Alison Sheafor from Arlington, Washington

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Our Kitchen Embodied in a Necklace
-- sung loosely to the tune "My Favorite Things"

So many dishes and
Two soaps for washing.
Exotic beer labels
Sit in recycling.
Lint balls float in from the
Old laundry room.
These are a few of my favorite things.

Coffee from breakfast and
Peppers for spicing.
Burrs in the dog's coat and
Christmas still lurking.
Cat toys in corners and
Hair in my food.
These are a few of my favorite things.

Smelly old sponges and
Gook on each surface.
Weeds straight from Kansas and
Bones from a turkey.
Mouse turds are here and
They are over there.
These are a few of my favorite things.

(chorus)
Take each item,
Wrap it in glass,
String it on leather.
Clasp from the office,
A kiss from my Sweetie,
And suddenly things aren't bad.

MATERIALS LIST:

borosilicate glass, soft glass beads, Maudite beer label, turkey neck bone, two small borosilicate bubbles with 2 kinds of dishwashing detergent inside, cockle burrs, Jimson burr, 2 small leftover Christmas ornaments, cat's toys (mouse and purple ball), coffee beans, mouse turds, old sponge, dried peppers, hair balls, dryer lint, small glass balls and small glass fish.

About My Borosilicate Glass "Shadow Box" Beads:

Yes, I made the glass beads myself. I've been flameworking or blowing glass since 1986. They are made of blown borosilicate glass. It's the same technique used for the "ship in the bottle". Using my trusty Carlisle torch, I blow a round shape from tubing, leaving one side open. When it cools I can put the items inside. I then, carefully, heat the open end, melting and pulling it down to a small hole. The more flamable the items inside, the harder it is to do. (Note the black scorch marks on the center dangle.)

Bead shapes;
When making the bead, I can heat one little spot and puff air into it, causing that one spot to poof out. If I heat one little spot and suck in, I get a divit. I did not try to make even, graceful shapes, just shapes that "felt" like what was inclosed within. It was very freeing from the usual, anal retentively designed beads I used to make.

The term "shadow box" is perfect for describing those blown beads. I've been making shadow boxes since I started flameworking glass. My first flameworking class was with Freddy Birkhill and Shane Fero and they always assign a shadow box as one of the projects. But, even before I met Fred and Shane, I was a fan of Joseph Cornell (the king of shadow boxes). Shane and Fred are good friends, we've taught together 7 or 8 times.

I guess the shadow box is a continuing pattern for me. I like things enclosed, made precious, and distorted a bit. It's a unique point of view. Point of view determines so much in our lives and minds. Even the pointy seed pod and burrs, the bain of midwest farmers, seem precious when incased in glass.

My recent sculptural work is similar too. I'm making wooden boxes, with lenses for viewing. Inside are a variety of glass items, distorted by the glass lenses and the strange feeling of looking into a dark box that glows from within.