I'm the host for this month's Lampwork Carnival. The theme for this month is "Sculpture on a Mandrel." I chose the theme for the month because I wanted to highlight one of the great things about glass and beadmaking - you can sculpt small works of art to wear or use the small pieces to create a whole sculpture- how cool is that?!?
I want to take you on a guided tour off the beaten path so to speak. Instead of the repeating many of the same artists that we all know and love, I'd like to highlight some of the artists who may be lesser known - along with a few of the well known artists. But first I want to explain what I mean by "sculpture." To me, sculpture has a very broad definition - "to fashion a medium such as glass into a three dimensional figure." (paraphrased from answers.com) So, the sites and pieces I'll mention fall into a couple of categories - beads made as parts for a sculptured wearable or non wearable object - JC Herrell shows us a non-wearable motorcycle on her blog. Jen Geldard collaborated with Andrea Guarino to come up with the Sacred Bird of Port Townsend Totem and Gizzaz Design makes Ancient Totems in the non wearables category.
Some artists are partial to creating sculpted animals. Glennie Sims of Calmwater Studio makes adorable and wearable kitties while Janet Crosby is fond of chickens.
Several torchworkers gain their inspiration from nature. Barb Svetlick creates flowersand Jodi Wheeler makes sea shells
Not leaving out the wonderful artists who work in borosilicate glass while sculpting florals or mythical creatures, Lluvia Brito's flowers have made me drool since she started making them! Bickley Studio's fairies created in borosilicate glass are magical!
Whether you are creating sculpted beads to work into a complete wearable or non-wearble, the process can be a journey. Fay Katherine well known for her sculpted animals, tells us of her journey to sculpted glass. We want to take that journey too! Last but not least, Lori Greenberg gives us a run down of her favorites - my favorites too! Kate Fowle's goddess bead was one of the first artist made beads I had ever seen, they're still gorgeous - hmmm maybe it's time to buy one!!!
If you haven't tried sculpting on a mandrel, I hope that I've inspired you to try it!
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