​about me

Glass beads are linked to mastery of glass and fire, and the specific processes and tools used in its creation. In the flame of a torch,  molten glass is wound onto a metal rod that is held in one hand and continually rotated, creating infinite variations, effects and colours with different additions.

 

Pacific Pyros
Terminal City Glass Co-Op
International Society of Glass Bead Makers
BC Creative Jewelers Guild

Arts NewWest
Craft Nova Scotia

Lunenburg Art Gallery Society

The Art of Glass: No Limits Volume 2 - ISGB Published Book - featured artist  (2018)
Glassline Magazine- Tutorial: 3D Layer Abstract Bead  (May/June 2019)
The Flow Glass Magazine - Annual Gallery of Women in Glass  (annually 2018 - 2024)
The Flow Glass Magazine - Tutorial:  Batik Effect Bead  (2020)
Glass Bead Evolution  - ISGB publication- Artist Spotlight  (Nov 2019)
Glass Bead Evolution - ISGB publication - Tool Review and Tutorial  (2020)

The Flow Glass Magazine - On Mandrel Mini Vessel with Surface Flower Decoration  (2023)

The Flow Glass Magazine - Octopus Bead Tutorial  (2025)  (link below)

Throughout our 20's we designed and produced a line of wearable airbrushed art.  Rick did the children's line and I had line of ladies cruise wear.  Then we grew up and got real jobs with paycheques. (photos circa 1992)

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​​the process

I am often asked how long it takes me to make a bead, and it's not a simple answer.   Over the past 18 years I have put countless hours into practicing and developing my skills.  In beginning I  was thrilled to make a somewhat round looking bead with some dots on it.  Slowly I learned to make more intricate designs and to build complex components like murrine, cane and shards.  For example, in an aquarium bead I build all of the anemone, jellyfish, fish murrine and sea grass cane in advance.  The bead is then slowly and carefully built, adding a layer of clear glass over each detail as I apply them.  The finished piece then goes directly into a digitally controlled kiln, to make the piece stable and durable.  I usually finish in the evening, so the kiln can not be opened until the next day.  My morning routine is run out to the studio with my cappuccino in hand so see how it all turned out.  Even after all these years, it's still exciting to run out and open the kiln in the morning!

My love of bold designs and colours probably started the day I came home from kindergarten and my mother had tye-dyed all of our clothes. My childhood was an immersion in creativity. My mother is an amazing artist who did everything -pottery, batik, weaving, oil painting, silk painting, macramé, etc. My father had a full studio for gem carving and jewelry design. Their joint creativity was showcased in every room in our house, from mosaics to murals and custom built furniture. From selling paintings in Vancouver's Stanley Park to designing and creating a line of wearable art I have always been motivated to create. 


In 2007 I walked into a 3 hour beginner lampworking class and was hooked.  As a member of the Pacific Pyros, Terminal City Glass Co-Op and the International Society of Glass Beadmakers I have had the opportunity to take classes from amazing glass artists from all over the world.  The vibrancy, colour and  properties of glass make it the perfect medium for me to express my joy for bold colours, design and whimsy. 

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