Jewelry
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I took my first glass bead making class with Bonnie Blincoe and was immediately hooked. The hum of the torch and the oxygen concentrator tune out the outside world and let the creative juices flow. I knit, sew, and needlepoint but to me glassbeadmaking is the ultimate. Part of it may be that I am controlling the 1900-degree flame to create beautiful objects. In its molten stage I can determine its shape and after its core cools I can decorate it. Color combinations, shapes, experimentation with different techniques-it is always a new adventure. I work primarily with Italian Effetre glass. The glass comes in rods that are heated over a torch and wound onto stainless steel mandrels. Each color on a bead comes from a different glass rod. The color combinations, shapes and designs are limited only by your imagination, the reaction of one color to another and how you move the mandrel and work the flame! Each bead is one of a kind. All of my beads are placed in a kiln to anneal them. After the beads are annealed and the kiln-wash is cleaned out, it is time to create jewelry. I decide on a design and combine the beads with sterling silver or 14 kt gold-filled findings to create earrings, pendants, necklaces or bracelets. My professional associations include being a member of ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers) and a juried member of the Louisville Artisans Guild and the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen. |
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Jackie Gedrose |
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My day job is that of a high school Geometry teacher, but my love is glass. I have always been fascinated by its properties. Glass has such humble beginnings with sand, potash and lime. It is so versatile. It can be poured, molded, stretched and formed at different temperatures. Glass varies from perfectly translucent to completely opaque. It can be utilitarian in simple drinking glasses or vessels or ornamental in sculptures or jewelry.