Beading Times: How long have you been making beads?  

Jayne LeRette: Approximately 5 years, but very part-time.

What got you started making beads? Did you take a class?

I discovered lampwork beads while surfing ebay many years ago. I took a beginner’s class at Funky Hannah’s in Racine, but didn’t start torching until a year later. It actually took me awhile to get kick-started. I introduced my co-worker and friend Karen (Coal Room Beads) to lampwork by showing her a collection of other people’s beads I’d purchased. It inspired her to take that class at Funky’s, and she actually started torching before I did. Then she inspired me to get set up and start torching. We’ve been bead buddies ever since, and go to Bead & Button every year together. I took classes there with Lisa St. Martin, Jeri Warhaftig, and Frank Scott. And I also took a bead coring & capping class with Jeff Barber in Madison.

Were you interested in making beads before that?

I never even knew lampwork existed until I saw the beads on ebay several years ago.

Did you have an artistic or craft history before that? How has that translated into the beadmaking, if at all?

I never considered myself artistic. In fact, in high school (40 years ago – I’m dating myself) I accidentally ended up in an art class and promptly dropped the class and took something else. The artistic spark didn’t ignite until my last few years in my nursing career. I was working as an R.N. in the hospital’s staff development office, and had to create PowerPoint inservices and build storyboards for other projects. It was so much fun I started taking classes in graphic design, and when I retired I finished my degree in graphic design. I guess I take after my grandpa who started his artistic career in his 70’s; he was a watercolor artist.

Can you share a photo of some of your other works with us?

I have nothing other than a couple of bracelets I made. One is a vintage button bracelet for my daughter. The other is a metal bracelet from a class at this year’s B&B that still needs a clasp. I guess I could also post the link for my design portfolio of several years ago when I was in school:  http://anniegoat.tripod.com

What has surprised you most about working with glass?

That many times beads that go into the kiln as ugly ducklings can emerge as beautiful swans. And many times vice versa!

Have you had anyone that you consider to be a mentor? Tell us about them.

Other than my friend Karen – we’ve helped each other grow – I would definitely consider the several get-togethers that JC Herrell so generously hosted at her house as the most inspiring ever! Besides eating, torching & having fun, there were so many area artists to meet, watch and share ideas with. I’ve also had the pleasure of torching with and sharing ideas with some good friends from South Africa, Elize Vega and Johan de Lange.

Whose beads inspire you the most?

That’s a very long list! So many artists have beads that are inspiring to me in one way or another. But a few of my favorites are Astrid Riedel, Anouk Jasperse, Lisa Atchison, Amber Van Meter and the late Marna Hartjen,

Do you sell your beads? Do you sell the beads by themselves, or already made up into jewelry?

Yes, I do sell them. But I don’t have the time to turn the beads into finished jewelry. I love jewelry but the only thing I wear is my wedding ring. I’m not a very good advertisement for my own beads!

Did you intend to sell your beads when you first started? What got you started selling them?

My intention was to eventually make enough money to pay for my glass and supplies, and to have a great hobby that pays for itself. To turn it into anything more than that would take the fun out of it for me and stifle my muse.

Have you ever taken part in a bead or art/craft show?

Nope. I just don’t have the inventory or time to be able to do that.

Do you sell your beads in stores or other venues?

I do have a few beads on consignment in a bead boutique in New Jersey.

Do you have a website or auction site that you regularly sell you beads on? If so, what is the url/id info, etc. 

Ebay: http://tinyurl.com/2wowfa  My Ebay ID is “ibjayne”

Artfire: http://BadgerBeads.artfire.com

Website: http://BadgerBeads.com

I also have a gallery here: http://www.beadartists.org/BadgerBeads

What do your friends and family think of your beadmaking?

My husband is very supportive and has done so much work for me in setting up my studio. He enjoys checking out all the beads that come out of the kiln and even asks for certain ones. Of course I give in and let him keep them! My daughter ends up with her share too. She actually wears them. My son always looks at them and offers tidbits of advice, but I can’t get him to take one. Brat. I’m sure he thinks they’re a girl thing.

What sort of set up do you have for making beads?

I’m on a Minor with natural gas and one oxycon. I’ve got a Glass Hive kiln and love it.

What type of glass do you use?

I’m a mad scientist at heart and love using the silvered glasses as well as dichro. I use only soft glass of various COEs. Vetro, Effetre, CIM, Gaffer, Reichenbach, Zimmerman, Double Helix, GTG and once in a while Bullseye.

Do you have any favorite colors or combinations of glass rod to work with?

I love using the silvered glasses and combining them with dichro. I love purples, blues and greens, but am not too fond of the warm colors like yellow, red, & orange. Zimmerman Purple Rose has been and will forever be one of my favorites. Playing with shards is also fun, as are frits once in awhile.

Do these colors (or combos.) create a special reaction when used in a certain way? Tell us about it.

Sometimes the silvered glasses are predictable, but under many circumstances they’re more of a surprise coming out of the kiln. I love surprises, especially when they’re good ones! I love experimenting like a mad scientist just to see what develops. Most of the time I take notes

Do you have a favorite product, i.e. bead release, glass, etc.

Favorite glass: Double Helix silvered  glass, Zimmerman Purple Rose, Dichro, anything purple.

Do you have a favorite beadmaking book or piece of instructional material (video, etc.)?

Passing the Flame was my first and still favorite book.

Do you have a favorite technique?

I seem to go through phases. Right now I’m stuck on pleats. Wish I could move on to something else. Maybe murrini will be next. Who knows.

Are you a “set” person or a “focal bead” person?

Most definitely a focal person. It’s difficult to make the same bead over and over when I have such limited time at the torch. Besides, I get bored easily. Making spacers has to be the absolute worst.

Have you developed a “signature” bead, a unique type of bead that is recognizably yours? Tell us about it, how you developed it, etc.

Well, I don’t know if it’s a signature bead, but I enjoy making heart beads with a twisted bottom. They’re also my comfort beads. I also think my “jungle fever” beads are pretty much the same style all the time, only with different glasses. (Jungle fever beads are squeezed beads with dichro on one end and silvered glass pleats on the other, sometimes with a raised silvered dot or a twisted edge).

What was your biggest obstacle to overcome?

How to store all the glass!

What is the hardest kind of bead to make for you? The easiest?

There are so many things I haven’t learned to do yet, and some I don’t like to do. Sculptural beads aren’t for me; I envy those who can make them. Also, florals evade me. My friend Karen has showed me countless times how to do a floral and I just don’t get it. I’m not so hot with stringers either. But I really enjoy using dichro – it’s so much fun and adds zing to a simple bead. Hearts are super simple, and squeezed beads are too.

What is your favorite kind of bead or technique?

In addition to my hearts, I really enjoy making spiral beads, “orbit” beads, and “jungle fever” beads.

Do you still have the first beads you made? What do you think of them now?

Yes, somewhere. I laugh at them whenever I come across them.

How have your beads changed? Since you started or over the years?

“Less is more” has always been my motto. My early beads were very simple, and I believe they still are. I just use different techniques now, but the beads are still simple in design.

What was your scariest beadmaking experience?

That would have to be when I dropped a mandrel with a hot bead on my lap, and it rolled onto the floor. Surprisingly I didn’t get burned, it all happened so fast.

Do you have a humorous beadmaking experience or moment to share with us?

I just laugh at some of my mistakes.

Have you had any “glass epiphanies” while working – some revelation or understanding? What were they?

I had raku around for a couple years and could never figure out how to work it… until one day it just happened. Same with the silvered glass and lusters;  one day it just happened. I guess it just comes down to ppp (practice, practice, practice).

Do you have a technique, method or tip to share?

I don’t really have any unique techniques, they’re all pretty well known. My tip would be to take notes if you’re experimenting. There’s nothing worse than making some really nice beads only to forget the ingredients. I also always have a plan when I start to torch. That doesn’t mean I actually follow that plan, but it’s always there to fall back on if my brain freezes.

Do you listen to music when you work, or prefer complete silence? If you listen to music what is your favorite type of music or artist to listen to while you work?

I like to work as quietly as possible – no radio or tv. Just the hum of the concentrator and fans.

Do you have any advice or encouraging words for someone who is just starting out in glass? (Aside from persistence)

Read and research as much as you can. There’s so much to learn from those who have been there already. Take a class if you can afford it.

Have you “invented” any new tools, or recycled something that wouldn’t ordinarily be thought of as a tool for lampworking?

Well, I use a set of antique crystal doorknobs as a rod rest. And I use a round vintage candy dish with a lid for all my ends. Plus one of my favorite tools is an old jack-knife.

Could you share with us some pictures of your studio set up?

Um, you wouldn’t want to see the mess! I only have a few pics to show.

How much time do you spend making beads (in hours) per week? Is it enough?

Since I have a regular job, I only torch on weekends and am only able to make a limited number of beads. I torch only 3 to 4 times a month, but when I do I usually spend 5-6 hours each time.

What about photographing your beads – what do you use to get your pictures and do you have any tips or tricks to share?

A little Olympus point & shoot works fine for me. It’s a Stylus 1010 and has 2 macro settings. I love it for bead close-ups as well as regular every day photos.

Is this a job, or a passion? Or both? How much of making beads/playing with hot glass is about just making them, vs. making a living?

Definitely a passionate hobby. If it were a job I’m afraid I’d starve!

Where do you see yourself going with lampworking/glassworking in the future? Or, where do you see it taking you?

I’d like to keep it a hobby, but continue to learn new techniques.

Do you have a favorite bead, a “best bead.” Can you share a photograph with us?

This trio is my favorite at this time. Usually I eventually tire of my favorites and sell them. But not these…

I hope to add to this strand as time goes on.

This is my favorite key bead that’s been sold...