Give a big wave to Helen!
Ah, the wonders of Facebook! By the random act of 'stumbling upon' Helen via some of my other beady friends I am now a few £££'s poorer but the proud owner of some very pretty beads indeed! |
| Jinjo Lentil Beads made by Helen Chalmers |
How did you begin your craft?
I was lucky enough to study Jewellery and Metal Design at Art College,
and having had a taster session on the torch with my friend Emma Baird,
got hooked on lampworking! There is an intricacy to it which lets me
colour and pattern to my work in ways I never felt possible. I bought my
first torch almost four years ago, and have used it nearly every day
since. When I realised there was a demand for beads for jewellers and
collectors and opened my Etsy shop, and started selling bead sets as
well as using them in my own jewellery.
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| Electric Necklace made using her very own beads! |
Where do you draw your inspiration?
My inspiration mainly comes from travelling, and books (especially
photographic ones) detailing different sites around the world featuring
beauty and colour. All of my colour combinations are dawn from a picture
or visual source initially, and then I just run with them and develop
them as I work at the torch. I especially love Pinterest for digging out
new colour combinations and inspiration. My page is: http://www.pinterest.com/helenjewellery/ in case you fancy a peek.
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| Great use of colour here. |
Describe one of your favourite techniques to use in your work?
There are quite a few techniques in lampwork I love using, one at the
moment is 24 carat gold leaf (not a cheap habit!), but it just adds such
an elegance, especially to little beads. However, my ultimate favourite
has to be using stringer to create dots. It is just the most effective
way of building a pattern, and it is the case the majority of the time
my sets will feature dots, I just can't resist using them.
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| Amsterdam Etched Beads |
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| Ancient Persia Glass Beads with a touch of luxury - real gold decoration! |
Is there anything new you are itching to try and incorporate?
I'm currently trying to save up for a Sandblaster, but its going to take
me a while :) I would love to be able to create some detailed
illustrations in my work, and have spent a long time reading up on it,
and coveting one. I would also love to try electroforming on glass, I
think the copper covering is such a beautiful effect.
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| Handmade Glass Ring by Helen Chalmers |
What would you describe as your biggest professional achievement?
My biggest professional achievement so far would definitely be leaving
my part time job in July 2013, and beginning working full time at my
little business. I teach lampworking, and make and sell beads and
jewellery and I'm still alive (for the moment at least!). Seriously
though, it feels so wonderful to be able to get up in the morning and go
to a job where I decide what I'm doing each day, and love every minute,
even the accounting side of it. I wouldn't change it for the world.
You can find out more about Helen and view her work here:
http://www.helenchalmers.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/helenjewelleryglass
https://www.etsy.com/shop/helenjewellery
Tune in again soon when I introduce another of my more recent discoveries and show you some work I have created with her beads!
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