Q: Why did you choose glass as a medium to work with? Are you planning to explore other materials as well in the future, like polymer clay, ceramic, metal?
I was always a crafter and “maker”, started already young with knitting and crochet, as a teenager I sewed my own outfits. Later I tried my hands at painting (not absolutely successful) and interior design as well as calligraphy and photography.
But I was never as fascinated with any other medium as I am with glass. It is difficult for me to explain, what exactly it is – but I can completely relax while melting glass, and I always call it my “Zen”.
I also worked shortly with polymer clay, but didn’t find the same kind of fascination in the material, as I find it with glass.
Q: Are you self-taught?
Not completely – I did a 2-day-beginner’s class, and that was for many years the only lampworking class that I enrolled in. I was too
scared of the safety aspect of lampworking to start off without any kind of guidance and education, which was for me the main reason to do the beginner’s class.
Only recently did I start to sign up for other classes, as I realized that some techniques are easier to learn in person, than trying to figure it out by yourself or learning from tutorials.
Q: What inspires you in your work?
I’m the most inspired by color and color combinations. I’m just drawn to certain color combos that I see – mostly in nature, but also in photography or magazines. Sometimes I see a knitted jumper and the color combinations “speak” to me, or even the exterior paint color of a house.