How did you begin your craft?
It all started when I went to some ceramics classes with a
friend and made some beads. Of course I had to make something with them and the
next logical step was to take a jewellery making class where I made a necklace,
bracelet and earrings using the beads I had made.
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| Linda's Ceramic Bead Bracelet |
I found the process of making the beads very slow, making
them one week, glazing them the next and then having to go back the following
week to pick them up.
There were only 2 bead shops on the Isle of Wight where I live (only 1 now) with not a great selection so I started buying jewellery from charity shops that I could break up and use. I found buying beads online a frustrating experience so when I saw someone making glass beads during an Open Studios visit I was fascinated. I was so excited at the thought I could make my own beads in any colours I liked.
There were only 2 bead shops on the Isle of Wight where I live (only 1 now) with not a great selection so I started buying jewellery from charity shops that I could break up and use. I found buying beads online a frustrating experience so when I saw someone making glass beads during an Open Studios visit I was fascinated. I was so excited at the thought I could make my own beads in any colours I liked.
I set about investigating online to see what I would need to
set up this craft of lampworking and found Becky Fairclough who lived not far
from my Mum and did induction courses. I signed up for a 2 day course and made
my first glass beads. That was in June of 2011. I picked up my equipment from
the Big Bead Show in September and finally started making beads in the November
and I haven't looked back since.
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| An early picture of Linda's studio - it's grown a lot in recent years! |
Where do you draw your inspiration?
That's a tricky one as it's never from just one source,
sometimes it's someone else's work such as
glass artist such as Chihuly or a painter. But quite often I find it is
in the process of making beads that inspiration strikes, one thing leads to
another and ideas pop into my head as I go along.
Describe one of your favourite techniques to use in your work?
I would have to say at the moment it is making headpins for
those of you who don't know what a headpin is, it is basically a glass bead on
the end of a piece of wire.
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| Fabulous Glass Bead Headpins |
Is there anything new you are itching to try and incorporate?
I have so much glass I haven't tried yet and a gold fuming
kit I have yet to use to name but a couple of things I would like to try.
What would you describe as your biggest professional achievement?
Well, I am going to narrow that down to my biggest
achievement in lampworking and that would be my recent win of the jewellery
category of the Glass Beadmakers UK annual competition at Flame Off. A necklace
inspired by a Dale Chihuly sculpture I saw in Murano last year. I am very proud
of this piece which has over 100 headpins in it.
Thanks for sharing Ellen x
ReplyDeleteNot at all Linda - it's so lovely to get an insight into the artist and your necklace has certainly attracted a lot of attention and rightly so!
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