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"Watching
the
glass change
state; move and flow; take shape; [and] seeing the interplay between
colors as they meet and part; it fascinates me”
Julia
Benson-Slaughter
loves to make beads when she’s not teaching as a computer science
professor at Georgia Perimeter College
or giving her time as a
volunteer at a
cat shelter.
After her initial lamp
work/fusing
class in May
2005, three weeks later, she was attending a full-day introduction to
glass bead making class. Julia "played" on a Hot Head torch until
she was able to set up her full studio.
She
declares, "I was hooked form the moment I tried it."
Later, passing up the opportunity to spend Spring Break at the beach
(like most normal people), Julia opted for a bead making class with
Marjorie Langston. She
explains,
"Just
the opportunity to spend eight hours or so a day,
either watching demos or on a torch up there, without worrying about
dinner,
housework or
laundry, was priceless.
Still,
most of my learning with glass is a matter of experimenting and
practicing,
seeing what works well..."
Next, Julia attended a retreat where she learned from
Deanna Griffin-Dove,
Kimberley Adams, Virginia Walker Kail,
Lydia Muell
and Cindy Lemmo. Later,
she took
a two-day class with Larry Scott which she
also
describes as
“priceless!” She feels, "Even
though I had several frustrated moments during the class, it was a
huge education.”
Julia finds the
pure
alchemy of the process most enticing.
"Watching
the
glass
change state; move and flow; take shape; [and] seeing the interplay
between colors as they meet and part; it fascinates me,”
she
says,
adding, "It's
not a purely predictable process -- there is always some serendipity
to it.”
The
instant gratification aspect of bead
making
also
appeals to her
versus the weeks, if not months, from start to finished product of
her past endeavors.
She says
that her involvement in other crafts
and arts
is instrumental to her decision to make beads.
She
has seriously pursued a variety of needle crafts
as well as
paper and
fiber
crafts.
When
she took textile classes at a crafts school, she spent her spare
time “hanging out in the glass studio watching the goings-on there.”
Julia’s list of
favorite glassworkers and bead makers include:
Pati Walton;
Kimberly Affleck;
Amber Van
Meter;
Mary Lockwood;
Kandice Seeber;
and many more.
“Their
work just knocks my socks off,”
she
says emphatically.
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Julia’s
studio is the smallest bedroom of her condo,
built
by her husband
who fully supports her art and is her "biggest fan." The
glass section of
the studio
is set up in a
"galley" style with
two worktables made out of an industrial shelving unit broken
into two modules with everything within reach.
About creating a studio,
Julia suggests,
"Make
sure it's safe and comfortable to work at."
She adds,
"It
doesn't have to be big
by any means, the lampworking area of my studio is only about
six feet by four feet, but
everything is
right there and it's
very
workable."
Julia uses
a Bethlehem Piranha, with propane and one oxygen concentrator.
She
also has a Glass Hive annealing/fusing kiln.
Her
favorite tools are
the
Corina
Magic Wand and her brass poking/shaping tool.
Her Creation
Station makes working at the torch very comfortable. Julia also
likes to use a bead masher press.
Working with mostly soft glass (Effetre,
Vetrofond and occasionally Lauscha),
Julia says,
“This
summer, when I have some extra time, I'm planning to start
experimenting with boro -- the glass is sitting in my studio
just waiting for me to be ready for it.”
Her
signature bead has yet to happen.
She
feels she is still learning and experimenting.
She
works a lot with frit,
which she
feels “is
very forgiving for the beginner, but can remain challenging for
a very long time.”
Julia
makes both sets and focal beads
and states,
"making
bead sets is good practice and eye training for me.”
Although, she
doesn’t like repeating her bead sets.
In a normal week, Julia spends 8 to 10 hours making beads. Primarily making beads as a hobby,
Julia makes some to sell too.
She
enjoys using her beads to create earrings, although she does not
consider herself a jewelry designer. Most recently,
however,
she
has started adding lampwork to traditional chainmaille.
When asked
about a particular product
she would
recommend to the lampwork community, Julia says,
"I
think it's a good idea to be willing to experiment and try new
things as the opportunity comes along.
There's
always a chance that something new will fit you and your style,
or perhaps nudge you in a new, exciting direction.”
Making beads is not Julia’s full time job.
However,
she states,
"I
am starting to sell some of my work, so I try to treat it in a
business-like manner without losing the fun aspect of it.
She
adds,
"I
would certainly like to get to the point where it's a
self-supporting endeavor, and I think that it can be."
A
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Please join us in the forum to
congratulate Julia, ask her questions, or just say
hello!
Click here to go directly to the thread.
You can see more
of Julia's work at:
www.artofthefirebird.com
Julia is also The
Auction Boutique's Featured Seller - to see her current
offerings,
click here.
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