fumalicious

Thanks everyone I listed several more up on thurs, so be sure to check the whole list!

Hey everyone, I've listed several marbles this week with more to come all ending on SUNDAY. Low listing prices! Thanks for looking eBay Store

http://stores.ebay.com/Stress-Less-Glass

Thanks!

Thanks for looking! http://stores.ebay.com/Stress-Less-Glass

http://stores.ebay.com/Stress-Less-Glass

http://stores.ebay.com/Stress-Less-Glass a few examples...

lol Sue I didn't know to make a distinction... Havatok? What is that? Google was no help lol Cool little pipe though! You know.. I have NO idea how that idea came to be. I still find it utterly fascinating that gold and silver produce the colors they do. Like you said, who would of thunk it? lol Bob is an interesting guy though, if you ever meet him you'll kind of understand, ha. We've all tried other metals at this point too... nothing works even remotely as good as gold/ silver (you do get toxic fumes, but no color, yay) Years back I thought I was going to be mr. cool guy and have secret fuming colors when I went out and bought a $140 coin of platinum. Soon to find out that I had no special colors, and a ruined coin that was no longer worth $140 since I nipped a piece out of it. You can encase it though- looks like a little ball of "silver"... but that's it. Maybe I'll make a marble with a chunk in it today- I've had that dang coin for like 7 years haha.

Thanks ladies! And thx to Sue for the link LOL!! Don't be shy to ask ANY questions of me- ANYONE!!! Please ask!!!!! And so you know you're not alone- the #1 question I'm asked at shows is exactly that- WHAT is fuming?? How does it work? Why does it work? WHAT THE?!?!? A few people care about how I get the marble round, but 9/10 have zero idea about fuming. I always start off by saying there is fuming then interjecting, "Do you know what gold/ silver fuming is? I KNOW they don't know. Nobody does if they aren't under 30 and have long dreadlocks LOL. Since most of you don't come from the pipe scene- it's not surprising that most people don't know what it is... it was discovered by a pipe maker (Bob Snodgrass- late 70's), and has been enjoyed by thousands (millions?) of people who watched their semi-clear glass pipe turn- change- into a colorful piece of art with continued use. As residue builds up inside a pipe with fuming coloring it, the reflective colors (see my about me page) are revealed as the transmitting colors are lost in the darkness.... patterns and hues of color that simply "weren't there" before, come alive, almost magically. This is why I know to put a black and white background behind my marbles when I take pictures.... I'm showing the "color change" as the term developed in the pipe world. "Color changing glass" was the shizzzz for a long time. Then the color companies, thanks to the explosion of demand from all the new pipemakers, started to develop an amazing palette of colors that you now see today. It's very interesting for me to sell my pipe work these days- my techniques are "out-dated" but the funny thing is, the noobies don't know how to do fuming with any skill so my work stands out in that respect.... I'm very thankful for the interest in fuming as I've always known it would be difficult to put into "art" simply because, well, how do you smoke out of and color in a marble/ vase/ pendant? LOL! Hope that clears it up a bit for you all..... any other questions?

I think that everyone is right here lol. The top marble makers are simply confident in their work so why would they put someone- anyone- down for doing something different? It's just like in life in general- when someone is putting someone else down, it's because they feel threatened, not because anyone is better or worse, right or wrong. Anyone who is successful and confident in any field understands that. Confident people compliment other's on their work or give constructive criticism- putting someone down is simply a desperate attempt to hold someone else back so they don't "win".... it's all a mindset that has zero to do with whether something is made on a torch or in a furnace. It's a matter of psychology, not technique! And on the detail thing... the furnace workers who do indeed put tons of detail in their marbles- like Ro- are simply above and beyond the "typical" marble makers (as Bo emphasized). In general, it's "easier" to put more detail into a piece via a torch then via a furnace. It's those who rise above the "norm" who are challenging the status quo and pushing the envelope that don't fit into the "in general" category. Ro's marbles are FULL of detail- and it has more to do with the human element; his intention, skill, and vision, it has less to do with the techniques and equipment available... it's not absolute- it's definitely relative. Glass Kitchen's marbles are a great example of how torch work can bring about such an amazing level of detail you can't believe it's really glass! I challenge any furnace worker to duplicate what Chris/ Lisa do on their torches.... it's just not practical and that's why they use torches instead of a furnace for what they do. Doesn't mean it can't be done though... I use a torch and I make marbles that don't have tons of detail- I also make marbles that do have tons of detail. It's all relative and depends on what the artist is trying to achieve mixed with the artist's level of skill and understanding of the practicality of the techniques available that can be used to achieve the goal.