I have been a Lampwork artist for more years then I can actually remember. Honestly, I am not sure how many years I have done this, but it is over ten. I have always had some art form in my life. Over the years I have done needlework, I am a knitter, currently I am very committed to photography and I am a lampwork artist. No....I don't make lamps. Sorry. I get that all the time. Lampwork is actually an artform of creating glass beads in a flame. Yep, I play with fire....daily. Now you may be wondering what this has to do with Cascio's Fruit Market. Well you see my one lampworking set up is in the upstairs office of the store. I actually have two set ups, one in the store and one in my house. But the majority of actual torch work is done at Cascio's.
Lampworking is defined as:
"The process of sculpting glass by twirling thin rods of colored glass over a gas-oxygen burner."
I have a torch that runs at approximately 1900 degrees and is powered by oxygen and propane. It is dangerous work and I have the scars to prove it. I have set my fingernail polish on fire, burned my hand (third degree burn by the way) and ran a piece of glass in my eye. (That is a really ugly story and pretty gory. I will spare you the details.)
But I make really pretty beads. I know that sounds pompous but I am pretty proud of my work. My specialty is stringer work. Here is a sample:
I used to work exclusively for other artists who made high end pieces of jewelry. But frankly I get bored quickly and I got tired of doing what they wanted me to make. I like to sit down at the torch and let the glass go where ever it wants to go. I nearly stopped doing Lampwork but then Troll and Pandora bracelets became popular and suddenly people began to understand doing Lampwork was not making lamps.
I decided that I needed to learn how to make the beads that went on the Troll and Pandora style bracelets. But I found out that the designs that I knew how to create didn't necessarily translate to the larger mandrel. (Oh side track: You work the glass over a metal rod called a mandrel with a mud barrier that allows you to remove the glass from the metal. To make the bigger beads you need a bigger mandrel.) But after much frustration and almost throwing in the towel, I got it! I actually submitted some designs to the Troll and Pandora companies for consideration. I did get a response and we briefly discussed my being an artist for them but then I found out that I didn't get to actually make the beads they just paid a one time fee for the design and the work was all sent to China. Not my cup of tea.
Then I got the bright idea that I would move toward getting my lampwork finished into pieces of jewelry. One more stumbling block. I don't like to do that. But as luck would have it, Cindy Hayman who works for me does like to do this kind of work and she is actually very good at it. Ta-da! A design house is born.
This weekend we will present our designs at the Glades Pike Winery in about our 6th show. Cindy and I bring both of our own styles to our designs. Mine are a more dressy and hers are more understated. But collectively I think it creates a really diverse collection. We pretty much have something for everyone. Pretty much something in every price range. Every piece is a one of a kind and I mean that. I can get close to creating two pieces that are very similar but each piece is unique.
I hope you will find time to stop and see us. If you can't come to the Winery tomorrow (November 6) our designs are also available at the gift shop at the Dressler Center. Do you want something unique for a gift? All of our designs are finished in sterling silver with real stones, real pearls. We also refurbish antique pieces of jewelry and incorporate them into our work. I am proud of the jewelry we make and hope you will like it too.
One final thought. Our beads for the Troll/Pandora style bracelets are priced at $8.50 a bead. Each bead is unique and a one of a kind.
Please take a minute tomorrow and come see us.
Sunday, November 6
Glades Pike Winery
Noon - 4:00
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