Meet Debbie of grapeislandglass

Meet Debbie of grapeislandglass

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5079983

How many years have you been an artist?
I’ve only just become comfortable calling myself a Glass Artist.

How many years have you worked with glass?
About 4 years.What triggers ideas for new projects?
I’m not sure! Ideas just pop into my head. I’ve taken to trying to always have paper with me so I can write them down.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Anytime, anywhere.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
Its there all the time.

How important is it for you to create art?
It keeps me sane, I think!

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?
Creating with glass has been a blessing for me. No sacrifices, no loss of luxuries – just don’t touch the chocolate.

Describe your studio.
Like my art, my studio is ever evolving. Or is that ever growing? J My studio is akin to lava, it keeps flowing outward. Right now its in our basement but I’ve been seriously eyeing the barn.

Tell me something about you.
I started with glass because I fell in love with a fused glass coaster. Right around that time my therapist was urging me to find a creative outlet for my grief. So I found a glass studio nearby, The Glass Source, and a fabulous, true Glass Artist, Michael Skrtic, who was happy to teach me. I still try to get to his studio every time I’m in Connecticut.
I live on a small lake in Maine with a great guy who spoils and indulges me. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 children, 1 son-in-law, and 2 daughters-in-law between us. Life is good!

Meet Marcia of Sierra Creations

Meet Marcia of Sierra Creations

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5669767

How many years have you been an artist?

I started building my own designs 15 years ago.

How many years have you worked with glass?

34 years.

What triggers ideas for new projects?

Magazines and books, ideas from friends and my husband, photos that I've taken, I even wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and have to draw it as soon as I get up.

When do ideas come to you? How often?

Ideas come to me all the time, in the middle of the night, while watching TV, while driving, while hiking and fishing. Stained glass in on my mind at all times. It's a passion

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?

About 85% of the day.

Do you create daily?

Yes

How important is it for you to create art?

Very important! It's my passion and I would be lost if I couldn't create my art.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?

I don't feel that an artist's life has been a sacrifice, it's a way of life. I have not had to give up any luxuries. I feel the the opportunity to create has helped my way of life.

Describe your studio.

We converted one our bedrooms into a studio. It's a bit small and hope some day to build my dream studio. My husband is a woodworker and has built all my tables and racks to hold my glass sheets. I have all the great tools and equipment that a stained glass artist needs except for running water. I have to wash all my pieces in the kitchen sink. I've even taken larger pieces out onto the lawn with a hose and cleaned them there.

Tell me something about you.

Around 1975, after running out of ideas of what to make for Christmas presents, I found a picture of a very simple stained glass piece and decided "I can make that". I went into the local stained glass supply store and got a 20-minute lesson from the owner. He then sent me home with some cheap tools, a how-to book and some free scrap glass and a life long passion for stained glass had begun.I've always had a dream to live in the mountains and dreams can come true. With a long time desire to leave the San Francisco bay area, where I worked for years in the electronics industry, and to get into a slower pace of life, my husband and I moved to the small mountain community of Pioneer, CA, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in 2001 where I have enjoyed my art more than ever. We live a great life in the mountains with our two cats and can't see living in any other way.My husband joined me as a partner and we formed a small business named Sierra Creations. My work includes a variety of pieces ranging from smaller items such as suncatchers, candle holders, night lights, to larger framed windows, and custom orders. My husband is the woodworker in the business and creates all my frames, display stands for shows, as well as some of his own designs.

Meet Leigh of Flowingglass

Meet Leigh of Flowingglass

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5878274

How many years have you been an artist?
I don't know that I consider myself an "artist", but I've always had a yen for the aesthetic. When I was young, I thought I would grow up to be a writer. Words on paper are my friends in ways that words out loud either in front of or in exchange with other people will never be. (Who knows, maybe someday I will write a successfully published book!) But for now, I'm drawn to many things creative. I like to quilt, particularly picking the pattern and the fabrics; I love making photos of outdoor scenery with our digital camera; I enjoy beading and making jewelry and am just learning a bit about wireworking; "doing glass" in my little made-over studio has been a wonderful journey so far, too, and it's fun to think about where it will eventually go...but an "artist"? I don't know.

How many years have you worked with glass?
I took my first glass bead-making class almost two years ago in May. It's something I'd wanted to do for a long time and finally came across a class within a reasonable driving distance. Bead-making led to a class in fusing the following fall and I've been primarily doing that ever since.

What triggers ideas for new projects?
It's hard to define where ideas come from. Sometimes it's a question someone asks...like "can you do this?", sometimes it's an article in a magazine, sometimes it's something you see somewhere that gets you thinking "I wonder if I could make something like that in glass?", sometimes it pops into your head out of nowhere when you're asleep or doing something totally unrelated or when you're staring at all the bits and pieces of glass lying on the work area. The trick for me is keeping the idea in my head until I have the chance to try it out!

When do ideas come to you? How often?
I get ideas at all different times, really. It's unpredictable. Often many many days will go by when I don't have time to work on or even think about glass (or anything else creative) and then, suddenly, I'll have a little mental down time and the ideas will just come. I try not to analyze it too much or get too worried when there's a lull. Things have a way of working themselves out in the end.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Since I have to work full-time outside of my home studio, I don't work on glass every day. I'd like to, of course, but during the school year (I work in a public school), most of my studio time has to be on the weekends.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Well, as I explained above, I don't have the time and opportunity to actually create something every day...but I believe the subconscious mind is always working, even when you're physically doing something else. I like to think it's what triggers those "eurekas!" in the middle of the night. :-)

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Having the opportunity to get into the studio and set the outside world aside for a while is really a sanity-saver for me. My day-job work environment can be very stressful and mentally demanding. Working in the studio is like walking through a "stargate" into a separate reality--one where those aspects of yourself that you aren't able to bring out in the minute-to-minute interactions of daily life are able to be expressed. It reminds me that there is more to life than my day job, something that it's easy to lose sight of during a really bad week.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
I don't know that I can say I've officially chosen the "artist's" life, since I do have to work full time at another job. I can say that there are certainly a lot of things I choose not to buy because I'd rather spend my available dollars on glass or other glass/jewelry-related items. In that regard, I can honestly state that I've given up some things in favor of others, but so far I don't really see it as making a sacrifice.

Describe your studio:
My studio is located in our basement, in what used to be my daughter's bedroom. It wasn't a large bedroom, so it isn't a large studio, either. (It would be great if it worked like the tents in the Harry Potter series, where it looked small on the outside but was as big as you needed it on the inside!) My husband built some terrific, sturdy counters and lots and lots of shelves for me, all of which are stacked with glass and jewelry supplies and components. Once in a while, when I have a craft show coming up, I drag a lot of it upstairs and spread it out all over the kitchen, dining room, and living room to take advantage of a bunch of south-facing windows and an abundance of sunlight. (I don't like clutter, even my own, so this never lasts long.) A bigger space would definitely be one of the first things on my "wish list."

Tell me something about you:
About me...I grew up in rural northeren Minnesota, one of a family of six children. I met my husband at the tender age of 14 and we've been together ever since---we'll celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary this spring. We have three children, all grown and managing their own families within an hour's drive of where we live. As I mentioned above, I work full-time in a public school as a school librarian. One of our district librarian's retired three years ago and was not replaced, so I now run both a K-8 library and a 9-12 library...traveling to alternate buildings on alternate days and teaching elementary resource time on top of it. It's an exhausting schedule that begins at the end of August and ends in early June, often leaving me little energy for anything else at all. My goal is to one day open a combination studio/gallery/shop for glass and other art that will enable me to leave my day job behind and dictate my own schedule. I have no illusions that it will be any less work, but satisfying work? Definitely!

Meet Lloyd of BurningScentsations

Meet Lloyd of BurningScentsations

You can visit his shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5206177

How many years have you been an artist?

I've always been very much into creating and making things ever since I was a little kid. When it comes to arts and crafts, I've just about done it all including knitting, crocheting, latch hook rugs, beaded hotpads, beaded bell ornaments, candles, decopauge, electronics, painting by numbers, macrame, cartooning, animation, model airplanes. That's not all of them, but it's all I can think of at the moment.

How many years have you worked with glass?

I've worked in glass for over 5 years now--which it makes it my longest running endeavor, and my most satisfying. I've just made the switch over to Boro from the soft glass, and that has really ignited my imagination since there is so much more than can be done with it due to its unique properties.

What triggers ideas for new projects?

Everyday life, nature, and just experimentation to see what happens when I combine glass colors together. I'm also often inspired by the other great artists on Etsy and Lampwork Etc. Their wonderful designs push me to learn more and become a better glass artist.

When do ideas come to you? How often?

Often when I'm on the torch, a new idea or design will come to me which I'll then try out. I have a new design that I haven't published yet that was inspired by the hearts I've been making. I need to perfect it a bit more and then I'll be opening a new Etsy shop for it since it's not something I'll sell along with my other glass items.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?

I think about it quite a bit, probably 25% or more. I'm always trying to come up with ways to take what I've learned a take it to another place or develop something no one else has done yet. That's a huge challenge since so many things have been done in one form or another. Work and life tend to take up the rest of my thought processes along with just trying to relax once in a while.

Do you create daily?

No, I don't have time to create daily, work full time and get the photography, listings, blogging and promotion on-line all done in the same day.I do, however, work on some aspect of my art every day whether it's taking pictures, adding Etsy listings, chatting/posting on Facebook, updating my blog, etc.

How important is it for you to create art?

It's very important. I'm always striving to create beautiful pieces that people will treasure for a very long time; while I'm inspired by other artists, I certainly do not want to just copy what has already been done. I want to create original pieces and new designs.That being said, I've just made the switch to Boro and am in a process of learning and experimenting with it to see what I can make it do. There's bound to be some similiarities between my work as I'm learning and other's creations because that's how everyone learns new techniques and skills. I'll be able to put my own spin on things as I get more experience with the new glass.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?

I suppose if I did only my art full-time, yes I would have to give up certain luxuries like eating, paying bills, living in a home. You know, the niceties. :) I work full-time in computers in addition to doing my glass work, so no I wouldn't say I've given up any luxuries. I do, however, use a lot of time that I would normally have free, but I don't think that's a sacrifice since I'm using it more constructively than I probably would if I didn't pursue my art.I have to say that I really admire those who can do their art full-time, and I hope to one day get there myself. It would certainly be more satisfying than a the corporate grind, but that's going to be a bit down the road yet for me.

Describe your studio.

No-Frills. I work on a Carlisle Mini-CC torch with two Oxy concentrators in my basement. I've set up my venting out the one window in the basement and that seems to work pretty well. I've got two kilns, but only one is set up at the moment, a Blue-Bird bead kiln which works great since it such a large one. I can get a lot of pendants into it when I'm working.

Tell me something about you.

Well, I'm a California native and have lived in Chicago for almost 14 years ( it will be 14 years this May). That's pretty dry stuff.I do live with my partner of 12+ years, Robert, in Roselle with our two dogs. Riley is a Boston Terrier and a retired show dog. Trance a Shepherd mix with bright blue eyes and a great smile! I'm kind of toying with an idea I have for a comic strip that features them as the main characters. The initial character designs are quite fun and challenging. We also have a cat, Lucy, who rules the dogs with an iron claw. They jump when she tells them to, that's for sure.