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"Today,
I’m doing everything I’ve always wanted to do, and I love it. ”
With the music playing softly
in the background in her own studio, our March Featured Artist,
Pamella Radwan, designs her glass art beads in her spare time. Her
studio, which was built in the basement of her home, is the perfect
atmosphere for creating. In the summertime, with the small window
open, you can hear the birds singing, the rustling of the wind in
the trees, and smell the sweet scent of jasmine.
Pamella, an artist for most of
her life, says “Today, I’m doing everything I’ve always wanted to
do, and I love it.” We asked her what started her on this glass
journey; to which she replied, “I’ve always been fascinated with
glass; however, the real push came while repairing one of my
daughter’s bracelets.”
The one 4 hour beginner’s class
Pamella attended
has turned her desire into a “passionate hobby.” She states,
“Perhaps one day, I’ll be fortunate enough to be able to pursue my
passion full-time,” adding, “I
strive for perfection in my work. As I compare my work today to the
beads I was making say even a year ago, I can immediately see the
improvement in my level of skill and development. The process of
getting from point A to B and so forth has taken me somewhat longer
than if I had a series of lessons or courses under my belt.”
My
goal is quite simply to create beauty in the form of beautiful glass
beads that people can wear and enjoy for generations to come.
Working with soft glass (Effetre,
Bullseye, Kugler, Reichenbach, Gaffer and Lauscha), Pamella creates
her signature Raku Raised Floral beads (pictured right) which she
says is, “Definitely not something I planned, but instead the raku
literally exploded to life in my hands. I am able to achieve the
most amazingly beautiful color with Raku and they have become my
most requested beads to-date to create.” You will also find many
encased beads made by Pamella, which happens to be the technique she
prefers. “I love how encasing with clear brings the design
underneath to life. It’s magical,” she says. She also finds
“controlling its molten state” to be the most interesting in the
process of working with glass.
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Pamella Uses a GTT Lynx,
triple surface mix torch, but is also fond of her hand-held
graphite marver, brass Stump shaper, tweezers and stainless
steel pokers. Above all, Pamella recommends an electric dremel
for cleaning beads. She says, “[It] saves me time cleaning
the beads which I love.”
When asked who and what
inspires her most, Pamella said, “There are many talented glass
artists throughout the world who I admire;” adding, “It’s near
impossible to pick just one. I’m actually inspired by many
great artists and works of art in general – paintings,
sculpture, [etc.]. My inspirations come from nature,
paintings...scenery, and believe it or not, dreams! Some of my
best ideas have come to me in the middle of the night in the
form of a dream! And my passion and specialty is flowers....I
will create beads with intricate stringer work from time to time
because I love it and it keeps me fine tuned, but my inner fire
and passion are flowers, flowers, flowers.”
Pamella offers up the following advice to those interested in
learning lampworking and creating their own studio: “Do some
research and talk to other artists. Don’t hesitate to ask
experienced glass artists questions about a safe studio set-up.
The key is to have adequate ventilation and to make it as safe a
working environment as possible - health and safety – first and
foremost.”
You will find Pamella’s
creations on her own website as well as in a small boutique in
Florida called Carni Designs.
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Please join us in the forum to
congratulate Pamella, ask her questions, or just say
hello!
Click here to go directly to the thread.
You can see more
of
Pamella's work at:
http://www.pamellaradwan.com
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