Featured Artist: Elizabeth Wait

My featured artist for the weekend is lampwork artist, Elizabeth Wait of Betsy Beads. Elizabeth makes absolutely beautiful big hole beads, which are made specifically for the popular Pandora and Troll bracelets. She also makes beautiful focal lampwork beads. An artist since a young age, Elizabeth has also designed a 2010 calendar containing beautiful pictures of lampwork art, which is for sale in her Etsy shop. The purchase of this calender supports the Artisan & Glasswork Legal Fund, which was established to help fund a defamation lawsuit brought by numerous artists against a disgruntled wannabe.

From Elizabeth's Bio:

I started with pottery quite young, probably about 5, digging clay out of a ditch bank and making a Mexican hat out of it. I went to college and got a BA in art, and if I had had the money, I would have stayed longer than 5 years. I've knapped arrowheads, tanned hides, made quilts (by hand), done beadwork, weaving, metal work, jewelry, pottery, stained glass, fine art painting, pen and ink drawing and lots of other things, but lampworking is one of my favorite things to do.

I read an article in a magazine in the late 80s about using a plumber's torch to melt stained glass shards on a coat hanger wire that had been dipped in kiln wash. After learning how to do that, I went on to buy actual glass rods and learned how to make dots and plunges and petals, and eventually bought a Hot Head torch. I went from my trusty Hot Head to a Bobcat and promptly melted my mandrel. Now I'm on a Cricket and enjoy it even more than the Bobcat.

Elizabeth also has an Artfire shop and a blog that showcases her new creations and current endeavors.