to time there would be boats like this one wrecked on the shore and they would contain various cargo. This was all white porcelain ware.



The Agness Twin album is finished and is waiting to be mastered. I am not so good with descriptions but it does have a kind of psychedelic shoe gaze thing going on and the songs and vocals are cool. I had a great time playing on it. You can hear some of the songs on myspace.com/agnesstwin
On the way home from S.F. we stopped at my friend Alba's studio. Alba makes fabulous jewelry and she also makes the most beautiful jewelry stands. Moxie Metal displays look great at home or in a store. She sells them on Etsy at moxiemetal.etsy.com

As we were leaving, Alba and I had a little conversation concerning flakiness. We both decided that it was a good thing to embrace our inner flake and not make excuses or fight it all the time. We're responsible people and we work hard and try to have good manners and treat our work/ businesses as well as we can but sometimes we fall short. It's never in the quality of our work but maybe we take too long to get back to you or we let other parts of life get in the way. I don't think it is just because we're artistic types because I know some highly efficient, effective, successful and creative artists.

Be patient with us. I think I'll bake a pie...

Into the holidaze

The days since Thanksgiving have been good and intense. We had a lovely day and beautiful food with some good friends and three dogs. The dog part was a little crazy. Aero, who I began calling the Devil Dog, was a little more than out of control. What looks like a sweet cattle dog puppy was really an unpredictable crazed beast that we had to be careful with. The other dogs really had it rough, we had to break up a few fights because of the crazy puppy. So outside of dog drama, everything was good until I got a message that an old friend died on Thanksgiving in an ATV accident in the desert. I hate those things and would never put my body on one and I was angry that she had. Lorna (we called her Doone) was a super fan. She was a friend to many San Diego bands, especially the Beat Farmers and a reggae/ska band that I played in called the Trowsers. She brought people to shows and was there to help with what might be needed. She lived a wild life and had a heart of gold. She was a very giving and sharing person. In the past year she had settled down, quit smoking, was losing weight and for the first time had met a really nice guy that she loved and he was in love with her. He moved from Chicago to be with her. Right when she was most happy now she is gone.
The Sunday after Thanksgiving I headed up to San Francisco with Elisa Ovrahim to record on her project Agness Twin. The first part was getting through L.A. where I went to pick her up. We start heading towards a freeway and there was so much traffic, we couldn't figure out why. All of the regular routes were clogged and then I realized that it was Sunday after Thanksgiving which means the Hollywood Christmas parade. I remember going as a kid and my dad complaining because of all the traffic and not being able to park. So we change plans a little and head towards Loz Feliz to get on I-5. This is a weekend that I prefer not to travel but Elisa got the time off from work for the recording. Finally, we're moving although there are a lot of cars. Through the valley, over the Grapevine. Southbound traffic is super heavy after the holiday weekend and then we hit fog and things slow to a crawl. Winter in the San Joaquin Valley can be really foggy especially after rains which we had the on Thanksgiving. It took 2 hours longer than it would usually take to get to S.F. from L.A. We were beat when we got there. The next day I would record cello parts for 7 songs for a total of 10 hours in the studio. I know I'm not getting any younger but I can't help myself.