Today I have the wonderful space of even wonderfuller (yes, I know that's not a word) Lyn Foley, lampwork glass artiste and jewelry maker. Let's meet her and see where she creates her intricate works!
What do you create in this space?
I create one of a kind jewelry, mostly necklaces, made out of beads I have made, and settings my husband makes - "wearable art, born in fire". There are two spaces, a lampworking space and a jewelry making space. In the lampworking space I make beads out of glass using a technique called "lampworking'. I melt glass onto a stainless steel mandrel, then put the beads into a kiln to be annealed. The next day after the beads are annealed I take them off the stainless steel rods and clean them, then take them inside into the jewelry making space to use them for jewelry.
Can you describe what we see in the pictures a bit?
My lampworking space is out in what used to be a garage. There I have my torch and a big box my husband made for me filled with lots of rods of glass that are imported from Italy. On the bench are all my tools - the torch which torch mixes propane and oxygen together for a high clean heat. The little racks a friend made for me to rest the glass on between beads, and a lot of tools such as dental picks and brass presses to help shape the glass.
I make the jewelry in the house in the "inside studio". There you'll find my bead board and a rack of my beading tools, pliers, crimpers, and cutters, and racks of my finished beads, waiting to be used. There are little white bowls of seed beads, and above on the shelves are boxes of findings - clasps, sterling beads, gemstone beads, and little bits and pieces I can add to a finished strand of beads.
I have lots of books for inspiration, and my bookkeeping notebooks. Recently, instead of stringing my beads onto chains, I've started making silk cords from antique kimonos - I'm loving that! On the tee bars are some finished necklaces, waiting to be priced and photographed. On the magnetic bulletin board are order slips, my color chart, and ideas that I tack up when I think of it. My computer is always on, for keeping inventory, tracking shows, my new etsy shop, and e-mails.
How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space?"
I love my space, and feel energized whenever I am in it. I wake up excited and first thing go out to check my kiln to see what the beads I made the day before look like - it's almost like Christmas every day! We live way out in the country on six acres in south central Texas - our town has a population of only 77! That means that outside my windows I see fields, oak trees, cedar trees, blue birds and wide open spaces. I'm surrounded by nature and peaceful scenery so my space is really an oasis, which constantly inspires me. I'll be thankful to live long enough to create even half of what is in my heart.
Thank you so much for sharing Lyn! You have quite the operation set up!
To shop for Lyn's finished pieces and learn more about her, visit her website and her blog!
