Archived Featured Bead Artists
Ania Karolina Kyte,
Amy Waldman Engel,
Barrie Edwards,
Jodi Lindsey,
Rebecca Voris,
Karen Elmquist,
Allison Turner,
Debbie Dimoff,
Margaret Zinser,
Slava Popov,
Faith Davis Ferris,
Helen Harvest
by: Dwyn Tomlinson
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This month, Beading Times has requested that Dwyn answer her own questions! If you think this seems odd, her husband would like to assure you all that she frequently has entire conversations with herself! Beading Times: How
long have you been making beads? Beading Times: What
got you started making beads? |
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Beading Times: Do
you still have those first beads you made? What do you think of them now?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Well,
not a single one of them came off the mandrels, so I was hideously disappointed
with that. For a long time, I thought they were horrible. But I can look at
them now and see some of what I was learning — and how I was desperately
trying to run when I had no clue as to how to walk. In particular, there is
one bizarre lump of opaque creamy-colored glass that I had the good fortune
to put some of the opaque turquoise on and then melt the heck out of it. If
you work in the soft glass, you know that some of them have interesting interactions,
and ivory and turquoise are one of them, where the two glasses touch, you get
a delicate black line. So I got this malformed blob of ivory, which went all
caramel-ly, with this interesting turquoise and black and cobalt thing happening.
I still love that color combo and use it even now.
Beading Times: Were
you interested in making beads before that?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Not
really! I had only discovered beads mere months before — any kind of beads,
not even lampwork beads at that. You see, this is all Betty Kelley's fault.
I had purchased one of her fabulous (and now, sadly, discontinued) broadcollar
kits. I'd never beaded anything before, although I had been making jewelry for
some time — but I plunged right in. The results were fabulous, if a little
rough, in retrospect, and soon someone asked me to duplicate it for them. Well,
then I had to source the beads! I knew that a friend of mine had gotten out
of the computer biz and started a bead shop — so I went to her for beads.
Soon, I was spending way too much money on beads, so when she told me she needed
some help — I jumped at the chance to support my "habit."
Beading Times: Did
you take a class?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Eventually,
I took a class. One with Amber Higgins, of Worn Beadies, and later, I took one
of Jenn's classes. That was actually in preparation to start teaching them myself
when she took maternity leave.
Beading Times: So
you teach now?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Yep,
Introduction to Lampworking. Love teaching it — it is so cool watching
the students learn, seeing what they try that I would never think of, and of
course, I love getting someone addicted to my habit as I fully believe that
addicts love company in their addiction!
Beading Times: Working
with glass is an addiction?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Big
time — read Cindy Jenkin's Beads of Glass— dozens of interviews
and nearly all of them talking about finding the perfect medium, being mesmerized
by the flame and the glass, of waking up in the middle of the night with an
idea for a bead. That's me.
Beading Times: What
has surprised you most about working with glass?
Dwyn Tomlinson: How
hard it was to learn some of the aspects of it. I come from a very strong artistic
background, and I pick up new skills very quickly — and there wasn't much
that I had done that really translated well. Now that I have a better grasp
on getting the glass into the right shape, I can draw on all that I know about
color and composition and that works well for me, but initially, controlling
the shape of something that you can't actually reach in and touch with your
fingers — that was tough.
Beading Times: Have
you had anyone that you consider to be a mentor? Tell me about them.
Dwyn Tomlinson: Well,
Jenn — Jennifer Tough of beadFX — has been in a large way — she
has been extremely supportive. She also holds me to a very high standard and
she is a walking encyclopedia of bead-making. But the whole studio environment
has been fabulous too — we all encourage each other and learn techniques
and pass them on. One day we'll go crazy for something and the next day, there's
a kiln full of hearts or transparents -over-silver or something else, all interpreted
in different ways.
Beading Times: Whose
beads inspire you the most?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Loren
Stump — beyond a shadow of a doubt. Anyone exhibiting that amazing control of
the glass in making sculptural forms — that excites and motivates me.
Beading Times: Do
you sell your beads?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Yes,
in the store — beadFX — and on Ebay.
Beading Times: Do
you make beads for friends?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Sometimes.
Sometimes if someone likes a bead, I will just give it to them. Sometimes I
will be inspired to make one for someone. A friend of mine went in for heart
surgery, and I know she is a big fan of the whole vampire goth schtick, so I
made her a big red heart with black wings as a good luck talisman.
Beading Times: What
do your husband and friends think of your beadmaking?
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
think my husband is "bemused" — he's very supportive though,
as with any of my artistic endeavors. Non-beady friends don't really get it
though. One friend thought I should get a booth at the "Everything about
Sex Show" — and sell my lumpy little goddess beads there!
Beading Times: What
sort of set up do you have for making beads? (Type of torch, gas, kiln, etc.)
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
torch in the beadFX studio, I don't have a studio at home, as the house I live
in is so small you have to go outside to change your mind. The studio has 4
minor burners, with plans to add another and a mid-range — that'll be fun!
We use natural gas, rather than propane, and we have both bottled oxygen and
a concentrator. We have a digitally controlled kiln — so pretty much like all
the toys. I also use a shield instead of the glasses, so that I can tell what
color glass I'm picking up, and so that I can use an opti-visor magnifier, so
that I can see the detail in what I'm doing.
The only downside is that I have to clean up and put all my glass away between
sessions, as the torches are shared, and, of course, it's an hour's drive away,
so popping into the studio for a half hour here and there is out of the question.
Beading Times: Could
you share with us some pictures of your studio set up?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Sure
thing!
This torch has a marver pad mounted on it, which I really
like, as it is warmed by the torch, so that when you use it, you do not lose
heat from the bead as fast. The shield protects my eyes, the mag-eyes fit over
my glasses and allow me to see fine detail.
On the left is the great rolling metal drawer cabinet that
I found at Ikea for $60. I can store my glass in it, the drawers are deep enough
for 14 inch rods, and I can roll it out of the way. Being metal, it doesn't
matter if the glass is still hot when I pack up. When I bought it, I found enough
dichro and rubino oro in my stash that I didn't know I had that it paid for the cabinet!
In the back is the array of oxygen tanks, chained to the wall. The blue box labeled "GT Pak" is the pressure booster for the natural gas, so we can run multiple torches. The black pipe on the wall is where the gas comes in from the street. The torch is running, you can see 3 minor burners here. The crockpot is new, for pre-warming those really shocky colors, like striking pink. Mandrels sit upright in a drilled board. The light illuminates the glass so I can see what color I'm using. Windex is handy for cleaning rods, and a variety of tools are on the bench, from a stump shaper to tweezers, graphite marver, etc. My dydidium shield replaces the protective glasses. The kiln, not visible, is a couple of steps across the room.
Beading Times: Do
you have a favorite product, i.e. bead release, glass, etc.
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
love the Foster Fire bead release — I love making those web effect beads
where you really torture the glass and wind it around the mandrel tighter and
tighter. With the Foster Fire, they slide right off in my fingers, but with
other bead releases, I break more beads than not.
I love using the Lauscha clear — beautifully clear glass. The Vetrofond
black, which doesn't purple. And the Vetro clear too and Dichroic glass. I'm having
a fling with the Moretti frits right now, which are such fun. I talked to Peter
at Nortel — they make the Minor brand torches — they are 10 minutes
away from the studio — and he made me a frit tray that allows me to roll
the bead in the frit, and easily dump the leftovers back into the tube —
so that is fabulous too.
Beading Times: What
type of glass do you use?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Soft
glass, so primarily Moretti/Effetre, with Lauscha clear and some of the Vetro
colours too. The Vetro ivories make a nice complement to the Moretti ivories,
giving me 4 shades to work with instead of two. I love the brilliant transparents
the most, but some of the opaques are wonderful too — so my work is kind of
jeweltones and kiddy colours — but I mix them and come up with a more sophisticated
palette.
Beading Times: Do
you have a favorite technique?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Well,
as I said, the "Jim Smirich web effect" is great fun. They don't sell
worth a darn for me, but they are very relaxing. And my wave beads are wonderful
fun to do — very meditative, very zen. In general, I like to work large.
Beading Times: Do
you make sets?
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
am not a set person. I just don't have the attention span for it — so if I do
a set — it is a focal with some co-ordinated beads, or more of the funky, color-related
kind of set that goes well in a bracelet, but doesn't look like they were all
made to match.
Beading Times: Which
do you prefer to make, a pile of beads or a single perfect bead?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Unquestionably,
a big honkin' sculptural bead!
Beading Times: Have
you developed a "signature" bead, a unique type of bead that is recognizably
yours. Tell us about it, how you developed it, etc.
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
hope this is a moving target -- that my signature style will grow and evolve.
Right now, I seem to be know for my "wave" beads — and these are constantly
changing and evolving. The early ones were single colors, then there were multiple
colors — then hand-mixed colors. Now, I'm adding a lot of dichro — sometimes
it's subtle — sometimes it is in your face. Before that, it was my lumpy goddesses,
and before that, my monster fish.
Beading Times: What
was your biggest obstacle to overcome?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Time,
or lack thereof. Still is, and in pretty much every aspect of my life. It always
comes down to having enough time to do the things you love and the things you
must. But I'm very lucky too in having access to the studio and the expertise
of the others that torch there. I've come very far, very fast as I have access
to a lot of things that people working alone at home don't. And, of course,
I get instant feedback from people there as to what is working and what isn't.
Beading Times: What
is the hardest kind of bead to make for you?
Dwyn Tomlinson: A
year ago, I would have said "spacers," but even these have gotten
to be easier. Two matched beads, now that's a challenge! But mostly because
I get bored making two the same.
Beading Times: The
easiest?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Ah,
that would be the wave beads again.
Beading Times: What
is your favorite kind of bead or technique?
Dwyn Tomlinson: To
make? The wave beads. But really, I love 'em all. Making beads is very Zen,
very relaxing. I get cranky if I can't get in some torch time.
Beading Times: How
have your beads changed? Since you started or over the years?
Dwyn Tomlinson: I've
learned to be freer, and relax a lot. I used to try and make those sets of perfectly
matched beads, and that is just not who I am. I have more control now, so I
still play with the glass and get surprises, but I have a better chance of getting
what I actually set out to get in the first place.
Beading Times: What
was your scariest beadmaking experience?
Dwyn Tomlinson: So
far, so good. Knock on wood. However, I have a couple of burn stories!
Beading Times: Ok,
what was your worst burn?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Ah,
that! I was teaching a class and I demo'd a big tablet bead with silver foil
and encasing. When I teach, I don't put the beads in the kiln, I just let them
cool on the table — that way the students can really see the bead, and
it also demonstrates what happens when they are not annealled. I put the bead
down on the metal work surface — and some 5 minutes later — it was
quite some time — I put my arm down to lean forward to better see what
the student was doing, and put my forearm right on the bead. Burned the shape
of the bead and the mandrel into the soft skin on the bottom of my forearm.
Lasted for months. Nasty. I'm amazed that it actually faded and I don't have
a permanent "bead brand!"
| Beading Times: Have
you had any "glass epiphanies" while working — some revelation
or understanding? What were they? Dwyn Tomlinson: Oh yeah, lots. Like, "There is no one perfect flame." — if you want more heat, turn the flame up, if the glass is melting out of control, turn it down. Then there was the time the bead was getting away from me, as usual, and I took it out of the flame and watched it sort of "snap" into the perfect shape and stay there as I rotated it. That was the day that I learned about the balance between too hot and too cool, between solid and moving. Learning that I wasn't crazy and different colors of glass do work differently, i.e. the white goes goopy and gets away from you really fast but the transparents are stiffer and more well behaved — that was a moment too. |
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Beading Times: Do
you have a technique or method or tip to share?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Hmmm.
If you want to get good at a particular technique or bead, break it down and
practice the steps separately. So if you want to do spacer beads with dots,
practice the shape. Spend 4 hours and do nothing but spacers in a single color.
(I have piles of single color beads!) Then do dots for a day, and don't worry
about the shape of the bead you are doing them on. Then, put the two together.
Don't agonize over it, but practice, practice, practice.
Beading Times: Have
you "invented" any new tools, or recycled something that wouldn't
ordinarily be thought of as a tool for lampworking?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Well,
I have an Exacto knife that I use for shaping the goddesses I make — I call
it the "buttmaker." It is just exactly the right shape because I left
it in the flame too long one day and burned the tip away!
Beading Times: Do
you have a website or auction site that you regularly sell you beads on? What
is the url/id info, etc.
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
have a display gallery of sold beads on my site at www.dragonjools.com
— go west from the main page — it's kind of a cryptic site, my homage to the
days of text-based computer games. I sell on ebay as DragonJools.
Beading Times: What
about photographing your beads — what do you use to get your pictures?
Dwyn Tomlinson: I
have a digital camera and some white Plexiglas — the plastic sheet from a fluorescent
light fixture — cut up to create a little studio.
Beading Times: Do
you sell at shows or in stores or other venues? Do you sell the beads by themselves,
or already made up into jewelry?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Like
I said, I have some of my beads in the storefront at beadFX. I do the occasional
show, but that is not really my cup of tea. I find that selling beads loose
to the general public is an uphill struggle — without knowing what goes into
a bead, people are unwilling to pay for the time and skill that goes into them.
I think it is easier to sell them as jewelry. However, I'm totally happy to
sell to other designers who want something very unique to design around.
I do teach a wired bracelet class, and I make beads for the students to buy for that, and those sell well.
When I do shows, I often partner with a good friend who also makes beads. For these shows, we are "Wise Dragon beads." We have a good synergy and our styles are very different.
Beading Times: Where
do you see yourself going with lampworking/glassworking in the future? Or, where
do you see it taking you?
Dwyn Tomlinson: A
long way, I think, I hope. I'm not sure where, but I'm sure wherever it is
we go, the glass and I, it will be fabulous. Working with glass is like other
great pursuits — the principles are simple, the possibilities are endless. I
can teach you enough to get started in a four-hour class — but you can spend
the rest of your life exploring and experimenting.
My next goal is to make even bigger and more sculptural beads. I have all these
ideas, it's just a matter of finding time!
Beading Times: Do
you have a favorite bead, a "best bead." Can you share a photograph
with us?
Dwyn Tomlinson: Now
there's a moving target. LOL. There are quite a few, but here is my lovely little
"pig with wings" that I am still quite proud of. I think if I had
gotten the hole in the other direction, I would probably wear him, but as it
is, he sits on my desk by the computer.
Beading Times is pleased to present a monthly article spotlighting a lampwork bead artist. If you, or someone you know is interested in being featured, please contact dwyn@beadingtimes.com.