Kris Itokazu is a glass lampwork artist from Santee, CA. Visit her Etsy store at http://creationsbykris.etsy.com.

When did you first become interested in glass?

My obsession with glass beads began about five years ago when I took a weekend long lampwork bead making class as a birthday present to myself. I was instantly hooked on playing with molten glass and fascinated with the way colors and patterns were formed. That weekend class stretched into more than two years of classes from a fantastic bead maker, Heather Trimlett. After swearing up and down that I would never create a lampwork studio in my house (I already had way too many hobbies) here I am working at home every chance I get!

What do you like best about what you do?

I suppose lampworking has been a natural progression, in a way. I have always loved creating and actually have my college degree in advertising and graphic art. My career in advertising was short-lived and I’m now a second-grade teacher, but the love of making things and creating something from “nothing” has never left.

Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?

When I sit down to make beads sometimes I have specific ideas in mind, but more often than not the colors and patterns just “happen.”  I tend to use three or four colors for each set so I can play with twisties, stringers, and a variety of backgrounds for each set. It’s funny because although I like my beads to be symmetrical in style, I don’t like to duplicate beads and rarely have matching beads in my sets. To me it’s far more interesting to look at a finished piece of jewelry and see lots of different designs.

What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?

I do keep a journal with color palettes I like, as well as current color combinations from magazines. If I see something that catches my eye, I cut it out, slap it in my journal, and eventually it becomes inspiration for a bead. My favorite beads that were born as a result of this process are my animal prints. I cut endless photos out of magazines until I could reproduce (reasonably well) an animal print. I still find myself looking for more animals to duplicate.

How much time is spent creating your pieces?

I try to get out to my studio early in the morning before it gets too hot, especially in the summer here in San Diego. I like to spend two to three hours per day making beads until I either run out of ideas, use up my favorite mandrels, or I start to melt from the heat. I’m totally into instant gratification and like to create two beads at a time on one mandrel. I actually envy people who can spend more than ten minutes on a bead!

What do you find most challenging about your work in the glass arts?

My biggest challenge as a glass artist is having the time to devote to creating beads. I teach part-time and have two boys, ages 10 and 13. Between baseball games and daily life it’s a struggle to squeeze out the time I need to work at the torch. That’s why mornings are so wonderful – my husband is at work and the boys never get up before 10 am in the summertime!

How did you find Etsy? What do you like most about it?

I’m thrilled to be a part of Etsy, and have my brother to thank for finding it. He told me about it back in September, I created a site, and never did anything with it until March. If I had only known...