about me
I have my mum to thank for my "creative genes". She taught me how to knit when I was 5. My first project was a purple teddy, which I still have today, and still in one piece :)
I've never been able to decide which side of my brain should take centre stage. I work as a computer programmer during the day (good 'ol left side doing it's thing) and at night I turn into a bead-making, jumper-knitting, piano-playing demon. Maybe that means I'm well balanced. Or maybe it's just that I need a "proper" job to fund all my hobbies :-)
I'm constantly on the move and looking for things to do, whether that means a bit of DIY ("Demolish It Yourself"), rock climbing on the sea cliffs near where I live, or digging in the garden. This is why I rarely actually have beads for sale. I have a serious problem with concentration and flit from one thing to the next. One day I'll finish something I've started.
artist statement
Molten glass has a mesmerizing quality. Every time I sit down at the torch I am fascinated by the endless possibilities presented by this medium. I love experimenting with colour and the different chemical reactions that can be achieved with certain types of glass. I enjoy creating beads with strong, precise and highly detailed designs. Lampworking for me is incrediby therapeutic - when I'm working on something particularly detailed I often become "lost" in the glass, and everything around me ceases to exist. It's great tool for escapism!
The anticipation of opening the kiln every morning is a great motivator for getting out of bed! I get to touch my new beads - you can quite often find me with a handful of beads, just twirling them around in my palm.
I have not lost my passion for desiging jewellery, and now have much more flexibility in my designs - if I don't have the type of beads I require, I just go and make them.