While other kids
came home from school and watched cartoons, I was watching Bob Ross
oil painting lessons on PBS.
When I was
10 years old I created my
first landscape oil painting in Bob Ross' traditional style.
Over the years I've
dabbled in everything from needlepoint to soapmaking, settling back
into painting using water-based acrylics. I even taught painting
lessons for several years, wanting to share what I knew to help
others be inspired to express their own artistic talents.
You can see some
examples of my handpainted work below, (click on the photo below to view a larger image in a new window)
...
I came upon
lampworking unexpectedly (as many wonderful things in life often do). I had ventured into the world of
fusing glass which I enjoyed, but found somewhat limiting. It did
not allow me the full range of creative freedom and expression I
longed for.
I once saw a live
demonstration of someone lampworking and instantly assumed I would
never try it for fear of working with an open flame. I also wondered
what on earth would I do with a bunch of round beads since my last
attempt at jewelry making wasn't my finest moment in crafting.
I had no idea that
lampworking went so far beyond making simple round beads and the
opportunity there was to provide talented jewelry artisans with
pieces that they could craft into beautiful wearable art themselves.
Then one day, by
chance, I happened to stumble on a lampworking website while
searching for glass fusing supplies. I was absolutely amazed by the
things that could be done in this art medium. I never dreamed that
glass could be manipulated in such ways.
The colors, the shapes, the
special effects, and the unique reactions that glass could produce
mesmerized me and I just knew right then and there that I
had to try it.
With a new
enthusiasm for art that I hadn't felt in a long time, I overcame my
fear of working with an open flame and found lampworking to be the
most fulfilling way to express myself artistically that I have ever
experienced.
The magic of
creating an extraordinary piece of art from something so ordinary as
glass is completely captivating.
All
my beads are handmade by me, Christina Catherine, in my home-based
lampworking studio here in sunny Southern California.
I work with many different brands of the highest quality glass
from around the world including Italian Effetre/Moretti, German Lauscha,
as well as American brands such as Bullseye, and CiM on my duel fuel
lampworking torch.
I love to incorporate special effects into the glass whenever I can, such as fine
silver, dichroic glass, goldstone, enamels, and reactive silver glass for added flair and interest.
Once formed and flame polished, each and every bead is
immediately placed into a preheated firebrick kiln which is
digitally controlled to precisely anneal the glass for maximum
strength and longevity.
Upon removal from the mandrel, each bead
hole is thoroughly cleaned by hand with a diamond coated tool to ensure no excess bead release is left behind
for a
professional finish.
Every step that goes into making my beads is done with the utmost
care and attention to detail using only the finest quality
materials
available.
For
as long as I can remember I have loved art.