Do you enjoy seeing how things are made? Stop by my studio to see work in progress; if I'm working at the torch, I'll give you a pair of safety glasses and you can watch the process! Choose from handmade lampworked glass beads and jewelry; soda-lime (aka “soft”) glass beads are flameworked on an oxygen/propane torch, using 24karat gold, fine silver, palladium and copper. All work is annealed in a computer controlled kiln to assure it is as durable as possible (still being glass).
My newest pieces are my Anemone Pendants – floral interpretations that draw inspiration from undersea creatures as well as the flowers I grow in my garden. The techniques used I learned from a master flameworker on the glass island of Murano, Italy, off the coast of Venice; the trip in 2011 was my gift to myself to celebrate my 20th year of being in business as a jewelry designer.
This newest work allows me to explore layering colors very delicately, using color in a similar way to using watercolors in painting; thin layers develop and affect each other very differently from what heavier applications would do. The combinations and possibilities are endless; I feel I have just scratched the surface of what is still to come with these pieces. See more at www.bethwilliams.com or at one of the many museum shops and galleries that also carry my work.
2020 will be my 25th year in my current downtown studio, and I'm planning lots of events and surprises to celebrate. Hope you'll stop by for a visit!
