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presents Featured Artist Teresa Laliberte
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Please join us in the Lampwork Forum to ask Teresa questions, comment on her art, or simply congratulate her for being our first Featured Artist. Teresa will be happy to respond. Click here to go directly to the page. |
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The Annealer Magazine has the pleasure of introducing our first Featured Artist, Teresa Laliberte. Teresa, now 43 years old, currently
resides in A skilled artist by other means, Teresa
has been making glass beads since March 2005. Teresa states:
"I have always had a need to express myself artistically."
She has explored many mediums including; drawing, painting, fiber arts,
wood carving and sculpting. Teresa also holds a degree in fashion
design and has this to say about her other artistic endeavors, "I
notice that all of my past experiences and skill have really helped
me within this medium. I draw on all of them constantly and they
have helped me to slowly develop my own style.”
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When asked what sparked her interest in making glass beads, Teresa replied; "The very first set of handmade lampwork beads I ever saw. That was all it took, right then I knew I had to learn how to work with glass." And work with glass she does! Most recently the glass community dropped its collective jaw when Teresa shared a picture of one of her latest beads, the "Water Bearer" (shown top right). Her Goddess beads have also been very popular and crafted in a style that is unmistakably her own. "I love the fluidity of molten glass and that you can make it do nearly anything you can imagine, then when you are finished, all the glass will retain that vision for generations;" she adds.
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| Teresa's first
beads can be found "living in many of my outdoor flower pots."
As with any craft, practice often leads to perfection and she proudly
admits the difference is "like night and day." In the
beginning, she began by working with dot patterns and floral designs
from Corina's book. "I made a lot of round beads back then”
said Teresa “and used brighter colour combinations."
Teresa, like so many bead makers, admits she too has gone through the
bead press stage of squashing everything she made. |
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We asked Teresa if there was any one bead she makes that she would consider her "signature" bead. Teresa replied: "I don't think I've been doing this long enough to have a signature bead." However, she believes that her newest design, the "Water Bearer," a sculptural relief on a large flattened tab shaped base, may eventually become her signature bead. You will find that most of Teresa's beads are focals. She explained; "I started out making sets only, lately I have been doing mostly focal beads. I think I am better at focals than I am at sets... when I sit down to torch, I'm almost always thinking of a focal." |
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| Teresa's choice of torch is the Carlisle Mini CC which is hooked up to a 5L Oxy concentrator. However, since Teresa is now making larger sculptural beads, she feels that she may have to beef up her system. She highly recommends Bucket of Mud bead release stating that it is "really amazing stuff." She claims that she has not had a bead break loose since she started using it. |
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Finally, Teresa offered up tips on creating a studio to those who are just starting out: "Well for those working on a budget, as I was when I started, I would recommend building slowly. Get the basics, add a kiln as soon as you can (if you want this to be more than just a hobby). There is nothing wrong with starting on a HH, this helps so that you can invest in a few more of the other necessities. Get a good comfortable chair, especially if you are prone to back problems and don't forget a good ventilation system. Before buying a lot of tools, check around the house to see what you've already got, also don't forget yard sales."
You can find Teresa and all of
her wonderful creations by visiting her on the web at
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