February 25th, 2007 by Glass House Jewelry
Hope Marxe is a fused glass artist from New York. Visit her Etsy store at http://glasshousejewelry.etsy.com
When did you first become interested in glass?
I have always loved glass ever since I was young. The way is shimmers and catches the light. I have always had a love of the water as well. They have similar reflective properties. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to collect sea glass. I could walk on the beach for hours at a time. Now, it is something that my daughter and I love to do together.
What do you like best about what you do?
There are no real mistakes in glass. Like working with oil paints, each “mistake” can merely be a new direction. Ask any glass artist, fusing is completely addictive! I constantly find myself waiting anxiously by the kiln for things to cool so that I can see how they turned out!
Is there a pattern in the way you select materials? In the way you use color, texture or light?
Not really, I try not to pigeon hole myself into one particular style or technique. I am always experimenting. Though it is hard not to let your own personal taste in colors and style influence you.
What inspires you? How are your inspirations expressed in your work?
Nature (particularly the ocean) definitely inspires me. However, my biggest inspiration is our daughter. She is a ray of sunshine in my life and she has taught me the meaning of pure joy. It is just fabulous viewing the world through the eyes of a toddler … truly refreshing! The funniest thing is that she actually critiques all of my pieces. She has a pretty good eye and hasn’t steered me wrong yet!
How much time is spent creating your pieces?
It is hard to balance being a full time mom and working. So, most of my work is done while she is napping or at night.
Needless to say, I don’t get much sleep! Thank goodness we recently moved and I have my own brand new studio…yay!
What are your techniques and style and how do these relate to the medium?
My style is definitely fluid and I am always experimenting with new techniques.
What do you find most challenging about your work in the glass arts?
With so many talented glass artists out there, I find I have to work twice as hard to keep my work original and unique. It is a challenge that I truly enjoy. I am constantly experimenting and trying new techniques without knowing for sure what the outcome might be. Some of my favorite designs I just “stumbled” upon after trying many different things.
The other big challenge I have encountered is properly photographing glass jewelry. It is truly difficult to capture properly. I find that I am constantly retaking my photos over and over…never being truly satisfied with them…sigh…
How did you find Etsy? What do you like most about it?
On Google. I was looking for supplies and several Etsy stores came up. So, I got curious, checked it out, and the rest is history. I love that Etsy is almost exclusively hand made and I have found it to be a wonderfully warm community of people.
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