This week I chose to interview an artist called Bluebetween at Etsy. She also has a website of her own at http://www.bluebetween.com. I myself was inspired by her tree charms. I love trees. Enjoy our little conversation…
First of all, what inspires you?
Mmmn, what doesn’t? Nature is probably my biggest influence – trees, birds, flowers, ocean life. I’m fascinated with unusual color combinations and textures. I love art in any form, collage art, altered art, folk art, abstract… and when I’m feeling uninspired, I will often look through magazines such as Somerset Studio – with all the collage art – you know, with wings and crowns and amazing texture and color. Sometimes I’ll thumb through my huge art history book as well. Or Flickr’s “most interesting” photos… or… Quilting Art Magazine is always wonderful. I have a “little” magazine problem actually. I love looking through magazines.
And when did you begin creating lampwork beads?
I started making jewelry (this time around, I really started when I was a kid) after my son was born. I was having a hard time finding free time (he was the kind of baby you couldn’t put down, super high-needs) and I really needed some time off, so I made a deal with my husband that I was going to get out of the house one night a week and do something, anything, to get a break. What I really wanted to do was crawl in bed and read a book or even better, sleep… but I found myself at Michael’s Craft store wandering the isles. Just wandering… and I ended up in the bead isle. I got a magazine about making beaded jewelry and some pretty purple beads and some elastic string and decided to make myself a bracelet. And then I had enough left over I made another and another and found it very relaxing. I didn’t want to stop and started making gifts for everyone I knew… and eventually enough people said I needed to start selling my pieces. As time went on I got pickier and pickier about my materials – stringing wires AND beads. I discovered handcrafted lampwork art beads and fell in love… so much so that I wanted to try to make them myself. I signed up for a lampworking class at the community college and then bought all my equipment second hand and built a studio in the garage. So the short answer is: about 4 or 5 years ago, but I haven’t been making beads that long – it has always been hard to find free time to melt glass, and then when we moved I lost my studio and had to start all over again. My new studio was finished this summer and I’ve been catching up for lost time ever since.
How do you like doing business on Etsy? Do you sell your work anywhere else?
I think Etsy is great. I love how easy it is to set up shop, how well it integrates with PayPal, how nice it feels to be involved in something so grass-roots and artist oriented. I have also been selling my jewelry on my own website: http://www.bluebetween.com for several years and I just recently started selling my beads on the auction sites, eBay and JustBeads.
Is this your full time job?
It is, now that my son is in school. It’s more than full-time actually, the business side of things takes up way too much of my time, I wish there was more time for melting glass and creating.
What is your favorite piece that you have for sale right now? And why?
I love this bead: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9032952 – I actually gasped when I first saw it after it came out of the kiln. I love the colors and how the blue frits blended with the green base, and how the tree and hearts pop. I almost didn’t list it… but I can’t keep all my favorites. So there it is, for sale. I hope it goes to a good home.
And finally, do you have anything else you want to tell us? A blog address of your own?
I’ve been blogging for years: http://bluebetween.blogspot.com/ – lots of my photographs are there (I’m doing a 365 days of colour photo thing this year, so something new every day), home decorating, crafts, kiddo pictures, garden, dogs, cat… lots of beads… you know… my life!
About the name The Blue Between
The name The Blue Between was inspired by a childrens’ poem by Kristine O’Connell George:
“Everyone watches clouds,
naming creatures they’ve seen.
I see the sky differently,
I see the blue between—”
To me, Seeing The Blue Between represents the artist’s eye, daring to live life in your own unique way.
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