Faith: In a word, concept. For me, it's the flash of an idea, beginning with a memory, a place, a name from ancient Rome, a swatch of fabric. If it's a series bead, such as the dragons, it develops in my mind as a 'legend.' The challenge and passion for me is to create something tangible from that concept that can be touched, seen, emotionally 'felt' and ultimately become part of wearable art or a sculptural piece of art in glass.
Carly: How do the mechanics of making sculptural beads differ from the mechanics of making a round or other smooth bead?
Faith: Much like any material you sculpt with, you have to be very aware of balance, proportion, and extension dynamics with sculptural beads. It also requires the creation of recognizable personality or emotion. Frogs can actually be made in ways that they appear happy or sad, mermaids can seem statuesque and open or intense and protective. Posture, position, color, all combine to give an effect, so you have to think ahead as you work.
You need to be aware of the amounts of glass you use and where you place them so you have ample glass to shape, but not excessive amounts that will have to be removed and perhaps mis-shape your overall design.
Training yourself to keep all aspects of the sculptural bead warm at all times is essential. But then again, not too warm or your detail will draw back into itself. A fin on a fish can become a lump on its side if too hot, an eye on a frog looks more like a layered dot if you've used too much heat. So the frequency and amount of heat is very critical and unforgiving when creating sculptural beads.
I was creating a mermaid just a few months ago and she was evolving to be more lovely than I had a right to hope she'd be. I was ecstatic! As a final touch, I decide to use stringers to apply some celtic detailing to her torso, a precise technical endeavor. I became so intent on the intricate design that I let her left tail fluke cool too much, and as I went back to warm it properly, it cracked, split off and dropped to the bench. Over an hour of time and an otherwise perfect sculptural bead became fodder for the glass trash. So keep sculpturals warm as you work.
Carly: What are your most popular designs?
Faith: Frogs and mermaids, without a doubt, intermixed with some fascinating commissions such as 'Pegasus.'
Carly: I know that designers buy your beads. Do you make and sell finished jewelry, too?
Faith: Yes, but I find I have less time to design than I'd like as I can seldom resist the call of the torch. But I do set aside some time for ongoing creation of jewelry designs available for purchase.
Carly: How long does the "average" bead take to make--if there is an average bead?
Faith: It depends of course on the bead style, the amount of detail and the desired outcome, but it's not uncommon for a complex sculptural bead to take up to (or over) an hour. And that's not considering the prep time, such as creating latticino for hair for a mermaid, or the hours that go into creating and perfecting the initial designs before they are ever offered for purchase.
Carly: Do sculptural beads fit in better with specific types of jewelry? What about comfort and durability?
Faith: All beads that are properly kiln annealed are surprisingly durable. The key when you design wearable art with sculptural beads is to think carefully of the intended finished piece.
Carly: So does that mean that we have to be extremely careful when we wear sculptural glass beads, or just use common sense?
Faith: Some indeed are very delicate, much like clay or precious metals. The thinner the body, or arm or extension, the more frail. Some are intended only as collectibles. We make the decision where and when it's good to wear silk or denim--many of the same rules apply to sculptural beads. When not in use, store them carefully as you would any fine piece of jewelry to prevent scratches or entanglements or falls.
Photo Gallery of Faith's Work
Read Faith's tips for buying lampwork beads.
Page 1, Introducing Faith Davis Ferris
