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| Glass Bead Artist |
| Steady hands are needed to make this intricate artwork. |
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Sydney glass sculptor of 15 years, Jane Gavan, creates unique, beaded decorative homeware designs. She began with kiln work, fusing "hot" glass designs and in 1992 leaned more towards glass bead work. (Jane used to buy beads to fuse when she was doing kiln work because the colours of the beads were very different to the colour of normal fusing glass. It was a medium she was already familiar with).
Her first bead piece, which she refers to as glass sculpture, was a gold bowl that she made as a wedding present. Jane had no idea of the time involved. This first bowl took around 6 months to make and consisted of much smaller beads than she now uses. She is inspired by the ancient urns and vases from museums that she visits.
Some examples on display include a large red bowl in rainbow crimson, a blue vase ("zig-zag" cylinder) in different shades of blues and greens and another blue vase which uses an open weave technique, made with handmade big blown beads.
Why Beads?
Jane enjoys the beautiful colours of the beads and the way they reflect light. She says it's possible to create any shape with beads and that they are an easy medium to work with, requiring minimal studio space. Compared to bead work, other glass techniques can be complex and have a greater possibility of failure. The beaded forms don't shatter if bumped or dropped, allowing handling without fear of breakage.
The Creative Process
Jane uses tiny glass "seed beads" (usually from Czechoslovakia), and beading wire in each piece. Designs are drawn out on paper first. The wire is cut into 2 metre lengths and threaded with about 1kg of beads. Once many wires have been threaded, Jane starts turning them into glass sculptures.
Strings of beads are joined together by weaving a new string onto the end of the last one. Jane sculpts the wire and can change the direction and form of the work in progress. The tension in the wire holds the shape. Works take from about a week to a month to create. For the last three years Jane has worked 4-5 hours every day with her beads. While others might find the work tedious, Jane finds it therapeutic.
From these tiny beads Jane creates lampshades, vases, bowls and platters and is currently developing a teapot. Works range from bowls that are 10cm across and 4cm high up to vases that are 440 mm high. She chooses to emphasise either the colour or the shape of a piece. As well as locally, Jane also sells her work to the USA and Japan. She is currently working on developing "watertight" designs.
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Cost
Works range from $300 - $3,000 each.
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More Info
Jane undertakes commission work. Contact her at:
Glass Artists' Gallery,
70 Glebe Point Road,
Glebe, Sydney NSW 2037.
Ph / Fax: (02) 9552 1552.
Visit the gallery website:
http://www.glassartistsgallery.com.au
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