http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95388

I’m posting this link with Andrew’s blessings.  If you are interested in learning to silver line beads this is a wonderful tutorial.  The pictures are great!  Andrew was very generous with his time and information with this and we owe him a bit THANK YOU, ANDREW!!!

I am asking for your help, our readers, with this as well as asking the members of the Collective.  I have a glass interview that I pretty much like and would like to keep as it is.  But we now have people who do glass but they also do PMC, Felting, wirework, jewelry making too.  I’d like to interview some of those people as the thing that they most like doing.  I can’t imagine interviewing Tammy Deck about beads.  I want to hear everything she has to say about felting because she’s awesome at it.  So help my everyone who reads this please.  Tell me what you’d like to know from people during an interview.  It can be as mundane as the kind of tacos that make them want to felt a Mexican motif.  It can be as essoteric as the art they saw over the last three weeks that all congealed in their brains and now we are going to get …this.

Please let me know what you want to know.  No question is too silly, to invasive too anything.  That’s because I have the editorial approval for them.  LOL  So wanna ask ‘that’ question…we’ll see how it can be phrased to be worked in–or we won’t.  Just give me the question, OK? 

I’d like to do an interview a week with someone.  Doesn’t have to be just glass but it does have to be with us, with outside people, with people who do other things that fit in this groups things.  If YOU’d like to be considered as the Featured Artist, let me know.  Just keep the questions coming, please. And let us know your inspiration too.  You never know what that can start!

I love Holly’s work. She gives a new meaning to stringer control. Visit her website and see what I mean. www.hollycooper.com You’ll have a totally new respect for a Hot Head torch! Read what she has to say about lampworking.

1. How did you get started in lampworking? What was the thing that made you interested?

A confluence of events over a period of time led me to lampworking.

The first thing that happened was seeing a copy of Cindy Jenkins’ book “Making Glass Beads” at the library. I glanced through it and was intrigued. But since it appeared that a lot of special equipment was needed I set it aside. At this point I had been working in ceramics for several years. I didn’t want to invest time and money in another art form and I was happy with the ceramic work.

One day while I was at the ceramic supply store I saw Cindy’s book on display with the glass fusing supplies. I picked it up to flip through it again when a friend walked up. He told me about the Hothead and Blue Moon Glassworks here in Austin. I filed it in my memory, got my clay and tools and went home.

A few months later I was visiting my mom in Columbus Ohio. We stopped in a bead store and I overheard someone talking about the lampwork beads on the bracelet they were wearing. My mom was fascinated and we hatched a plan to take a class together when she came to Austin in the fall.

I only wanted something fun to do with my mom and to maybe make a bracelet. At first I didn’t care for it and probably wouldn’t have stuck with it except for the guilt I felt every time I saw the HotHead torch kit my mom bought me for an early Christmas gift. I didn’t pick it up again until a few months later and I slowly began to get a feel for what I could do with this new medium. (Not long after, I stopped doing ceramics and recently sold all my pottery equipment.)

The thing that finally captured me was the immediacy of working in glass. With clay there is a broken connection as the clay is fired. The piece is dramatically changed in the kiln and the glazing and further firing change it even more. The time between the initial making and the final work can be weeks. I would often lose my emotional connection to my pieces during this transformation and lag time. With glass my work is started and finished in one sitting. Sometimes a sitting of several hours but the piece changes little from the finish through the annealing if I plan it well. Then there are the nice surprises that also occur in the flame that can’t be planned. That’s the immediacy that draws me to glass.

2. How long have you been lampworking? Is it a business for you or a hobby?

I’ve been working in glass for about six and a half years.

I don’t really consider it a hobby or a business as such. I’m an artist by trade and it’s one of the mediums I use among many. I sell my work occasionally from my website but I’m not focusing on it as a business at this time. I want to keep enjoying it as much as I do now and I haven’t found a way yet to keep doing that while earning my living from it.

3. What inspires you? How do you get the inspiration/motivation back when you are in a slump?

I get inspiration from many sources. My work involves much surface pattern and I look at a lot of art from many periods and places that express it with pattern. Most of the glass works I look at are ancient pieces in museums or books. Lately I’ve been narrowing my focus to Ancient Islamic, Greek and Chinese art.

Another thing that inspires me is looking at my own past work. I often see a new piece to make while looking at an old one. The materials and the process themselves are often inspirational too. Discovering a new reaction or process can send me in an entirely new direction.

If I’m not feeling my work is progressing creatively I take a break. Often it’s a long break of several months until I’m willing to pick it up again. During this time I do other art forms. I value the “fallow” periods because my brain needs time to wander. When I start back up again I’m often surprised with new ideas that just come to me. This wouldn’t be possible for me if I relied on lampworking for my sole income. I’ve learned that this is the only way I can work and still enjoy what I’m doing over the long run.

4. Who are your 3 favorite lampworkers? Why?

The artists I look to for creative inspiration are the anonymous artisans of the ancient world. I’m also awestruck by the 19th century French artists such as Émile Gallé and the Daum brothers.

A contemporary artist I admire is Toni Lutman. Her work has such incredible depth and luscious color. Her beads are like fascinating pools with undulating layers of color and pattern suspended in them. Perhaps it’s partly because her work is so different than mine that I’m drawn to it. Toni’s beads are transparent little worlds that change as they turn while my work is mostly on the surface. I’m also fortunate to call her my friend.

I also love Shane Fero’s birds. The fanciful nature of the subject and the use of surface texture and color make me smile.

5. What is the best thing about lampworking? The worst?

Best thing: I get completely lost in the making.
Worst thing: It’s hot in the summer!

6. What is the funniest or scariest thing that ever happened to you when you were torching?

I’ve only had one scary/funny thing happen. One day I had been using transparent colors for a while. I switched to Ivory and while I was heating the rod I looked away for a while. I had forgotten how fast Ivory heats up because I had been used to the transparent colors. I looked back just in time to see a molten gather ready to fly from the rod into my lap. I dropped the glob onto the tile and the crisis was averted. :^) I’m very slow and focused so I rarely have anything exciting happen. (Knocking on Formica)

7. What kind of set up do you use?

I use a HotHead with a bulk propane tank. Up until last year I used the one pound camping tanks. I like the simplicity of the HotHead and it suits my working style.

8. What is your favorite glass?

Vetrofond, Effetre and a few CIM colors.

9. Do you have a favorite technique?

Stringer work is my favorite technique. I like working with line. I also like the reactions I get from silver leaf.

10. What are your favorite color combinations?

Vetrofond Black and Ivory with a bit of Copper Green for color. I’m still fascinated by all the different ways these three colors work together.

11. What’s your favorite technique? What technique makes you want to bang your (or someone else’s) head against the wall?

Finely detailed stringer work. It’s my favorite and it makes me crazy. Two for one. ;^)

12. Is there a shape that you really HATE to make?

There aren’t any shapes that I “hate” to make but I don’t make true bicones because I don’t like the look of the shape for my beads.

13. Do you have a ‘comfort’ bead?

I can’t say I have a “comfort bead” but I enjoy making small round beads with intricate patterns when I’m playing around. It helps me get focused for the larger more complex beads that take up to four hours to complete.

14. How do you see yourself developing as a lampworker in the future? What are your goals?

My plan is to keep doing what I’m doing and see where that takes me. I want to keep open to what comes my way. Sometimes there are wonderful things waiting for us we can’t foresee.

15. What do you consider as successful? What is the key to getting there?

Success is so personal. For me it’s doing what I enjoy doing exactly as I want to do it. The key for me is to follow my inner desires. Sometimes this requires me to pay very close attention. It’s easy to be swayed by outside influences.

16. What would be your 3 best tips for new artists?

1) Become very familiar with a limited palette of colors, say three or so. Do everything possible with these colors and you’ll learn a lot about glass.

2) Limit your tools for a time to the bare essentials. This will teach you how much you can do with each tool. (I have very few tools and use few colors. My set up is very low tech. I think I’ve learned more working this way than if I had every color and every tool made.)

3) Do it, keep doing it, over and over. If you do this you can’t help but get better at it.

17. Do you like to take classes from other lampworkers?

The only class I’ve taken was my initial beginner class. Maybe one day I’ll take another but it’s not a priority for me right now.

18. Do you teach? Will you travel to teach?

I’ve just begun to consider inquiries about teaching. Travel is one of the perks of teaching! I love seeing new places and meeting new people.

I had originally planned on posting every night from B&B.  The internet connection at the Hyatt totally stinks so it’s been imporrible to do that.  I am keeping track of everything though and will post pictures when I get back home.  I’m having a great time and seeing lots of people that I know.  I LOVE this place.

More later…

Oh my, what a great class!  JC is an absolute sweetheart, a fabulous teacher and makes some beads that are just TDF.  Know those gorgeous egg shaped beads of hers?  I know how to make them.  hahahaha!  LOL  Know that amazing stringer control she has?  I don’t have that at all but I got better.  LOL

She does the most amazing enamel work.  It’s different from other classes I’ve taken where we’ve used enamels and I loved what we did.  She’s also a stickler about safety.  The nurse in me loves that.  No one should ever be using enamels without an N-100 mask on.  Breathing in minute glass particles is a really bad idea.

I think I’ll just show the pics.  I’m not going to give away any of her ’secrets’ here.  I can’t wait to have some torch time to just sit and play and take notes.

 JC introducing herself and telling us a little of her ‘glass history.’

 She’s the only one of us who looked cute wearing the N-100!

 We were like flies on **** with her gorgeous beads.

  More…

 JC making a bead.

 Back row: Sachiko, Robin and Kathie

                                                                            Front row:  Jennifer, Mari and JC 

I fortuately was the photographer.  I wanted to get a picture of all of us with our masks on and forgot.  I was so fascinated with watching JC actually make the beads that I don’t have pics of those either.

If you ever have a chance to take a class with JC, DO IT! 

The last few days there’s been a bit of an uproar in the lampwork community.  Apparently there is someone  on one of the online sales venues who is buying SRA handmade lampwork beads and then reselling them.  What’s the problem with that, you ask?  Nothing really EXCEPT that she’s saying she made them.  That’s a whole nuther ballgame if you ask me (not that anyone did).  I’m not going to go into all the details here and if you are part of the lampwork community you probably already know what I’m talking about.  If you aren’t part of that community you probably aren’t reading this blog.  LOL  You can find threads of information in just about all the current lampwork forums if you are so inclined.

So how do you protect yourself from this kind of thing?  Ultimately, I’m not sure that anything is 100% but there are certainly things that you can do that will help.  Personally, considerint what’s going on with this incident,  I think contacting a lawyer would be a good idea.  Hopefully there are things you can do to keep it from getting to this.

Get a Ti Pen.  And more importantly, USE it on every bead you make.  EVERY ONE!  Don’t assume that those wonky beads can’t somehow get into someone else’s hands and be sold.  There is a learning curve to a TiPen but it’s worth it.  When you get it, use some scrap glass, wet the tip of the pen and scribble, scribble, scribble.  It may take you a while but you’ll start to see something.  They sound like they sratch the glass but they don’t.  They leave titanium behind.  You can do your initials, the date, the Declaration of Independence…whatever you want but put something on each bead.  You might also want to always put it in the same place on the bead.  You can have a little blurb on your website telling people where it is, or you can send a little card with the bead letting them know that way.  Is it foolproof?  Of course not but it’s a start.

You can also have cane murini made that identifies you.  Again, it can be initials, a little picture, whatever you want it to be that identifies you.  It’s hard for someone to claim a bead as theirs when your initials are tucked right into that bead.

And lastly, take a picture of each and every bead you make.  Be sure there’s a date on them in case you get into something with someone.  Keep track of all your sales.  Put all this information in your computer as well as on a CD.  Computer crashes, you still have it.

I’m sure there are a lot more ways things can be done to help you identify your work but this is what I can think of off hand.  If you have other ways that you identify your work please let us know in the comment section.  This affects us all in many ways.  It’s not just the beadmakers, but the jewelry makers, the silversmiths…all of us.  We all have to find ways to protect our work

Featured Artist Brent Graber

What can you say about Brent? He’s funny. He’s a wonderful teacher. He’s in love. He makes beautiful hearts. He’s a wonderfully talented glass artist. He’s a great dad. He’s just one of my favorite people. Have fun getting to know him a little better!

How did you get started in lampworking?

I had a friend in south Florida that made marbles and sculptural stuff in his garage. I saw the set up one day and asked what it was. He had a Carlisle CC and an Aim front loading kiln. I asked if it worked and if I could melt something. He handed me a clear glass rod, lit the torch and pointed to a pile of crushed colored glass he called frit. Funny name, but what the heck, I’m game… I melted the clear, rolled it around in some of that frit stuff and I was hooked!

What was the thing that made you interested?

The fire and the weird tingly feeling I got when I melted glass… it was a rush and it was definitely not easy. I knew I had to figure it out… I just had to!

How long have you been lampworking?

I’ve been lampworking for about 8 years I guess. Time really doesn’t matter when you’re doing what you love, so it may have been longer. Sure doesn’t seem like 8 years!

Is it a business for you or a hobby?

This is my sole source of income. I’m a single Dad with 3 kids. I have custody of two and this obsession feeds us all. I am very grateful for everything I’ve been able to do in this industry and look forward to a lifetime of melting glass.

What inspires you?

I am in love with glass. I love everything about it. The way it moves… the way it captures light… the way it looks while I’m working with it. It truly is awe-inspiring. Most of my inspiration comes from the glass itself. I make objects resembling other things, but it’s because the glass lends itself to the shape or design so well. Some of my best work has come from an “Awe crap” moment… like… “What am I going to do with this now?”

How do you get the inspiration/motivation back when you are in a slump?

I play. I don’t set out to make anything in particular. I sit at the torch and melt something. It will eventually become something interesting and if it doesn’t, I throw it into the woods. Some people think it’s a shame for me to launch a good portion of my work, but the truth is, most of my work wasn’t made to sell. It was the process and I learned what I needed to from it. That was it’s purpose and I am happy to set it free.

Who are your 3 favorite lampworkers? Why?

I don’t have 3 favorite… I have at least 100. There are so many talented lampworkers and wonderful human beings in this industry; I couldn’t possibly name anybody my 3 favorites.

I can name 3 people who make me weak in the knees when I see their work…

Paul Stankard… that in no mere mortal. What he does with glass makes me shake my head. He is living proof that there’s no end to what we can do in glass.

Luccio… I’d really just like to know how he gets those tiny fingers all perfectly positioned without melting the one next to it. Mine would all look like burn victims. Mutilated freaks and that’s why I don’t add arms to my human forms yet.

Robert Mickelsen… If you’ve seen his work, you know why.

What is the best thing about lampworking?

Everything!

The worst?

Running out of propane…

What is the funniest or scariest thing that ever happened to you when you were torching?

It’s the same story… funny and scary! I’ve got to give you the back-story first. My Dad used to be a welder and we live in Florida. We have bugs… big as your head… biting bugs. I used to do a lot of lathe work and I have two hand torches as well as a bench torch on my lathe. One night after a session, I came inside and told him the bugs were eating me alive. He said they used to kind of swat at the bugs with their torches when they were welding. He explained that the bug’s wings were so delicate that they would burn up and it didn’t hurt you, if you did it quick. This fascinated me…

Ok, so now fast forward a few weeks or so. I’m on my lathe and there is this yellow fly. It’s a deer fly type bug on speed. I swear these things are part psychic and part Ferrari. He was chewing on me left and right. I had about 6 bites to my legs and every attempt to smack the hellhound resulted in more humiliation. He finally pissed me off! He landed on my big toe (I wear flip flops all the time). He devoured my innocent soft flesh, just happily trying to grow a toenail. I had my Carlisle premix hand torch blazing. I knew what had to be done… I had never been so clear about an objective… I was gonna cook his little butt!!! So, in one fell swoop, I poured the full fury of my 18” blue flame of death onto his fragile little frame. His little world came crashing down and the biblical hell fire and brimstone stories came to life for him… I rejoiced… I was smiling from ear to ear, until I remembered what was under the bug… and as the flame shot sideways, deflected by my toe, I realized I hand forgotten about the most important part of my Dad’s story… “It won’t hurt you, as long as you’re quick!”

I managed to finish the piece before the throbbing set in. The toe was black for a good long while and the blister can only be described as enormous. The bug didn’t recover.

What kind of set up do you use? Torch?

I use a Bethlehem Barracuda and power it with two concentrators from Unlimited Oxygen. I love it!

What is your favorite glass?

What ever I’m melting at the time, but I do predominately work in boro.

Do you have a favorite technique?

Not really… It’s all fun!

What are your favorite color combinations?

Amber Purple over Egyptian White Sands…

What’s your favorite technique?

See the question before last… I guess you didn’t like that answer, so you’re trying to trick me. I’m on to your crafty games. LOL

What technique makes you want to bang your (or someone else’s) head against the wall?

The more challenging the better… why would I hate anything? Just because I can’t do it right yet? A real challenge gives me something to look forward to. If I could do everything, I wouldn’t be interested in doing any of it.

What is that shape that you really HATE to make?

Butt plugs. That always made me a little uncomfortable. Oh, by the way… I made sex toys out of borosilicate glass for years. So I’m being serious when I say they were not my favorite shape…

Do you have a ‘comfort’ bead?

Hearts. I figure there can never be too much love in the world and I really enjoy making them.

How do you see yourself developing as a lampworker in the future?

My goal is to explore every thing I have time for. I love doing larger sculptural work. I’ll hopefully be healthy enough to do this in some form or fashion, for a very long time. Right up until the day I die would be perfect!

What are your goals?

To be happy and raise my kids with love in their life. To never stop caring about the people around me…

What do you consider as successful? 

Look in the mirror… if you like what you see and there’s a smile more often than not, you’ve achieved it.

What is the key to getting there?

Love yourself enough to do what you need to do for you… love others and give what you can, without expecting anything in return… realize that you are unique… and you deserve to be happy… just like everybody else. Forgive others when they do you wrong, but it’s ok to avoid their evil asses if you can. You don’t have to like everybody… but you do have to like yourself. 

What would be your 3 best tips for new artists?

Don’t compare your work to anybody else’s. There will always be folks who have more skill that you and there will always be folks who can’t do what you can do. If you compare your work to your work, it’s the only fair comparison… if it’s getting better, you’re successful!

Some times the very best ideas come from a mistake you didn’t give up on… it comes from playing and trying new things. Realize that there are no limits to what you can do and you don’t have to do anything in particular… PLAY!

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself…

Do you like to take classes from other lampworkers?

Yes, it’s a lot of fun!

Do you teach? 

I do and I love it. It’s one of my passions. I absolutely love it when a student figures something out or realizes that they really can do something difficult. It’s a magical moment and I’m blessed to be a part of it.

Will you travel to teach?

“Have torch will travel!”

Wow!  Two Tammy’s here!  I’d like to welcome Tammy Deck from TLD Designs.  We’re gonna get some more fabulous fiber here now.  Glad you decided to join us Tammy.  I’m looking forward to drooling over your posts.  LOL

I’d like to welcome two more new members to MCC.  Welcome Tina and Katie!  I’m looking forward to seeing all your beauties and inspirations on here! 

We’ve also got Melissa and Jami coming on board.  Welcome to you also.  This is gonna be a lot of fun!

What a cool announcement I have for you all!  We are going to have a down-under correspondent.  Tammy lives in Australia but she’s from the midwest originally.  I’m really looking forward to having the chance to hear what’s going on in other parts of the world and to sharing it with everyone.  I really hope you enjoy it!