June/July 2026 - Vol. 40, No. 1.
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In This Issue
I’m lucky enough to live in Oregon, which gave me ability to visit shops like Northstar and Trautman. I was even able to land a job at Trautman in 2017, pulling color. This further drove my passion for glasswork. I was working with plants at the time and decided to make glass my full-time career. I was learning a lot about glass color by working at Trautman — the owner Paul is an awesome guy. He let me stay connected with my passion for plants by letting me landscape our building in exchange for glass.
When Northstar and Trautman merged, I ventured back into a career in plants. My glass art slowed down for me to complete my college degree, although I continued to make some production glass while going to school for my sustainable horticulture degree.
Now done with that, I am able to focus more on glass. I have worked with plants for as long as I have blown glass. My goal is to incorporate some of the plants and insects I work with into my glass. My main focus for the last year has been improving the size and quality of the marbles I am able to make. Now I need to focus on implosion quality in the marbles, as well as another goal of mine: I want to make small trees mimicking real trees like maple and birch.
Flower implosion marble
Implosion marbles can be done in many different ways. It is possible to use solid rod or tube to implode glass into a marble. I prefer to work with tube because it is easier for me to get a more precise image. This tutorial shows a flower implosion marble. Flower implosions are a great way to explore colors and shapes in the glass...
I’m the artist behind SWCreations, where I create handmade lampwork beads, jewelry, and custom frit blends for fellow glass artists. With more than 25 years of experience in jewelry design and more than a decade in glass experimentation, I enjoy developing unique color blends and techniques that inspire creativity in the studio.
Double Helix Clio is one of the best silver glass colors for producing wild, organic, and highly varied results. As the silver content reacts with base glass colors, encasing, and flame atmosphere, it creates stunning rainbow-like reflections and metallic effects in the clear glass. No two beads ever turn out exactly alike, making Clio a favorite for artists who enjoy spontaneous, one-of-a-kind finishes.
This tutorial combines Clio with silver foil to enhance the reaction even further by producing bright flashes of gold, orange, bronze, and even hints of pink in certain areas. Adjusting a base color or changing the amount of silver used can dramatically alter the final appearance and create endless variations from the same technique.
This bead uses Double Helix Clio silver glass over an ivory base, but nearly any light or neutral base color can produce beautiful results. The underlying base glass will subtly shift the overall reaction, so every color choice creates a slightly different personality in the finished bead...
I love glass, and the glass community. It seems like we are always there for each other when it counts the most. I love that we can all come together to share our creations, ideas, and inspirations.
My wife Eve and I have been creating glass art for 16 or 17 years now. We have learned so much along the way — not just about glass, but about the people we share it with. There is always something new to learn, and I am grateful for everyone we have met along the way...
I am a psychiatrist by profession and work as a consultant for the Cardiac Rehab/Heart Function Clinic at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. There I meet patients who have experienced all forms of cardiac conditions and the associated traumas that serious cardiac disease incurs. Over the past 18 years, these brave souls have given me the wisdom to understand what human frailty means, as well as rebirth and even redemption after near-death experiences. The clinic staff and patients are the inspiration for the pendant demonstrated here.
The heart pendant allows for acknowledging the journey of recovery, the remarkable anatomy that surgery and medicine treats, and the individuality of the human spirit through diverse designs. This one draws on some traditional Italian techniques of sculpting and shaping, although there is almost no limit to creative designs that can be “at the heart of the matter”...
In 2020, I wrote my first article for GlassLine. A lot has changed since then and I feel honored to share something on this platform once again.
I present myself under the name SabinaBeads. I am located in a southern coastal province in the Netherlands. I mainly work with soft glass and have specialized in imploding. I try to learn as many techniques as possible and apply this in my creations. As a side step, I am also developing myself in making glass flowers.
The biggest change is that in addition to my workplace at home, I now have a fully equipped studio where I can receive 10 guests for workshops and guest teachers come here to teach enthusiasts, mostly from the Netherlands and neighboring country of Belgium. Slowly, a small glass community is starting to form in the province where I live. This is possible because my studio is open to people who want to practice freely on the torch...
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April/May, 2026 - Vol. 39, No. 6.
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