Glass Beads Daily: Glass Bead Spacers Space Out Sunday 1.26.14

Welcome to this month's Glass Spacer Bead celebration! All artisans will be posting pics that feature lampwork spacers today!

But before we get to our show, we're going to hang out and talk glass beads with artist Lezlie Foster of Creek Bottom Glass. As this post is all about lampwork spacers, let's take a look at some of Lezlie's:

What do you make? What or you known for?

I make beads, jewelry and glass beaded items. Pretty much anything I can get glass or beads on! I LOVE sculptural and implosions, those are my favorites! And ANYTHING pink!

Do you ever space out at the torch? What do you think about / listen to / watch?

My torch is my quiet place (not literally though) I can be having a rotten day and go light the torch and it all goes away. Even if I only melt stringer or make twisties, it just all seems so much better on my beloved torch! I usually listen to 80s rock really loud and sing, really loud and badly! I especially love girl bands! My studio is to me like the shower is to others. I'm suddenly a rock star!

What was the Worst burn / cut you ever got??? How did it happen, where was it? Special treatment???

I have been lampworking for almost 2 years. One day I was working on blowing hollows. Using a 1/8 mandrel for the first time I was trying to get it into the kiln because I was petrified it would cool too much and shatter all over the place. Also being new to blowing glass I was a quivering mess! I was holding the mandrel in my left hand and trying to open the kiln with the right. Somehow I dropped the mandrel and the glass landed between my middle and ring fingers of my right hand! OH MY! I did save the bead of course, because that's what we do, right? That was before I discovered Burn Jel. I now keep a bottle at my table! I soaked my hand in a bowl of cool water for over an hour. I couldn't torch for almost a week because every time I got close to the torch my hand caught fire all over again. I had big blisters and the scars are just pretty!

What was the hardest skill for you to learn how did you overcome? Any tips to share?

The absolute hardest concept for me to wrap my head around was implosions! I was so fascinated with them and I really just HAD to make them! I would dream of ways to make them and then go to the torch and try and just fail constantly! I made great colorful blobs in glass but just could not get them to look like anything! I tried tutorial after tutorial and nada! I went to a class taught by Libby Luechtman at Marley Beers Bead Camp -- Spent 5 days there learning hands on and voila! I was able to get a grip on how glass is supposed to move. From there I bought Ron Bearer, Jr's tutorial Boro Implosion Designs. Amazing how it all clicked into place. Now I can't stop doing them! I can't wait to see what the pattern I make turns into on the other side of the piece. It is by far my favorite thing to do!

What is YOUR favorite jewelry to wear?

Surprisingly enough (or not) I don't wear many of the things I make. If I am at a show I'll put on a piece that I normally wouldn't wear and most times someone will buy it right off my neck! I generally stick to my smaller earring pairs and I love to wear the small filled hollows I make. I just like a more understated and delicate type of jewelry. I make some really gorgeous bracelets that I will never wear!

My favorite piece is a pot of daisies that I made for my Mom this Christmas. They were something I knew I really wanted to make for her because she absolutely loves them! It took me almost a full year of fooling around with different designs to finally figure them out! She is my biggest fan and has many, many pieces of mine, both good and um...less than good! I used alcohol inks to paint the pot and it turned out just wonderful!