|
Presents July Lampwork Babe KENDRA SANDERS by ROZANA VASSERMAN
|
|||||
|
“ My love for this art just gushes.” After endless E-Bay browsing and admiration for artist made jewelry, Kendra Sanders was struck hard by a lampwork bracelet. “It was love at first sight,” she recalls. After her revelation, Kendra started to incorporate artist made beads into her jewelry designs. One night during her web search on lampwork artists, Kendra stumbled upon someone who was using a “beadcam” to broadcast their torch sessions. She had to try this for herself. In the summer of 2005 she picked up a Hot Head, in October she graduated to the Piranha and never looked back!
Kendra still has her first bead, a droopy piece of blue glass with a fissure in it that’s “reminiscent of a mandrel hole.” In comparison, her current beads are “pleasing” but Kendra admits that she still has “far to go.” The piece that Kendra is most proud of is a blue cone with stacked dots. The only tool she used was gravity. Kendra recalls being very happy with the positioning of the dots, “it was some sort of miracle, I’m convinced.” Kendra took an introductory class to be sure that she didn’t blow herself up when she lit the torch. Most of her education comes from tutorials and video. A recent opportunity to spend a weekend under private guidance of Ann Scherm Baldwin convinced Kendra that time and money spent towards a first-rate class is well worth it. “I should have done it earlier and saved myself a LOT of frustration;” a lesson well worth knowing.
Although Kendra’s husband is a self-proclaimed “bead-widower,” he supports her both financially and emotionally. Her children love to help with color choices but quickly loose patience. Frequent calls of “mom, are you STILL making beads? Hmpf!” bellow through the house. Kendra’s favorite part of the bead-making process is seeing the color reactions of the glass. “The alchemy of glass is something I really want to explore more.” Inspiration is bountiful and she credits the work of Jena Fulcher, Melanie Moertel and Sarah Moran as her favorites. “Juicy beads. Yum!” Kendra wants to meet Lori Greenberg. Her studio set up is “awesome” and is something that Kendra wants to see in person. She wants to observe Lori’s typical “bead day” to learn what it is like to operate a successful art bead business and of course to see how she makes her fabulous pod beads! Kendra wants to learn if and how the artists “plan” their beads. "Do they sketch their ideas or simply go through a trial and error process to bring alive that which is in the mind’s eye," Kendra ponders.
Being new to the art, Kendra has yet to find a favorite technique. She is currently discovering the beauty of silvered ivory when it is combined with transparents. Kendra doesn’t focus on focal beads versus bead sets. “Sometimes a set just ‘happens.’ And then other times the first bead in a proposed set suddenly takes on a life of its own. I LOVE when that happens.” Kendra is still exploring her style. Currently she is perfecting a coastal landscape bead that she plans on turning into a series. For now, her “Under the Sea” series beads are her signature. They remind Kendra of an underwater grotto. She layers in the watery shades of transparent glass to form ridges and striations in the base, and then she encases the bead for depth and magnification. When you look at the bead you just want to explore each little crevice, amazing. "I can’t believe I actually made something like that," Kendra says.
|
|
She likes to use Moretti glass, but insists on Lauscha clear. Kendra has a stash of rare glass, which she keeps under lock and key. When we asked her what it is, Kendra replied: "I’d tell you what it is, but then I’d have to kill you! A true artist keeps their secrets secret!" Kendra’s most recommended product for making beads is the micro tweezers. The extremely fine tips allow one to get into the tightest spots to make corrections on in-progress beads. She also uses the standard marveling paddle and tail stock holder. Also, she has a “fabulous” poker which was custom made. Kendra photographs her pieces with a Canon Power Shot A610. Her and the camera are still working out the details of the relationship!
Her studio is in the corner of her living room - a table covered with used rods and piled with tools. The greatest piece of advice she has on developing a studio is to be by a window. “If there is a way to position yourself looking out a window, DO IT.” Kendra only spends a few hours a week working on her beads but hopes that once fall comes around and the kids are in school to move up to “permanent part-time” bead-making. Her goal is to turn her hobby into an income-producing job. Her husband will undoubtedly be glad to recoup the money she spent on supplies, but looking at the glass stash Kendra isn’t sure if this will ever come to pass.
Kendra finally put her beads up for sale this June. She was quite ecstatic when her first payment went through! She hasn’t had much time to make her jewelry lately since the beads have been the main focus. “Oh the things we could do with a few more hours each day” she sighs. Kendra’s beads are available for sale both through The Annealer auctions and her website. Simone Weil, a 20th century philosopher, once said: “the future is made up of the same stuff as the present.” Kendra’s vision coincides since she is hoping that the work of individual lampwork artists becomes mainstream. She envisions an “artists advertising cooperative” to assist the exposure of smaller artists through group purchases. As for Kendra’s own future, incorporation of enamel into her beads seems to be the calling. Although not many are enthusiastic in sharing the secrets of working with enamel and glass, Kendra is expanding her knowledge through research. Combined with her drive and self-teaching experience, we are confident that Kendra’s work will blossom in endless ways. Congratulations on all your achievements Kendra, we cannot wait to see what you conjure up next!
|
|||
