In a prior life I lived in NYC and worked on Wall Street trading stocks. I decided that I needed some change in my life. So I quit my job, got married, and moved out to the beach! I have been designing and making fused glass and fine silver precious metal clay (PMC) jewelry ever since. I studied one on one with a very talented designer who designs silver jewelry for Tiffany’s in NYC. After just a few sessions of silver and glasswork, I was hooked and immediately went out and bought a kiln. Not long after, I started successfully designing and selling my work to several exclusive boutiques and museum shops (including the NYC Opera). Then I found Etsy this past September. I loved what I saw…so many talented people! So, I opened my Etsy shop as a means of selling my more affordable pieces directly online. I am very fortunate to say that I truly love what I do. So much goes into every piece I make. Even after all of this time it is still such a "high" when people purchase and compliment my pieces. I work very hard at keeping my work unique, original, and fresh.

In addition to glass, I work with Precious Metal Clay, an incredible material of Japanese origin. "PMC" consists of microscopic particles of silver that when fired at very high temperatures, fuses into pure silver. I like to combine PMC with fused dichroic glass. The silver really compliments the glass so well. "Dichroic" means having more than one color, especially when viewed from different angles or lighting. I make my glass cabochons (“gemstones”) by layering several pieces of glass & firing them in the kiln numerous times until the desired effect is achieved. Often I will use a glass grinder to vary shapes and sizes or to get different results.

Hope Marxe's cobalt blue fused glass cocktail ring.

What do you like best about what you do? 

There are no real mistakes in glass. Like working with oil paints, each “mistake” can merely be a new direction.  Ask any glass artist, fusing is completely addictive! I constantly find myself waiting anxiously by the kiln for things to cool so that I can see how they turned out!

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

Not really, I try not to pigeon hole myself into one particular style or technique. I am always experimenting. Though it is hard not to let your own personal taste in colors and style influence you.

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

Nature (particularly the ocean) definitely inspires me. However, my biggest inspiration is our daughter. She is a ray of sunshine in my life and she has taught me the meaning of pure joy. It is just fabulous viewing the world through the eyes of a toddler…truly refreshing! The funniest thing is that she actually critiques all of my pieces. She has a pretty good eye and hasn’t steered me wrong yet!

How much time is spent creating your pieces?

It is hard to balance being a full time mom and working. So, most of my work is done while she is napping or at night.
Needless to say, I don’t get much sleep! Thank goodness we recently moved and I have my own brand new studio…yay!

Fine Silver PMC Fused Dichroic Link Bracelet by Hope Marxe.

What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium?

My style is definitely fluid and I am always experimenting with new techniques.

What do you find most challenging about your work in the glass arts? With so many talented glass artists out there, I find I have to work twice as hard to keep my work original and unique. It is a challenge that I truly enjoy. I am constantly experimenting and trying new techniques without knowing for sure what the outcome might be. Some of my favorite designs I just “stumbled” upon after trying many different things. The other big challenge I have encountered is properly photographing glass jewelry. It is truly difficult to capture properly. I find that I am constantly retaking my photos over and over…never being truly satisfied with them…sigh…

Marxe's Ruby Red Fused Glass Flower Pendant.

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

On Google. I was looking for supplies and several Etsy stores came up. So, I got curious, checked it out, and the rest is history. I love that Etsy is almost exclusively hand made and I have found it to be a wonderfully warm community of people.