Interview with Bead Artist Melissa Gabelle

Ceramic Beads by Melissa Gabelle

Today I am pleased to bring to you an interview with Melissa Gabelle, a ceramic bead artist from Australia.
 I originally connected with Melissa on the Ceramic Art Bead Market where we both sell out work.  I was so impressed with her creations that I wanted to share them with  you.  Melissa graciously agreed.  Our interview has been done by email as she lives in Verona on the South Coast of Australia.  Melissa graciously sent beautiful photos and answered the questions that follow about her work.
So let's begin!!
Mary:  How long have you been working with clay and how did you first get into it?

Melissa:  My first experience in clay was when I did a course in 1991 – 92 in ceramics. It was an excellent course that taught me all the fundamentals of ceramics, from throwing to glaze technology. From then on I was hooked. I just love making things with clay. I have been working in clay on and off for about 25 years, although I did have a break for a few years and worked as a web publisher in government.

Early Work  Melissa Gabelle

Vessel by Melissa Gabelle

Mary:  What lead you to start making beads?

Melissa:  I first had experience making beads in a course where we made our own Egyptian paste and then made beads out of it. I would love to make Egyptian paste again. I was talking to a woman in my local town who owns a bead shop and she makes exquisite beaded jewellery. I was saying I would love to get back into ceramics, but I didn’t have a big enough space to set up all my equipment. She suggested I make her some ceramic beads. I though wow, what a great idea, little works of art, perfect. That is when I set myself up with a tiny studio and pulled my old kiln out of storage, presto beads!

Mary:  How did you come up with your wonderful  name for your business.
Melissa:  Hmmm, that took a little while. I actually read the ETSY guidelines for naming a shop and they suggested something that was easy to remember. I love clay and my other love is chickens and birds. So The Clay Hen seemed like a great name for me. I am also into anything whimsical so it fitted my personality.

Clay Hens by Melissa Gabelle  Icon for her shop The Clay Hen

Mary:  Do you ever make jewelry with your beads? 

Melissa:  I do make some earrings from my beads for a local handmade shop and occasionally for exhibitions. I find I don’t have a lot of time to make jewellery as I am busy making beads! I also don’t enjoy working with metal much…too hard for me, I like the soft squishy nature of clay.

Earrings by Melissa Gabelle

Ceramic Earrings Melissa Gabelle

Mary:  What other creative adventures are a part of your life—past and present?

Melissa:  Wow, now that is a list. I still love print making (not that I have time lately).When I was at art school in my youth I studied etching for about 2 years, this is where I got a love of printmaking, I also really love lino printing. The whole process of designing and cutting the lino and the excitement of seeing the whole thing printed up is such a wonderful process. Knitting, crocheting, drawing, sculpture and ink drawings. I have also worked in web publishing/design. My biggest love and the thing I have been doing the longest is ceramics. I use to create quirky wheel thrown functional ware that I sold in galleries around NSW, Australia. 

Ceramic Vessel by Melissa Gabelle of The Clay Hen

Mary:  What is your workspace like? 

Melissa:  I have one word to describe my workspace….tiny! It is a meagre 1.5 metres x 1.5 metres, just big enough to make beads and small sculptures. I am planning for a bigger workshop in the future. This will allow me to mix glazes, do some throwing (on the wheel), plaster work, teaching etc.

Studio Melissa Gabelle

Mary:  Are there any ceramicists or bead makers that have inspired you.

Melissa:  Yes, many! With beads I just can’t go past Claire Lockwood’s stuff, original, different and quirky, just love it. I also love Joan Miller’s work, especially her whimsical robots and figurative porcelain and silver work, an amazing talent. There are quite a few potters I love so I will just list them!

Sony Manning amazing inlaid work, Andrew Cope, Barbi Lock Lee’s Australian animal pots, Greg Daley, Sandy Lockwood and Jenny Orchard’s wonderful sculptures. I could keep going but I think I will stop there. (all Australian potters)

Mary: I read in one of your write ups for the Ceramic Art Bead Market that you fire your beads in a solar powered kiln. Could you describe your set up and explain how this works.

Melissa:  I have a small 2.4kw kiln, it was the smallest kiln from the manufacture. We have a 5.0kw solar system that feeds back into the grid. I fire on sunny days (which get lots of in Aus) and that means I don’t actually take any power from the grid. It comes straight from the solar panels. The left over power either goes into the grid and we get a small amount back from the power company or we can use it with our household appliances. I also use 100% recycled packaging for my cards, wrapping and postage material. I have even found 100% biodegradable sticky tape!

Solare Powered Kiln 

Solar Powered Ceramic Kiln Loaded with bisque ware

Mary:  I used to live in  Southern California and noticed that most kilns were kept outside and that drying clay was much faster than here in the Northeast. I understand that you live in Australia. How does the climate there help and or hinder working with ceramics?

Melissa:  My studio has the solar power inverter on the wall and that produces quite a bit of heat and with the hot summers it means my beads dry out quickly. I have a lot of experience in how you can dry clay quickly so I don’t tend to have too many problems; there is one exception….porcelain! So I just take the losses as a part of the process with porcelain. I never wrap or slow the process down.

Bisque beads still to be glazed by Melissa Gabelle

Mary: I like the colors and forms you use in your work. Could you tell us something about your color choices and forms. Inspirations? And without giving away any secrets, something about the glazes you use.

Melissa:  I am not sure how I come to my choices in terms of colour and form, it sort of happens organically. I love nature and I get a lot of inspiration from there. I did a couple of series that were inspired from pollen grains and diatoms as seen through a powerful microscope

Diatoms by Melissa Gabelle

Pollen Grains Drops by Melissa Gabelle

 I live on a block of land with lots of bush and there are many creatures that visit us, I have been getting interested in bugs lately….you may have seen a few of my beetle and bee designs

Bee Earrings by Melissa Gabelle

.
I also love deco and nouveau design.

Deco Drops by Melissa Gabelle

Nouveau Drops by Melissa Gabelle

My daughter gives me ideas too! I would love to mix my own glazes again but as my studio space is limited I use a combination of commercial glazes, oxides, stains, slips and sand. I try to experiment all the time. I love doing different styles i.e. I don’t really stick to one style. I use terracotta, stoneware, earthenware and porcelain. I am also interested in raku….that will have to come later!

Mary:  Besides making wonderful creative beads, what do you enjoy spending your time on?

Melissa:  Well to tell you the truth, there isn’t a lot of time left! I have started doing small sculptures, which I just love.

Bird Sculptures by Melissa Gabelle

Bird Sculpture by Melissa Gabelle

Bird Sculpture by Melissa Gabelle

 I try to have weekends off, which I like to spend with my family. I also love gardening, swimming riding my bike, going to the beach and watching the seals and waves. Nature is just amazing and I just love watching creatures do their stuff.
Mary:  To end our interview I am going to share a collage  of earring drops by Melissa's beads.

Ceramic Drops by Melissa Gabelle

I hope you have enjoyed this journey to Australia to meet Melissa Gabelle. I have included some links where you can find her and keep up to date on what she  s making.
Thank you again Melissa!! 

Where you can find more of Melissa's work.

http://www.theclayhen.com.au/

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/TheClayHen 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CeramicArtBeadMarket

https://www.facebook.com/groups/australian.art.beads/

Thank you readers for stopping by today.

Mary

posted by Mary Harding

Interview with Kathrin Kneidl of Donna Perlinplim

My interviewee today is a bead artist I have admired for some time now. Her shop was one of those happy and rare Etsy finds, which have you thinking, 'Oooo, look, that's a bit different... and a bit fabulous!'.  You may know her as Donna Perlinplim, the monicker of her shop, or as Kathrin Kneidl.  She has a style that is full of eclecticism,  yet all her pieces are immediately recognisably hers.  Having built up quite a hoard of her beads, and having developed a weakness for checking her shop regularly to see what is new, I was more than a little intrigued to find out more about Kathrin and her work. 

How long have you been working with clay and how did you first get into it?

I have been taking classes in ceramics ever since my college days in Berlin - that's were I am from originally. It all started with a friend who had a friend who was teaching, so we went together to give it a try and I got hooked. Only I never seemed to know what I wanted to make. ‘Make shoes’, my Dad suggested. So I made lots of weird big shoes.

Pretty soon after that I left Germany to live in England and later Israel, little knowing that I took the love for clay with me, like a precious seed that needed to be planted when the time was right.

What lead you to start making beads?

At the age of 30 I made a drastic geographical and career change. I moved to Israel for love and

worked as a goldsmith for some years. I had dreamt about that also. For a long time I wanted to be a goldsmith but when I had learned and worked like many times before, I got bored with it. Something was missing in my life: color and creativity. And that's when I discovered that one could make beads, glass beads at first. I was one of the first in Israel who learned to make glass beads and actually sold them but I also was (and still am) a terrible business woman. I won't go into that; it’s a painful subject. The best shot I had at selling was on Ebay auctions where I was spared the embarrassment of pricing my beads. But that was when Ebay was still fun and one could find cool stuff there without ploughing through a gazillion reseller shops.

The whole time however I was taking evening classes in ceramics and dreaming of an ideal world where I wouldn’t need money and could just be playing with clay all day and all night. Somebody had given me a small kiln which gave me the idea to make ceramic buttons. From buttons to beads it was just a small step. I dismounted my lampworking torch, gave away most of my glass rods, and used the free space for new adventures with clay.

Do you ever make jewellery or do you prefer just to make beads?

To see the finished beads always inspires me to make more beads, with that the creative process ends for me. When I made the glass beads it was a chore for me to string them into necklaces and bracelets for shops. I was always happy to give a heap of beads to friends or the kids to string them for me and they loved doing it. A win win situation, like now. I make the beads and talented artists like yourself make them sing.  It’s awesome. What you come up with I could never think of.

Do you work on your ceramics full time or do you fit it in alongside another career?

I have another shop on Etsy, Resplendent Rags where I sell my OOAK dresses, which are just like the beads. Quirky and unpredictable, on the verge of being too weird. It’s not always easy to coordinate those two passions; they behave like jealous lovers and I tend to feel guilty towards the one I neglect at the time I am busy with the other. At least I managed to reduce myself from many more creative interests. No humble-bragging intended, it is a serious obstacle to do too many things, consequently getting nothing done. Let alone make ends meat.

You have a very particular style that I find really appealing, but I’m not sure how exactly I’d describe it. How would you describe it?  Would you say you have a wider aesthetic that informs what you do?

If we mean the same thing by wider aesthetic I believe this is necessary for anything of value.

It is certainly not something I could claim for myself, hence have it. Sometimes I can go to that place where  I lose myself in what I am doing and whatever comes out of that state feels right somehow. As children when painting or playing we are at home in that place, in that Garden of Eden where one is in bliss, untouched by the world. 

I remember precisely when I got kicked out of that realm, when one day I had lost the freedom to paint and create and started to be critical and competitive in everything I did. Later, in college (I studied fashion design), we were all killing ourselves to think up something original, breathtaking. Nobody knew anything about how to teach creativity.

But when did the ideas came? In dreams, or when I was able to let go. Meditation is a great way to creativity. I get still angsty when I think about having to make something. Every time I forget that this place is always there, it never leaves us and anybody can go there. The late German artist and anthroposophist Joseph Beuys stated once: ’every person is an artist.’  I totally believe in that...

I see you make other, functional pieces (including some fabulous mugs!), as well as some decorative items. Can you tell us something more about this side of your work and how it relates to your bead making?

Before, when I had the wee kiln I thought it would be wonderful to make mugs taller than 10 cm. When that kiln broke down I was forced to buy a new one. An opportunity came up and suddenly I was looking into this abyss of a kiln. Now what? How am I going to ever fill this up with beads?

In order to be able to fire my beloved beads I have to make larger objects. Tough luck.

I am not complaining: it is great to have more freedom, not to be restricted so much in size. Yet it always amuses me how every dream realized comes with stuff that wasn’t part of the dream.

Another good thing if someone likes my style but has no use for beads, he or she could enjoy a mug, a tile or even a dress.

What is your workspace like?

I have forcibly turned every home I ever had into a workspace. My current dwelling place used to be a class room, later a canteen kitchen, and now it is my studio, sewing space, kitchen, bedroom and dog shelter in that order. The kiln is in the garden. It forces me to be reasonably organised and keep my supply shopping binges in check, so i guess it is a good lesson.

Are there any ceramicists, artists, or bead makers that you’ve found particularly influential or that you particularly admire?

There is one ceramic artist - sadly, I don’t recall her name. (Maybe someone who reads this can help me out.) I really liked her work. It was so unusual and authentic. Simple shapes called ‘cake’ or ‘soap’ glazed with strange structured glazes that could either be highly intricate formulas which took years to develop or something gone wrong in the kiln. It might be as well that I don’t remember her name, in case she were ever to read this.

My favourite artists are my favourites not exclusively for their art but also what they stand for, as far as this is known. The list is long and more are added every week, especially writers as I read a lot. Shall I name a few? The painter Morandi, my sister Franziska Kneidl, Hieronymus Bosch, Lady Gaga, Yohji Yamamoto, Gerhard Richter, Saul Bellow, Rohinton Mistry, Guy Ritchie, the earlier mentioned Beuys, Fabio Moro, gakkinx, Marina Abramovic and the list goes on and on and on.

What plans do you have for the future? Where would you like to take your work next?

I am also curious where my work will take me next. Just recently I have discovered overglaze painting which I am excited to try on beads. Making my own glazes is something that has intrigued me so I hope to be doing that, also working with porcelain which I have never done. And then of course there are fabrics to be cut, stitched, painted and assembled. But truth be told I don’t look very far in the future.

Thank you, Kathrin, for such full and fascinating answers! To see (/shop) Kathrin's work, head this way!

the lovely Sasha Crow - an interview with Julie of Uglibeads!

Hello everyone! I had the very good fortune this week to interview Sasha Crow, a talented art jewelry designer and component maker. Sasha is a versatile and curious artist who has worked with many, many different techniques and materials over the course of her jewelry-making career.

If you’re familiar with Sasha’s work, you’ve probably admired the way she uses decorative tin work to make beautifully imaginative, fantastical, one-of-a-kind jewelry:

Sasha also creates components for other designers, applying her embellishments to artisan headpins. This summer she held her first local workshop in her home state of Oregon, and shared her favorite techniques with some very enthusiastic (and talented!) students. Here are some of the things they made in their two day workshop with Sasha:

That is really impressive!! Clearly, she’s not only a talented artist, but a gifted and generous teacher. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know her better. So let’s get to it!

Hi Sasha! Thanks so much for taking the time to give us a glimpse into your process. I’ve been following along for a while now, and one of the things I love most about your work it is that it conveys such a wonderful sense of freedom and experimentation. You’ve fearlessly explored so many different techniques, and always share the things you're learning with your followers on social media. How do you make time for exploration, and learning new things to incorporate into your work?

I don't make time for exploration - exploration is what I do. And I am lucky in that this is not only what I love to do but what I do to make a living  This gives me the justification to immerse myself into it completely.

I bore easily so I must constantly be trying new things or I will implode. But a lot of the 'freedom' and 'experimentation' you see is really a trait of the medium.  As I explain to people who see my work at shows, 50% of the end result is what I intend for the metal to do - and the other 50% is what the molten metal does in response to what I am doing.  I think this creates a good tension of balance between control and surrender - between chaos and order. I like walking on that line. 

Wow. “Exploration is what I do.” I LOVE that! It can be hard to remember that inspiration and play are at the very heart of it when creativity pays the bills too. 

On the subject of exploration, let's talk about your tinned headpins. You’ve created them out of everything imaginable - beach rocks, semiprecious stones, artisan beads, Czech glass beads, polymer clay, broken china pieces...  And now you're branching out, creating your own ceramic components to embellish. I must say, these headpins really caught my eye!

The rustic shapes and textures are so beautiful and the combination of clay and metal is lovely. But ceramics is a totally new medium for you. That’s a big challenge! What inspired you to start working with it?

It is a very new medium for me and one I had not anticipated getting involved in. But, a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to buy a digital kiln, 125 jars of glazes, as well as bead racks at a miracle of a price and I couldn't pass it up.

Oh goodness. What an incredible find! It was meant to be! What do you like most about the process of working with clay?

It requires an entirely different way of thinking than I am accustomed to. But I’m finding it a contemplative craft. It slows down my million-miles-a-minute brain. It takes me back to childhood and making mud pies - that sort of timeless play. I think I need that.  

Play is crucial - I totally agree. So, after making jewelry for over 20 years, about a year ago, Crow's Cache Artisan Jewelry Components was born, and you began making components for other jewelry designers as well. How did that evolution take place?

I was already making components for my own jewelry and I thought that others might appreciate them for their own designs. There is such a strong trend for rustic jewelry now and most of my components have a definite rustic edge. I already had a shop on Etsy where I sell jewelry components and beads from my "overflow" so I just began adding the components I design to my shop.

I’m curious to know whether your creative process differs depending on whether you are making jewelry or making components. Are those two skills satisfying or meaningful to you in different ways? 

When I am creating a jewelry piece, I create components that work well within a design I already have in mind - the components are created as part of the entire vision for the piece - not chosen from a collection. But when I create components for others, I don’t think beyond the component itself. I think of what I - as a jewelry designer - would like, and try to make a good selection of color and designs to choose from. 

Creating components is definitely more of a "job". Once I create the initial component, there is no surprise or challenge left in it for me. But there is an unexpected benefit in seeing what others do with the components! They use them in ways I would never have thought of. And it's quite a nice feeling to know that I am a small background part of their creative process too. 

People really are making amazing things with your components. I especially love these earrings by Belgian artist Anne-Marie Tollet with a pair of your tinned Czech glass headpins (and enameled copper charms by 4ophelia):

Do you ever encounter fear or doubt in your creative process, Sasha? How do you work through that?

I think it's quite normal, as artists, to feel both fear and doubt at times in our creative pursuits, just like in the other areas of our lives. It comes and goes. 

But my real demon is the "IS IT MARKETABLE?" imp who, when it is successful, stifles any real creativity by insisting I keep my designs "safe" and appealing to the "majority". This imp steals the joy of creating and dulls my work. I spent most of last year under its spell and my work and sales struggled. I finally decided this past winter that I was just going to have fun, to enjoy creating.

You shared with me the first pair of earrings you made when you decided to let go of being led by the ‘marketability’ of your work. They just scream spontaneity and freedom - and they look like they must be such a true expression of who you are as an artist. Wow! How did that mental shift change things for you?

I began to create solely for the pure joy of it - with no concern about what anyone else might think about it or how much they might pay for it. And when I had successfully shucked off that nasty little marketing imp, that’s when I noticed a tremendous improvement in my jewelry. As this is my sole living, it is important that my designs are marketable - but I just cannot allow that concern to go with me into the studio or I might as well not bother. And when I can't shake him off, I do something else instead now.

That makes total sense - often when the creative winds aren’t blowing in the right direction, it helps to adjust your sails. Sasha - I so appreciate you sharing your insight, and I am looking forward to seeing where your muse takes you in the coming weeks and months.

Thank you Julie! I am so humbled and pleased to be interviewed for Art Bead Scene.

If you’d like to follow along too, Sasha offers a glimpse into her creative component-making world (and offers pre-sales of her components before they’re listed on Etsy) on her Crows Cache Supplies Facebook page. You can also find a selection of her artisan headpins in her Etsy supply shop. Finally, keep up with the latest on her new designs and listings, and future class offerings by signing up for her email newsletter.

If you enjoyed hearing from Sasha, leave her a comment below! I'm sure she'll pop by later to check them out :)

Thanks for reading, everyone! See you next time.

xo

Julie

Julie is a glass beadmaker with a passion for building community and inspiring conversation around her writing. Her best work comes from that magical place where nature meets creative flow. You will find her hanging out most days in her Uglibeads Facebook group or on Instagram, and you're invited to join the adventure by signing up for her weekly email newsletter.

Interview with Amber Van Meter of Na0s Glass

Of all the media most commonly used to make art beads, the one I know the least about is, I guess, glass. I've seen the basics of lampworking demonstrated but, looking at the finished work of a skilled lampworker, I can feel like some kind of alchemical magic must be afoot.  One of the things I really like about contributing to this blog is having an excuse to find out more about bead makers that I particularly admire. Today my interviewee is Amber Van Meter of Na0s Glass.  I remember when I first came across her work, when I was still fairly new to the world of art beads.  I was immediately smitten. I love the soft, subtle colours that predominate in her work.  I am waiting for a custom order from her and I can't wait to receive it, although I know that once I do I'll be struggling to prize them from my stash and actually part with them. Anyway, on with the interview...

How long have you been working with glass? How did you get started?

Thirteen years. A co-worker just happened to know a lampwork artist who generously showed me how to do it and I've been working with glass ever since.

What lead you to start making beads?

I have always been an artist but had to give it up (or so I thought) when I had my first child twenty years ago. I was working at a successful marketing firm bet felt I was dying on the vine so I knew I needed to do something in my spare time that was creative. Painting was too intensive once I had a child so I went back to an old hobby - making jewelry. Trolling online auction sites for jewelry components, I discovered handmade lampwork glass beads and, subsequently, fell in love!

What do you love most about working with glass?

The endless possibilities!  Put a few rods of glass in front of several lampworkers and each of them will make something completely different, just like paints or pencils.

What inspires your lampwork designs?

Stones…my father is a retired heavy-equipment engineer who worked in the mining industry for over 40 years.  My home was filled with specimens of every kind you could imagine when I was growing up.  Naturally, my style ended up being organic.  When I started, I wanted to make big, bright happy beads but I just kept picking up the more neutral colours to torch with.

What is your workspace like?

Extremely messy!  I believe right now I have a pile of shorts and half-used rods that is about 5 inches thick…not to mention all the little bits from used stringers.  I clean my space maybe twice a year.

Do you make anything else with glass, other than beads?

No.  I have tried fusing but beads are really my bailiwick.  

Do you make jewellery yourself or is it all about the beads for you?

Just the beads.  Strangely enough, I never wear jewellery made with my own beads.  I’m likely missing an excellent marketing opportunity now that I think about it.

Are there any lampworkers or bead makers that you’ve found particularly influential or that you particularly admire?

The bead communities on Wet Canvas and Lampwork Etc.  We all shared so much information in the early days about glass reactions, new glass, and new designs.  I admire those fellow glass adventurers the most.  I also admire those new to the craft.  They remind me of where I came from and why I keep doing this as my life’s work.

Thank you, Amber, for agreeing to answer my questions!  

And just in case you're feeling a sudden and inexplicable need to acquire more beads, here's another link to her Etsy shop!

Bye for now, Claire

www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com
www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com