WELCOME, Andrea of ANNWN - Handcrafted Lavender Glass Bead Jewelry out on Etsy. I just love this artist's exquisite glass lavender beads!! One can almost smell the wonderful scent of lavender...just by looking at her lovely beads! Let's hear what Andrea has to say about herself and her delightful creations.
In my island studio I work to recreate the beauty of the lavender fields. I primarily use the lavender beads for pendants like the ones modeled after the Grosso variety that have been featured in various beading books and magazines. Most recently, my jewelry has grown from simple pendants to large art pieces containing multiple lavender flower spikes. The hollow focal bead functions as a vial, meant to be filled with the lavender plant's calming essential oil. Its wearer experiences a constant aromatherapy treatment, the next best thing to a summer walk in the fields.
What led you to start creating your art/craft?
I studied off hand glass blowing in undergraduate school. When I moved out to San Juan Island, there were no hot glass shops so I built and ran my own small glass studio and quickly learned how expensive they are to keep in constant operation! It was at this time that I pulled out the lampworking torch that I had been carrying around since high school and taught myself how to make glass beads.
How did you decide what medium you wanted to work with?
Hmmm... I have always been really excited by molten glass, but I do remember getting to see a hot glass demonstration when I was a kid on a family vacation. After that, whenever anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grow up I would reply a glassblower.
What aspect of creating your art/craft do you find the most enjoyable?
I really enjoy the torch time, it is where I can experiment and be creative, I also enjoy assembling my beads into finished jewelry- this I can do right in my living room while at home with my three-year-old daughter, it enables me to be at home while working and helps our family avoid crazy high daycare bills.
If you had to choose a fruit OR a vegetable, to describe your art/craft, what would you choose, and why?
I would choose vegetable, the head of the lavender plant reminds me of asparagus!
If you had to choose one other medium in which to display your “creativity”, what would that be, and why?
Silversmithing- I really want to learn how to solder and have the materials to cast and polish silver and other metals. I feel limited with jewelry design not being able to design my own fine metal components.
What message, if any, do you want to convey with your art/craft?
The beauty of the natural world and the amazing properties of lavender as a medicinal herb.
Thanks, Andrea, for sharing your beautiful work with us. Be sure to visit Andrea's links below to learn more about her wonderful creations.
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