So, I'm still making beads with a 10lpm concentrator, but also a scorpion torch and a gigantic kiln. This used to be a hobby, but in 2013 I went down to part time at my job, so I could devote more time to my artistic endeavors.
Over the years, my style has pretty much focused on thin pieces of glass called stringer. I love linework and drawings in glass.
So my first experiences with glass started when I was a senior in highschool. I had been taking an art workshop class and working with stained glass. One day we had a demonstration on how to make a fish bead on a hothead torch. I saw the teacher light up the torch and thought, “no way in hell I’m getting that close to a torch.”
A few years later, living in an apartment, I randomly decided to buy a lampworking kit online and set up in a spare bedroom. I don’t know why I thought that would be safe, but I did it anyways. I spent close to a year teaching myself how to make beads and eventually selling on ebay before I realized that torching in my unventilated spare bedroom was probably not a wise idea. It was very disappointing, but I put away my torch for a few years.
It was hard to not have a good artistic outlet, but I put my energy into working hard and putting away enough money to buy a house. In 2008 my husband and I bought our first house together. Pretty soon I was lampworking again and life has been good.
Right now I’m making beads with a 10lpm oxygen concentrator, propane and a minor burner. Everything is made by me and popped right into the kiln to be annealed. Every bead is cleaned thoroughly with a diamond tipped dremel and made ready for your designs.
I don’t know how to define my particular beading style because I love to try everything! I’d have to say my favorites are scrolls and pixiedust.
