I work in many forms of art, but as of late it's mainly glass that has taken over. So since most costumers now are lovers of glass, I'll mainly address that.
As far back as I can remember I've loved to create; sculpting, painting, jewelry....so many areas I could never list.
Taking elements from those I like to step out of the bounds a bit with my lampwork beads. Color combos, *odd shapes...there's so much I want to do that I don't have a "signature style". And that's ok. With any art, if it becomes what feels like production work, I get bored.
So I like to push, I work on a "hot head" torch, so many think that's a "beginner's torch", but I think I stay on with it because it has those *so-called limits.
Lampworking is glassworking using a torch to melt and shape the glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it flowered in Murano, Italy in the 1300s, and spread from there to the rest of Europe. In the 1850's lampwork incorporated into glass domed paperweights, primarily in France, became a popular art form, still collected today.
..So, in a small explanation, that is lampworking.
I use a propane torch made specifically for lampworking, melting glass rods or other forms of glass onto a steel mandrel (metal rod), the rod forms the bead hole.
Vessels, bottles and such are wound onto a hollow mandrel and blown to get desired shape.
Do I do
finished pieces?
You know, since that's one of my main things, I'd like to say yes.
I find myself at the torch more than anything, so in a sense, if you want a finished piece you can ask and I more than likely will.
...I just don't see having any up on site in the near future since it hasn't happened since I got behind the torch.
~ OK, a few here and there, possibly...custom finished...yes.
Boring
Bits
If you've read this far, maybe you're not bored! (?)
A little more about me.
I live in S.E. Wisconsin, I love nature so you will see that pop up a lot in my work, elements inspired by nature.
Naturally curious, I like to play with the glasses and see what IT can do....reactions with certain colors, for example.
And you can add my *odd shapes in with that;)
I take a huge pride in my work and if I see any tiny bit off I will not sell it.
...Like all good lampworkers do..and what sets us apart in just ONE way from mass produced beads....
I clean and inspect all glass pieces before I sell, I wouldn't sell anything I wouldn't use myself in a jewelry piece.
Anything more you want to know?
Send me an email, I like to talk with my customers. There's a lack of communication a lot these days in sales....so any questions I'll be glad to answer.
As an artist and artisan my whole life, my work encompasses a broad range of disciplines that spans glasswork, painting, photography, and sculpture. While the former has become my primary focus, these other roads of exploration have, undoubtedly, honed my artist’s eye, contributing to what I draw upon in the evolution to what is, I feel, the core goal in crafting fine, flamework glass.
I am constantly inspired by nature, living at present in Southeast Wisconsin . Those very elements that surround me, and beyond, the unique colors of the ever-changing seasons, continually shade every design I produce. Being, of course, fascinated and inspired by so much, each bead has become an experiment into uncovering its true depth, dimension, and the inner light within. Having chosen glass as a medium for its reactivity, the torch guides my hand to turn something seemingly ordinary into a work that is unique..
To discover what each bead holds removes me from boundaries. Fresh perspectives on color combination and shape have become my “signature style,” if you will. My goal as a lampwork artisan is to form glass to a level organically satisfying to both myself and my clients alike. Every person who owns my jewelry is aware of my attention to the minutest of details. In other words, I take painstaking pride in my craft and, therefore, would never sell a piece of jewelry that I would never be pleased with myself. Each bead is annealed for durability, cleaned, and inspected to the utmost standards.
There is no singular aspect of my life as personally gratifying as the creation of my flamework glass pieces. I have sold my works around the world, each piece touching its collector in a way uniquely its own. Their reactions are not only felt, but understood, especially through custom pieces. My satisfaction, the satisfaction of my clients, those will always remain my driving force.
