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It's
hard to say how my passion for bead making began. Previously,
I was a potter for 15 years. I still frequent pottery sites and
occasionally the pottery influence finds its way into my beads.
But glass has always fascinated me and about 14 years ago I spent
a few hours with Sage in Bellingham making my first glass beads.
You could say I was hooked.
Within a year I sold all my pottery equipment and never looked
back. I found that I love the immediacy of bead making and I never
tire of experimenting with the endless combinations of color,
shape, texture, and techniques. By keeping my work one of a kind,
the ideas keep flowing - and that's what keeps it alive and exciting.
Now Joanie and our four cats live in the small Victorian town
of Pt. Townsend. It's a beautiful little town known for its artists,
events and community spirit. And I'm fortunate to have a pleasant
studio space in our home where i can teach classes every now and
then. |
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Lampwork
bead making is an ancient process
which originally used wax or oil lamps to melt the glass, hence
the name "lampworking". Today's beadmakers have replaced
the oil lamp with a torch - from which the term "torchwork"
comes.
I enjoy working with a variety of glass. Each is individual with
its own special properties and resulting colors and effects. While
I have mostly used Moretti glass (and occasionally Bullseye), my
current favorite is the Japanese glass called Satake glass. I love
its soft colors and almost dreamy effect. I also incorporate cut
glass, including dichoic glass, as well as silver foil and other
materials to achieve special effects.
Each bead is created basically from the inside out, starting by
heating the glass with the torch to a temperature of about 1700
degrees. Once the glass becomes molten, it is wrapped around a stainless
steel rod called a mandrel. At this point, each bead is uniquely
formed by layering different colors of glass and special materials
and forming it into the desired
shape. For some of my beads, this process is
repeated as the bead is reheated and further worked to achieve the
desired effect. The combination of techniques are limited only to
one's imagaination and willingness to experiment - which is what
I love to do the most. |
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