AOTM November 2009 - Clare Scott

[sparrow]

Clare Scott

In 2007 I left my Veterinary Nursing career to have a think about what I wanted to do with my life....
I have always been creative and realised I needed an outlet for my creativity.
I spent night after night on the internet, scouring the prospectuses of local colleges as I wanted to study jewellery design.... or so I thought.

Luckily I came across a local jewellery maker (I know know she is a Lampworker!!) - Anna Richards @ Beads on Toast. I asked if she knew of any jewellery courses in the area. She replied saying she didn`t know of any but she ran lampworking courses. LAMPWORKING COURSES?! Now THAT sounded interesting!! So I looked into it.....playing with glass over a big hot torch! FUN! I never knew you could actually make glass beads!! I pestered the life out of poor Anna for information about this amazing subject (thankyou SOO much!) and decided to take my own path. Ever since that day I have been a complete hermit - with my head in glassy books, reading up on techiques on forums, trawling the internet for video tutorials etc etc...
Next step was annealing my beads whilst I saved up for a kiln.... huge thanks to Helen Prole @ Beady Bugs for your kiln space.

I was given a 'hothead' torch for my 28th Birthday in April 2007. I instantly knew making beads was for me and quickly upgraded my setup to a Nortel Minor burner running on bulk propane and Oxygen.
I have been making beads full time since May this year.
I still have so much to learn....



My first ever bead was made in my mum`s garage over my first 'hothead' torch (I am very grateful to you mum – couldn`t do this without ya!)
My Studio is now in the conservatory (I have completely taken over), home is in Barkston Ash, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.
I've not taken any classes, instead, I have learnt from books, video tutorials, an e-tutorial, experimentation etc, etc!

Bead makers I admire are ultimately the late Shannon Hill (RIP) and Trey Cornette. Their  skill and control fascinates me. I have great admiration for glassblower John Ditchfield www.glasform.com and try to visit his studio as often as possible, which usually ends in a purchase or two... I would give anything to have a studio workshop and onsite gallery. He produces glass ornaments with such amazing metallic colours and iridescence.



My wonderful customers give me the determination to create beads everyday. Their encouraging comments and fantastic pictures of their creations are a huge inspiration. I am so grateful to you all.
I grew up in Cornwall, overlooking the sea, so I guess I am influenced greatly by flowing water and nature i.e. seasonal colour changes and textures.
Sometimes ideas just bounce into my head from no-where when I learn about a glass and how it reacts. Sometimes just looking at a rod of Psyche by Double Helix (my all time favourite glass) is inspiration enough.



I am completely an utterly osbsessed with reactive silver glass. I use heaps of glass mainly by Double helix, to a lesser amount TAG and GT Glassworks. I use my own shards in all my beads, if I had a signature bead – a chunky shard bead would be it!



I would love to create larger objects with borosilicate glass – and have the setup to go with it..... !!



A silver cored bead made from a Champagne bottle is the bead I am most proud of.



or
My 'Ethereal' beads.
Eve Smith created a beautiful necklace from them, they appeared on the front page of Beads & Beyond magazine last month.



Emotion, adventure, spirituality and curiosity are a few of my personality traits that come out in my beads - with hopefully a sprinkling of sophistication!
I am very much a perfectionist and am told this trait can be seen in my beads – or rather the ones I sell as 'seconds'. At a past bead fair at Haydock, Dragonfly Lynne told me to change to sign on my 'imperfect' beads to 'orphans' I thought it was so funny!



I am currently rapidly working through my orders and commissions for the Christmas period, so I will be able to concentrate on producing more original designs.



I sell my beads purely through my website, my Etsy & Artfire shops. I have sold my jewellery through Galleries in the past but I really don`t think it is worth my while when they take their commission.



My bead website -  http://www.beadsbyclaredscott.co.uk
My jewellery website  - http://www.clarescott.co.uk
My blog – http://www.beadsbyclarescott.blogspot.com
My etsy shop – http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5118025
Please do get in touch – claredscott@hotmail.com