AOTM August 2010 - Beverley Edge

Started by sparrow, July 30, 2010, 06:02:19 AM

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sparrow

Beverley Edge

Discovering lampworking was accidental. I had been forced to finish work through illness and I was finding it hard to adjust to not working, I didn't realise it at the time but I needed something to help focus my mind. One day, a trip to a local hobby store sparked my interest in having a go at making some very simple jewellery so I bought some basic findings and beads. Once home and happily fiddling away I soon began to look on the web for beads and stumbled across some amazing handmade lampwork beads by Claire Scott. As my jaw fell to the floor in sheer amazement, I scrambled to buy a set of Claire's beads which of course had already sold!






This was the start of my journey into lampworking. My curious creative mind wanted to know just how these wonderful beads were made and after many a late night glued to YouTube watching lampworking videos, I was smitten. Melting glass looked so utterly mesmerising, it still does to this day! I bought a couple of basic lampworking DVD's and books and spent the next few months watching, reading and learning. I was desperate to buy all the equipment to allow me to have a go at making beads but I was struggling to justify the cost just for a hobby. So, many discussions with my husband later and after he encouraged me to take the plunge, the tools and equipment were ordered. My husband John set up my Nortel Mega Minor torch and oxycon in our cold garage in November 2008 and together we melted our first bit of glass. Giddy with excitement, I knew instantly I had found something special and that I was going to be hooked.



  


The next few months I played with my precious glass, still in our freezing cold garage, trying my best to make something resembling a bead. It wasn't easy! Apart from dodging bits of flying glass and having loads of fun trying to make twisties and stringers, which were disastrous, I found it difficult to shape the glass into anything worth calling a bead. The cold weather made it difficult and I couldn't work for very long periods because of the freezing cold. I tried and tried to make nice lentil beads with my press but I was getting frustrated. I decided I needed help so in Jan 2009 I contacted a bead maker near by who's beads I totally loved and admired and asked if she would give me some tuition. Thankfully she said yes and I had my first lesson with our lovely Kaz of Cheeky Cherub. The lesson was just what I needed, Kaz helped me so much with lots of techniques, how to control the glass and how to use brass presses properly! I came home excited and ready to practice what I had learned and I did! Slow progress was taking place.




 


A few months later I bought a caravan which John modified by adding work benches and a cooker hood and I was in heaven! My own little warm space for melting glass! This was the start of my development as I could now spend hours practicing, learning and creating. I decided that some of the beads I was making might be good enough to sell so I got myself a Mr Site website and set it up ready to go. I took some pictures of my beads and tentatively put them onto my website. I will never forget the feeling I had when my very first customer bought a set of beads. I was elated, amazed and emotional. Someone had actually parted with their own money just to buy something that I had created. Wow! This feeling has never left me, I get it every single time I sell a bead. I had never felt like this before and it was one of the most important factors in my road to recovery. My ambition and determination were ignited and I became even more dedicated to my work. I have to get better at this, I kept thinking, my desire to be good at lampworking was raging. All my life I had always put maximum effort into everything that I did, I have been told that I have always been a perfectionist, if so then I have my dad to thank for that...! I would spend the next few months a virtual stranger to my husband as I would be in my caravan every single day, I could not even manage one day without lighting my torch. I guess this is what you could call an addiction. I adore every minute that I am lampworking, even the days that I produce nothing but utter rubbish! Every rubbish bead I create teaches me something, I am a great believer that in order to succeed in anything, first you have to fail.




 


I love to research as much as possible, especially on the web. There is so much fantastic information available through forums like FHF and I regularly visit Lampwork Etc too for knowledge and information. I don't have many books but I do treasure my beloved 'Passing the Flame' book. I took a lesson with the lovely Lorna of Pixie Willow who's beads I adore. Lorna helped me so much with detailing techniques and though I still struggle with precise details, thanks to Lorna they have improved vastly. I also made a very lovely friend too so I am very happy!







There are so many talented bead makers around the world, far too many to mention them all and I admire them all for different reasons. A few of my favourites include Lorna (Pixie Willow) for her use of colour and immaculate detailing, Julie (Lush Lampwork) for her colour combining and array of skills, Kaz (Cheeky Cherub) for her beautifully perfect lentils and bumpy beads, Mindy (Moogin) for precision detailing and design, Isabelle Anderson (Flame & Glass) for her pretty beads, Claire Scott for all round perfection, Lesley McFarland for versatility and imagination and Becky (Chameleon) for her unique design skills. I particularly adore the work of Astrid Riedel, Anouk Jasperse, Lydia Muell, Anastasia, Theresa Laliberte, Shari Slonski, Judith Billig, Julie Nordine, Lisa Atchison and Kerri Fuhr. I take inspiration from everything around me and also from other lampworkers. My imagination has always been hit and miss so I often need to take inspiration from other lampworkers to help to get a design going so I can develop it further into something hopefully unique. I like to take advantage of tutorials in order to learn as many techniques as I can. I am very keen on exploring sculptural work further and I want to learn more about enamel use. I would also love to introduce copper electroforming into my work, I adore the texture that this produces. Dichroic glass seems to be my next project so I'm looking forward to experimenting with it. My dream would be to have personal tuition with all the bead makers who I admire but that would cost more than I care to imagine!!




 


I try hard (and often fail) to come up with new designs, I get very bored very easily! This I have learned is good and bad. I feel that to grow as a lampworker you need to constantly develop your skills and move onto new ideas and introduce new elements. This is a good thing in general but I get frustrated at trying to master something that is beyond my capabilities at the time. Impatience is a trait I seem to be stuck with!! I have realised that pushing yourself relentlessly is not always productive and I have encountered several creative blocks because of this. The only solution I have found is to revisit some of my earlier work and recreate it, going back to basics so to speak. I would imagine there are lots of lampworkers who experience this!!  I don't seem to have developed a particular signature style or design, I guess it may happen at some point but I don't consciously aim for it. I do struggle to invent new designs, I experiment a lot to try and find magic mixes of glass and make new discoveries. I have masses of useless beads because of this! I think that it's important to experiment lots, many good things in life have come from happy accidents!! I would love to be able to make a decent twisty, I still can't get this one right! There are so many techniques that I want to learn and lots of skills that I want to develop. Precision detailing has to be my hardest battle at the moment but I just keep on trying. I would love to be able to make complex flower murrine too.






My own favourite bead has to be this goddess bead. After watching the talented Theresa Laliberte demonstrating at this years Flame Off, I couldn't wait to have a go. I became very addicted, it was so different to making beads. I liked the way the sculpture did not require the precision skills that are needed in bead making. It felt very free and not difficult to make at all, just basically melting blobs of glass and using gravity, with the help of a knife for a little detailing. This process really appeals to me so I am very keen to explore sculptural work for this reason.

I'm currently working on a joint manufacturing project with my husband John which we're both very excited about. It's in the very early stages at the moment so I can't give too much away, there will be a brand new website to come too.







If you are still awake at this point then CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the little insight into my world. My work is always available to view at my website www.pegasuslampwork.co.uk.

Thanks to all you Frit Happens members, for making this forum such a warm, helpful and friendly place! :-*
Sabine x

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