Cultural appropriation and lack of originality aside, 
this is the most beautiful clothing ad I've ever seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3m-feTXo4E

Arthur Szyk

As a kid, I always saw these Polish circus posters
in doctors' offices.

I would stare at the text, not understanding
that Polish word with certainty.

I thought the word for "circus" was the 

name of the poster artist, not realizing there
were various artists.

By Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) - The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA 94070 www.szyk.org
CC BY-SA 4.0,
The grandeur of this print was emphasized with gilded accents!

When I was nine, I discovered the work of Arthur Szyk via an edition of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales. I pored over these images and tried to understand how someone could accomplish such feats. How could I focus love to come out of MY hands and onto paper?

I couldn't remember Arthur Szyk's last name because it was not a word or arrangement of letters that I was used to understanding.
Tonight, after years of intermittent attempts to rediscover him (and accidentally searching for variations on the words "Cyrk" or "Czyk") I succeeded after searching for illustrated Andersen editions on abebooks! And I learned that Szyk was an activist!

Do Not Forgive Them, O Lord, For They Do Know What They Do (1949)

He made A LOT of anti- Nazi images, but I can't bring myself to post anything with a swastika on this blog (but here are some klan monsters?!) I'm so thankful to find these images, and so disheartened to find how timely they are. 

More pom pom earrings: handmade pom poms using yarns 

from Peru, Japan, and the US; lampworked glass, lasercut 

merino wool, and steel. These have gone to live in Barcelona.

Some new things on etsy

I added some new things to my etsy shop,

including lampworked glass and lasercut wool

jewelry!

I joined instagram

instagram.com/jbfireworks

I made this huge, hollow glass bead a long time ago. The diameter is about 2.5 inches, and I made it on a hothead torch. I wrapped molten glass around a core of kiln- washed extra fine steel wool, decorated it with more glass, and after cooling I removed the steel threads from the interior with tweezers.

Yesterday I realized that I could get this thick felted cord through 
the hole of the bead, and the color matched perfectly!

I made these glass beads and then earrings at Haystack, 
and the glass necklace was also made recently.

Some new glass beads I made in the class I recently took 

at Haystack with Kristina Logan!

Didymium lenses

When flameworking, eyewear can protect one's vision by shielding from projectiles of thermally shocked glass. More uniquely, didymium lenses filter out the wavelength of light in the sodium flare of torched molten glass, thus altering the wearer's perception of certain colors. When people try my safety glasses on at demos, they usually think this is really cool. 

I popped the plastic lenses out of my contemporary safety glasses and used a jeweler's saw to cut the lenses to fit these vintage frames. They're not totally finished yet, but it makes me really happy to customize my safety gear like this.

Some new work, and new pictures of some other pieces. I flameworked all of this glass.
Photos by Graham Wheeler, hand by Jess Richards

Geometry!

A variation on the bubblecloud collar posted 

last month, this plays with those proportions

The tiniest seed beads in this are 24°, which 

are the smallest seed beads ever made, and

a very rare example of using beads that I did

not make myself.

I always love playing with gradients of color and size.

A new necklace of lampworked glass and 15° seed beads

Without hand gestures

I made some signs to communicate with other people while we travel in cars. I might not actually use the hearing loss sign, but I can imagine holding the other one up with a smile.

We made something new!

And this is why I blog less often.

I'm really having fun making these flower- headed plant people toys!

Dream book title

This afternoon, during a brief nap, I dreamt of a book called Wish You Were: A Cyborg's Guide to Existentialism.  Does this exist, or did I actually dream it up?

Glass chains for Calvin Klein

My brother finally persuaded me to start tweeting, as I made the glass chains that were worn as necklaces and belts in Calvin Klein Collection's FW2014 runway show today. The New York Times  covers it here!

Also, I put a few glass chain necklaces in my etsy shop. They do match everything.

Collages

A new seed catalog arrived, so collages were made from last year's!

A glass menorah!

My first try at making a glass flower menorah

A weekend show

 

Some glass rain and lasercut textile plant forms hang at the "Nature Contained" show this past weekend in Providence.

Well, you know what month it is.

World Maker Faire

What a great time! Thanks to my Mom for all the help!!!

No Mansplaining

Inspired in part by this tumblr, I made some "No Mansplaining" signs.

They're this big. 

If you want want one, write to me! 
JenineBressner (at) gmail (dot) com

Tony, thanks for modeling!
Photo by Graham Wheeler

FLOWERCLOUDS at FOO FEST this weekend!

The Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire will be within FOO FEST tomorrow on Empire Street in Providence. It begins at 1 PM and costs only $7 for SO MUCH FUN!!!

Something fun and new

I'm having fun making lasercut textile wig hats!
Photo by Graham Wheeler

An interview in Kansas City

The brilliant and diligent Miesha Miller of "What's Up, Kansas City?" interviewed me for the "On Top of Your Game" series. Unfortunately, the camera later goes out of focus, but you can still hear what we say.

Garden salad

Baby bok choy and its flowers, spinach, orach, purselane, fennel

I don't often post pictures of my food, but I'm excited that these plants grew in the Community Garden in Olneyville.

Tablet drawing

I recently got a tablet (the mobile kind.) It has a pretty fun drawing program, and a built- in stylus. I've been using it a lot in my travels, sketching ideas for FLOWERCLOUDS. It is much neater and easier than carrying around watercolor paint boxes (though I'll probably still do that, too.)

Maker Faire Kansas City

FLOWERCLOUDS in Kansas City June 29-30, 2013 (definitely!)

Well, hello!

"Hi!" from the Maker Faire in San Mateo!

2013 Bay Area Maker Faire

It's nearly that time of year! I'll be showcasing FLOWERCLOUDS lasercut textiles this year at the Maker Faire instead of flameworked glass. I'll even be presenting onstage! You can find me in The Yard/ North/ booth TY46. See you in San Mateo May 18th and 19th!