A visit to the studio
Lampworking is actually a very old craft dating back thousands of years. A steel rod is coated with a clay-like substance called bead release that prevents the glass from permanently sticking to the metal when it's cool. In the early days, glass was melted over an oil lamp (hence the name lampworking). Today, torches run on propane or natural gas and oxygen are used to melt the glass. Molten glass is wound around the rod, and with a combination of heat and gravity and a little magic, the basic bead shape is formed. Stringers of glass (hand-pulled, very thin pieces of glass) can then be used for decoration. That's the short story, anyway :)
Here is some of my glass storage. It usually doesn't look this "organized". I use mostly Moretti and Lauscha, which is a soft, easily workable glass. I also use Bullseye which is a litle stiffer and has gorgeous colors. Unfortunately the various types of glass need to be kept separate, or at least well identified, since they don't all "play well" with each other. In other words, the bead can crack if two incompatible glass types are used.
My workspace is usually very cluttered but I do clean it up every once in awhile! My torch is in the middle forground, (red and green hoses attached) and armrests are on either side. This craft is very bad on the hands arms and fingers! That big steel "box" in the background is my exhaust fan. Good ventilation is important because toxic metal fumes and dust are generated when the glass is heated. To the left are some stringers in various containers and to the right are some partially-used glass rods and tools. Notice the burn marks on the table top. It is not a good idea to put a hot rod down on a wood table!! I do have a metal pad in front of the torch and a metal rod rest on which to lay hot rods. But sometimes I just forget!! (Note to self: hot things burn wood. They burn skin too.)
About Me
When I was in first grade, my good friend Martha was "the Artist". Her drawings were perfect, her people had cute faces with rosy cheeks and curly hair. My poor little stick figures were, let's say, not so perfect, and I never thought I could be "good in art". I always felt like a "wannabe artist", but it never occurred to me that I didn't have to draw like Martha in order to express myself creatively. Over the years I experimented with watercolors, pastels, sketching with graphite - and although I've enjoyed them all, most efforts ended in the feeling of not being good enough, and were dropped in frustration.
In 2005, I discovered lampworked glass. I can't say exactly what it was, but by the time I took my first class in July, I was hooked. It has been, and continues to be, a journey in self-discovery, sometimes technical, sometimes almost spiritual, but mostly always just plain fun. (And it doesn't matter if my drawings still aren't perfect - it's the process I enjoy the most, not necessarily the end result.) My husband was certain I'd give up after 6 months, but there is just so much to explore and learn, I think this will remain a long-term addiction :)
So,"late in life" I've found a medium with which I can grow creatively. I'm learning to stop comparing myself to other artists (sometimes anyway), and I'm trying lots of new things. .How incredibly cool is that?