When did you first become interested in glass?

I first became interested in glass when I was a small child. My grandmother collected antique cranberry glass and when I went to visit I was in awe of all the pretty designs painted in the glass pieces. She collected bowls, plates, wine goblets and bud vases that were unusually shaped and had design elements you would not see on any glass you buy from a home décor store.

What do you like best about what you do?

I like to be able to learn new techniques and experiment with different glass and power tools. There are so many things that can be created in glass that I never seem to run out of ideas. I wish I had enough money to have everything I could ever possibly need or want relating to glass.

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

I like to capture the colors of flowers from nature in my work. Every spring I run out to my backyard with the camera and take photos of flowers so that I can refer to them for inspiration. I enjoy encasing my flowers under clear glass which magnifies the flowers and makes the colors brighter.

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

The flowers in my yard and on the local hillsides inspire me. A month ago I was driving home from The Bay Area when I spotted a peach orchard in full bloom. There were yellow mustard flowers blooming on the ground and then beautiful peach blossoms all over the trees for miles and miles. In the background I could see the Sutter Buttes which looked purple and the sky was gorgeous. I am in the process of trying to recreate that scene in fused glass. I am also inspired by the colors in the stories I read to my children.

How much time is spent creating your pieces?

Depending on whether I am fusing or lampworking, my pieces vary in time. If I am lampworking, a bead takes me anywhere from about 15 minutes to 1 hour of torch time. Annealing and cooling time takes about 6 hours. If I am fusing a piece it can take me weeks just to pick out the right colors and then another couple of days to figure out just how I want it to look. Fusing and annealing usually take a couple of days.

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

My style is definitely flowery with lots of sparkle. I love dichroic glass and flowers. I always want to give people the impression that they are looking into a tiny flower garden and so I encase almost everything in clear glass. To make my flowers, I place a lot of layered dots in different configurations and then push, pull, poke and swirl the petals. I like being able to adjust my flame to get the dots to do what I want them to do. I go for a really clean and detailed look and if there is a smear the bead goes into my reject pile.

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

I find it very difficult to get people to understand why my beads cost what they do. Now, with China, Japan and India making lampworked beads for super cheep it is becoming more difficult to sell my beads. Also, when I started making beads, 11 years ago, there were only a handful of us lampworkers so when I did shows I always sold out. Now, there is a lot of competition and so I had to lower my prices to be able to compete with everyone.

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

I found Etsy through my best friend who also sells on Etsy. She got me all set up with my shop and showed me how to do it all. I really love selling amongst other artists who appreciate and understand what it is like to make, sell and buy handmade. Everyone is so helpful and friendly too.