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Presents October Lampwork Babe anN MCNEILL |
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"I like to think at some point I will be able to incorporate glass beads into my sewing and quilting.” Ann McNeill has been making beads for just over 6 months. She had seen lampwork beads in books, then learned that a friend took a class which sparked her interest in bead making. Shortly thereafter, Ann jumped right in and took a beginner class herself. She now shares a workbench with her son who makes model planes. Ann also sews and quilts. She says, “I like to think at some point I will be able to incorporate glass beads into my sewing and quilting.” Ann finds the way the colors mix, plunging and encasing to most interesting in the process of working with glass. When asked whose beads or glass inspired Ann most, she replied, “I like Kim Miles’ florals, and Brad Pearson’s dots. The florals are so lifelike, and the dots are just fun to see how many patterns you can make with them.” Ann states, “I have not tried to sell any beads yet, but eventually would like to. I make them now just for pleasure, and as a way to relax.” Ann’s family and friends say that she has “left and gone to another planet” when discussing her glass addiction. “My husband will not let me have oxygen and propane in the house because it is dangerous. I do not have a place to put it outside of the house just yet. He just [rolls] his eyes when I tell him I need to go to Home Depot for more gas. (I go through a lot of mapp gas.),” Ann says, adding “He is supportive, but he just likes to tease me.”
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 Working on a Hot Head torch, Ann uses Moretti, Vetrafond and Lauscha glass. She also likes Fireworks bead release stating, “The beads come off the mandrel very easily.” Ann says her favorite tools are a graphite paddle, a rake, and thick mandrels. Ann tells us her current focus is on focals, but says, “I have been trying to make beads that could be used as a set. I would like to make beads, turn them into jewelry and sell them. Maybe at some point make a bead for a personal request.” She also states, “I have been experimenting with a drop shaped implosion bead; adding florals to the outside. I made it sort of by accident. I was trying to make something that did not look like anyone’s work. My implosion beads end up looking like anatomically correct hearts instead of round or tear shaped. I finally made one that was tear [drop] shaped and just added plunged flowers to it. I thought it looked nice.” When asked to provide tips on creating a studio, Ann replies, “I think having a space of your own that people do not continually tell you to clean up when you are in the middle of a project would be good. We have a shed in the back that I was told I could use, but there are no windows. I live in Ohio where it gets pretty cold in the winter. Did I also mention there is no heat or running water? So for now I will stick to my hot head in the basement.”
“I would like to learn more about the torches. I keep hearing about different kinds and do not know what would be my next torch,” says Ann. “I would also like to learn to make lentils, and would like to become better at encasing.” Ann asked, “What is a punty, and how do you use it? I was looking at some beautiful heart beads on the lampworketc.com site in the tutorial section and did not understand all the instructions.” Kim Miles is the person Ann would most like to meet if given the chance. When asked why, she replied, “I would love to pick her brain about how she gets her florals to look so real - like you could reach out and touch them.” From the looks of Ann’s beads, the determination she shows, and her willingness to experiment, I believe we will be seeing a lot more of her works in the future. A
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