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Presents August Lampwork Babe ALYSA HARRON by ROZANA VASSERMAN
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“ My job is my art” With the realization that Art College wasn’t a great benefit to her artful evolution, Alysa Harron filed the necessary paperwork to get out and purchased her first Hot Head “on a whim” in October of 2005. As fate had it, the torch was defective and after a month of problems with finding a replacement she finally obtained her chance to start the fire! Alysa had the knowledge that someday she would be living off of her own creations and the month of November finally set her free to do so.
Alysa has always been interested in art. After leaving the art college, making beads was a way she could focus her creative drive. Little did she realize that it would become an all consuming passion and grow into a business. She works with all art mediums but admittedly, most have fallen to the background since she started working with glass. Alysa’s parents are very supportive of her decision and always try to direct any available opportunity her way; her significant other is her “rock” allowing her every opportunity to focus on developing her skill. Aside from Alysa’s success and growth his only wish is for her to get the glass out of his kitchen!
As far as formal education in bead making goes, the one class Alysa tried to take resulted in the instructor discussing grandchild-rearing tips instead of torching. A bit dismayed, she taught herself the basics through trial and error and with the use of books. “I think my very first torching session was a fluke. My first beads were amazing. Things seemed to just click and though I wasn't doing anything complicated, they all turned out great.” Alysa has now arrived at a point where the focus lies on advanced techniques and for that she is interested in taking more in-depth courses.
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Although Alysa doesn’t credit one particular person or thing as her inspiration, the world around her transmits everything into “a file of random images, words, textures that will someday find their way into [her] designs.” What keeps Alysa coming back for more is the “complete satisfaction … [in] watching the ball of glass almost magically flow and form into your vision.” She loves to coax and contort her glass into forms it doesn’t naturally like.
Alysa sells her beads primarily at outdoor festivals and markets over Western Canada and the U.S. She also takes orders through her website and looks forward to her upcoming online auctions at The Annealer Magazine's Auction Boutique. Alysa mainly sells loose beads but offers a complimentary service in making simple jewelry; the customer can choose out their bead and she wire wraps a pendant or earrings while they wait. Her goal is to arrive at a point where the majority of her business comes from custom bead requests.
The focus of her art is on sculptural beads, “the round ones tend to bore me” Alysa declares! Her tendency is towards focals and pairs of earrings. Instead of being a slave to a design, pattern or color scheme, Alysa likes to allow the glass to “partially” decide on the final creation. Each design in her collection is unique, so Alysa doesn’t have a particular signature bead. Once I have made a bead, rather than recreate it, I am on to the next idea.”
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