Ghost Town Glass
January 28, 2008 by Janine
I have always been interested in glass, rocks, and all things shiny. I had no idea that it was possible to create glass objects without a hot shop, so I was thrilled to find the world of lampworking - using a bench mounted torch to melt glass rods into beads and other items - in 2004. I was hooked immediately.
Wanting to use glass in jewelry and find a home for my many lovely gems/fossils/stones, I took a class in silversmithing in 2005. If anything, I like silver even more than glass, and am particularly interested in the combination of glass and silver.
John, my husband, got the bug and makes glass beads and creatures. I use Italian (soft) glass, gemstones, sterling silver and fine silver to create a variety of unique pieces. I am inspired by my 4 playful dogs, textures, fire and the interplay of shadow and light, in both the physical and the emotional worlds in which we live. John is inspired by weird things, and our dogs, which are sometimes weird.
We started selling our creations a couple of years ago, and Ghost Town Glass was born. I had a hard time coming up with a name so John said to find something that meant something to me or evoked positive vibes (I doubt he said vibes…).
Some of the best times I have had were going to Barkerville in the summers. I have been to other ghost towns, and they are intriguing and a little sad. I was also in the mind frame that handmade items are being completely extinguished by corporate culture, so Ghost Town can be taken several way. Mostly, it is a bit of warm, sepia nostalgia for those “simpler” times - Theatre Royal, rock candy, panning for gold, and wind in the birch trees.
Starting Jan 14, Ghost Town Glass blog is purely glass, silver and jewelry related. Since I am busy not making glass/silver/jewelry, it is going to be a bit bare for a while
If you are interested in almost 2 years of glass, classes, dogs and other goodies, and current GTG related info, go there.
Ghost Town Glass - http://ghosttownglass.blogspot.com/
Some pictures of jewelry - http://picasaweb.google.com/janineshea/Jewelry
