|
|
|
BEADS
What types of glass do you work with?
Do you make or sell jewelry?
What size holes do the beads have?
Are the beads annealed?
Can I buy your beads in stores?
How do you sell them? In sets? Individually?
Where are you located?
How will my order be packaged?
How do you ship my order to me?
What types of payment do you accept?
Can I return my beads if I am not happy with them?
How did you learn how to do this?
Other Questions?
PASTELS
What brands of pastels do you use?
What is the original pastel on?
When did you start doing pastels?
How large are the originals?
Are the originals for sale?
How do you make your prints?
How are they shipped?
How should I take care of my print?
Will you frame and mat my print?
Can I have an original pastel done?
Other Questions?
BEADS
I use Moretti, Vetrofond, Lauscha, Creation is Messy and Double Helix glass with some COE 96
frits occasionally thrown in as surface decoration. The Moretti and Vetrofond glasses come
from the island of Murano in Italy. The Double Helix is an American company, Creation is Messy
is a China- based company, and Lauscha glass is from Germany. All my glass is COE 104 and is
wonderful for creating detailed, one of a kind miniature works of art glass. I use frits made
by Val Cox and Glass Diversions, as well as making my own from mixing colors of glass I have
on hand. I love all the new colors, and have to have the latest glass, as well as having a
standby collection of special favorites!
I occasionally make a piece of jewelry, those can be found in my store on this site, or on Ebay
or Etsy. I usually make pendants, earrings and bracelets, using Tribe Hill silver beads, Bali
silver beads, and either sterling or .999% silver wire, (which is more pure than sterling and
shows less tarnish over time).
My beads are made on 3/32” mandrels, which will easily fit over 18-20 gauge wire. This is always
the bead size, unless stated differently in the bead description. I try to always note the bead
size as well, usually in millimeters.
The beads are properly annealed in a Paragon Bluebird kiln overnight to ensure maximum durability.
My beads and jewelry are currently being offered for sale at the
Fireplace Shop in the Valley
in Akron, Ohio.
|
How do you sell them? In sets? Individually?
|
Back to Top
|
I will sell them in whatever combination you would like. I show them in sets, and as individual
focals, you can put them together, or mix and match them as you want. If you don’t see what you
need, just send me an email. I know as a jewelry designer, you may be looking for a specific
combination of beads, and I will do my best to accommodate you. If you go to my gallery, I will
show the beads in every color combination, with three to five focals available, matching spacers
and accent beads all shown together as a set so you can see how they will work together as a group.
I also have beads available on Etsy and
Ebay if you don’t see anything on my website. Put them
together any way you want, or contact me if you don’t see what you want, I am always willing and
able to work with my customers to make them what they need.
I am located just northwest of Akron, Ohio in Bath, south of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
I will wrap your order carefully in bubble wrap, and then in a padded envelope. I am very careful
with my (your) beads, because they cannot be exactly reproduced, I don’t want anything to happen to
them during shipping. I want to make sure they make it safely to your door from mine. If they do
not arrive in pristine condition, please let me know and I will replace them.
I will use U.S. Postal Service, or United Parcel Service, whichever you prefer. UPS can be tracked
easily through their website, USPS while cheaper, cannot be easily tracked. I will email you,
provided I have your email address, as soon as I return from the post office, and let you know it
is on its way, if I have UPS’d it, I will also include in the email your tracking number.
I currently accept Paypal, money orders, and personal checks. Personal checks will take up to 10 days
to clear, as soon as it clears my bank, I will ship the item to you.
|
Can I return my beads if I am not happy with them?
|
Back to Top
|
I want everyone to be happy with their beads. If you are not completely happy, let me know and I will
take them back and refund your money. You can ship them back to me, and as soon as I receive them, I
will refund your money in the same manner it was paid to me, i.e.: check, or a refund to your Paypal account.
After being fascinated by glass for 30+ years, I discovered that it was something you could do at home.
I had an opportunity to take a class at a local shop with Mary Ilko, and “got the bug”. Even before the
class, I went back to the shop and bought 15 rods of glass, I couldn’t wait to start melting it! The next
day, I ordered a torch, safety equipment and more glass. Most of my glass is bought online from west
coast suppliers. Low tech, relaxing and exciting at the same time, lampworking is the perfect mix of
control and chance that results in unexpected and beautiful miniature art beads.
Email me, I would love to hear from you.
PASTELS
I use Rembrandt, Nutone, and Schmik pastels. These are all soft to semi-hard pastels, made in Germany and the U.S.A.
I work on two types of surfaces, Canson paper, usually using the rough side, or a sanded gessoed board,
which give a rougher surface. The Canson paper is mounted on foam core base to keep the paper stable.
This surface texture translates to the print of the pastel.
I began doing pastels as a basis for my oil paintings when I was in college my junior year. I was taking
classes from Joe Culley, who encouraged us to explore new mediums. I did, but returned to primarily oil
paintings. After my oldest son was born, I began to work in pastels again (it was easier to clean up,
with no fumes or harsh chemicals, and seemed to be more environmentally friendly in addition to being
more accessible). I was especially drawn to local landscapes from the parks and surrounding country.
After a few years I explored classic still lifes, and concentrated on them for about 3 years. I still
do many still lifes, but landscapes have a special place in my heart.
The originals range from 12 x 17 to 24 x 36. I may start to work larger, and I have seen pastels up
to 4’ x 6’, but as of yet do not work that large.
Yes, my originals, provided they aren’t already sold, are for sale, you can contact me here for prices.
They are printed on archival, non-acid, cotton based papers on a HP printer. Every effort is made to match
the original tonality and saturation of the original drawing.
They are carefully shipped flat, reinforced by cardboard, and protected by a paper sheave. Every one is hand
packed by me, and I want them to arrive at your door in exactly the same condition they left mine.
The print should be matted and framed under glass. Paper and pigments are delicate, so the finished picture should
not be hung in direct sunlight, or in a place where it will become too hot. Heat and UV rays are very damaging to
any artwork, they will discolor or fade the color.
No, I am not a framer, and my mats are far from perfect. It would also cost you just as much to have me do it, as it
would to have a local framer in your area frame your piece. The shipping cost would be greater as well. It would be
more cost effective for you to take it to your local framer and have them do it professionally.
Note: I sell prints only in standard sizes, if you go to your local craft/art store, you should be able to find a
frame and a precut mat to fit your print for 1/3 of the price of having it custom made. I try to keep this in mind
every time I reproduce my artwork.
Email me here and ask. I often do custom work,
here is a gallery of some of the types of things I have done,
with description of the type of commission it was.
Email me, I would love to hear from you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|