Untitled Document

My name is Jeannie Cox and I just LOVE to create glass art, beads and jewelry with molten glass and a torch. The torch flame is just mesmerizing and creating works of art from a rod of glass by melting, shaping and manipulating is both exhilerating and relaxing at the same time. There are endless possibilities for color combinations, shapes and designs that I don't ever think I could discover them all.

My first try at lampworking (melting glass with a torch) was way back in 1996. I received a boroscilicate torch, supplies and glass rods for a Xmas present. I was enthralled and excited to learn how to make small sculptures, pendants and figurines of my own. I always had a desire to learn the craft I saw artists demonstrate in malls and fairs since I was young, but try as I might, I just could not seem to get the hang of shapiing the glass the way I wanted. I fooled around with glass here and there for a little while, but a home move and lack of room to set up my workbench basically ended my desire to make glass art. Not having the space to work or seeing any potential in myself made me decide (at that time) that I may never improve or be good enough to create neat art pieces from glass. I put the "dream" out of my mind.

Jump to 2005/2006. For some reason (and I can't really remember how this came about, exactly), I started to string jewelry out of beads. I am not positive, but I believe I may have received some glass beads (store bought) from a family member and decided to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings and little people keychains I called "My Little Friends". I started selling these items to friends and others at my "day job". I enjoyed stringing patterns and creating unique pieces, and of course this led to a desire to find more rare and unique beads to put in my jewelry pieces. Hence, I discovered many beautiful lampworked beads, created by artists all over the U.S. and other countries. These pieces were mostly made using "soft glass", which melts at lower temperatures vs. the boroscilicate glass.

As I examined some of these gorgeous pieces of art, I thought to myself, "I know how this was made!" Because of my short time spent failing to make anything so beautiful with boroscilicate, I at least knew enough to know how some of these pieces were created. And then it dawned on me that maybe I should try my hand at making beads. It's a different type of glass and also there was a mandrel (steel rod that you make the bead around) to hold the glass so that there was a little more control.

I started with a Hothead torch in May of 2007, not wanting to invest much money if I just couldn't get the hang of this craft, either. Right away, I was able to make some fairly decent beads. I was thrilled - finally, I could create! I seemed to advance fairly quickly for a time, re-learning the feel of the glass, the way it flows. It seemed I had come full-circle, like I was always meant to work with glass. I finally had my desire fullfilled! I consider myself to be basically self-taught, learning from reading books, viewing instructions on-line, looking at cool bead pictures and trying to repeat the effect, or mostly just by experimenting with the glass myself. I signed up and took one, 7-week beginner's class in lampworking. The classes were fun, and I was able to use a Minor-burner torch instead of my Hothead, which was a MUCH better torch (and I ordered one the first week of classes). I had a wonderful instructor, Laurie Nessel, and I learned a lot just from viewing how she held the glass, applied decoration, used the flame, etc. I have since taken classes under the guidance of Margaret Zinzer, who makes cool color effects pop out in her beads, and also Deb Crowley, who was wonderfully enthusiastic about her fish beads. My most recent instruction was from Lauren Stump in November of 2008, and that class just blew me away. It was a week long, usually putting in 12 or more hours per day, but boy, was it worth it. So many ideas flowing through my head, things I never thought of attempting with glass. Amazing! We'll see where these ideas take me.

Now that I have been creating beads for a while with soft glass, I am starting to try and expand my works by easing my way back to boroscilicate glass. I have made a few items, not many, but my results are good and I am looking forward to making more "art" pieces which are not beads, but miniature statues and free-standing pieces. (although I will also make boro pendants and beads, too). I will continue with my soft glass beads because I love it so, but I am always on the quest to learn and expand my glass knowledge.

I use Effetre (Moretti), CiM, Lauscha, Bullseye and Reichenbach brands. All my beads are kiln annealed to remove the stresses that melting, manipulating and creating can put in the glass. This releases stresses in the glass and strengthens the beads, but please remember that these are still glass and they can be broken.

My current focus is mainly on larger, individual focal pieces. I love creating unique pieces that will never be duplicated even if I am using the same design/scene as another bead (like my Arizona sunset beads). Every bead is unique and one-of-a-kind. Hope you enjoy!

Sincerely,

Jeannie