The Beauty of Leaves in Glass

I was at a show one day and heard someone say "the leaf lady is here". I looked around to see who she was talking about and realized it was me! I love making glass leaf beads and at some point they became a signature element in most of my designs.  

One would think that I was inspired by nature, the beauty of the outdoors, and my love of gardening, but the truth of the matter is that it was inspired by my friend and talented glass artist Jerry Catania of Water Street Glassworks. Long ago I started blowing glass in their studio and Jerry would sometimes incorporate beautiful leaves in his pieces. I loved the look and of course his incredible talent always amazed me. As much as I tried my leaves never looked like his! When I began lampworking I started making little leaf beads. My first attempts did not resemble leaves at all (I recently found one and it took me a moment to realize it was a leaf!). But I kept experimenting and finally came up with a process, and leaf design, that I was happy with. Now it is my favorite bead to make and I love the look it gives to my designs. 

Each leaf is made by hand and starts with a thin disc-like bead. I then let the glass "droop" off  the rod in order to elongate the shape and the molten glass is formed into a leaf using pliers.  There are leaf molds that you can press the leaf shape into the glass, but I prefer to form them with pliers so they have a more organic and individual look to each leaf. I have learned not to attempt leaf beads after a venti coffee! The photos above are the finished leaves while they are still on the rods. No, that is not snow in the studio it is the fire blanket that I use to cool the beads. I like etching the clear glass leaves to give them a frosty glow. It reminds me of elements in Lalique. They are dipped in acid to give them a soft look. These are some of my favorite and I love combining them in my Symphony in White designs.

Symphony in White long cluster necklace

The images below are some of my early pieces and when the leaves started to become an element in my designs. My work has evolved over the years, but the leaves remain a signature in my designs. I knew my customers liked them too since they were drawn to pieces with leaves and when I do custom work I often hear "make sure there is a leaf in it!

Early work and the introduction of leaves

So as I work in my studio watching the leaves fall I am happily making leaf beads. I would rather be making leaves than being out there raking them... but I guess I am going to have to do that too one of these days. But they can wait until tomorrow.

Frequently Asked Questions at Art Fairs - "How long did it take you to make this?"

One of the questions I am frequently asked when I am exhibiting at an art fair is "how long did it take you to make this piece". Yes, any of us who do shows hear this often no matter what medium we are in. Some artists roll their eyes, others have witty responses like "it has taken me 40 years to perfect my art", but for me it is an opportunity to explain what goes into the piece. It is not only the number of hours that it takes to assemble the design, but all the steps along the way to even get to that point. So I thought I would take a moment to illustrate the process that I go through when developing new designs.

The Collection

Before I even begin working on the specific designs I develop the palettes that will be in the collection. I create a Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter collection.  The process starts with tracking color and fashion trends for the season and using various websites for research including Pantone and Fashion Trendsetters just to name a few and also attending fashion trade shows. For me I also use Pinterest and pin colors that attract me which could be in any form including nature photos, fabric swatches, artwork, food, etc. It sometimes helps me to break that creative block and you never know when inspiration will strike!

The Designs

My designs are always evolving but there are various elements that remain constant. My work has an asymmetrical look to them and I consider my pieces a composition. There are elements of color, movement, and texture that come together to create an interesting piece. When creating new designs I take time to sketch out rough ideas. Actually I do that on a regular basis and always have some sort of scrap paper with me for those times that I have an idea and know I will lose it if I wait!

The Process

The image above illustrates the various steps that it takes to make a bead. I always get asked "how long does it take to make a bead"? There are many steps and types of beads so it is hard to determine how long one takes! Besides making the beads they also have to be cleaned which is my least favorite part of the process. Somehow standing over a sink with a Dremel cleaning beads one by one is not the most exciting thing in the world. After the beads are sparkly clean I "size" them which is the process of matching "pairs" that will be used in earrings and the rest will be used in other pieces. I call this part of the process TV work since I can do it watching my favorite programs.

Below is my assembly area. It is our family kitchen table from the 50's and a perfect size. I guess you could say I still work at the kitchen table! I have a hard time keeping it neat and tidy.. mainly because when it is I seem to get a creative block. It's like staring at a blank canvas or piece of paper. But also I like it that way because sometimes happy accidents happen and I will find new color combinations or designs because the beads and components come together in ways I hadn't imagined.

And then the finished designs! It is satisfying for me to stand in my booth and realize that somehow it all comes together. And then there is the other question I hear frequently... "did you make all this?"...um...YES!