What is your personal name, business name, website and location? Name – Sarah Hornik :: Business – Glass by Sarah
Location – Tel Aviv, Israel
Website –http://www.glassbysarah.com
Blog – http://blog.glassbysarah.com
eBay – http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZsarahQ5fhornik
Etsy – http://sarahhornik.etsy.com
What kind of beads do you make? What kinds of processes do you use? What is your favorite beadmaking technique?
I make glass beads. The process I use is called lampwork. In a nutshell – rods of colored glass are melted over a flame and wound around a steel mandrel to form a bead. I don’t know if I could pick a favorite technique, as I like to combine many different elements in my beads. One of the great things about working with glass is that you’re constantly discovering new things you can do with it. I like layering opaque and transparent colors to create a sense of depth in my beads. I usually add a lot of decoration on top of that, so each bead turns out interesting from whatever angle you look at it!
How did you get into beadmaking? What are some of the important things you do for your business?
Pure coincidence – I was looking something up on Google, when I came across a sponsored link for a place here in Tel Aviv that was offering lampwork classes. Before that moment, I had no idea one could even make glass beads at home! At the time, I was a web designer – I had been one for eight years, was running my own business and beginning to feel very burnt out. I thought I’d give “the glass bead thing” a try, just to get out of the office and away from the computer, expand my horizons, find a new hobby, something like that. I was instantly hooked. Within just a few months, I closed down my web design business and decided to devote my life to being a full-time beadmaker. No regrets whatsoever there! I think one of the most important things I do for my business is maintaining an online presence. As I sell exclusively on the internet, it is important to me to give people a sense of who I am – the personality behind the work. I run a website and a blog, and I am also active on several web communities and social networking sites.
What is your workspace like and how do you work in your studio?
What is a typical day like?
My workspace is quite small and always chaotic – but for now, I like it that way. I hope to get a larger studio someday. A typical day… I usually wake up in the early afternoon (I’m not a morning person!), photograph yesterday’s “crop” of beads while the light is still good, pack orders and take them to the post office if I need to, and then it’s torch time! I try to work on the torch for at least a few hours each day. I spend most evenings editing photos and/or listing new items on eBay.
How do you stay inspired and motivated?
How could you not? 🙂 As I mentioned – when you’re working with hot glass, there are always new things to be discovered, new techniques to explore, new colors you’ve never tried before – it’s a whole little world of ideas. It never gets boring. Besides the glass itself, some of my inspiration comes from other types of art – anything from painting to photography to music. Inspiration is everywhere really, if you keep your eyes open. Of course, there are also “bad bead days” when nothing seems to go right and I feel like I’m out of ideas – but those pass, thankfully.
What type of beads and jewelry designs do you feel best compliment your art beads? Do you design your own jewelry too?
I don’t design jewelry. I thought I’d want to when I started out with this business, but discovered I was too obsessed with the glass itself to focus on learning other things – so I leave that up to my buyers. Since my beads usually have a lot “going on”, I feel that clean and simple jewelry designs usually compliment them best, but there are always exceptions.
What beady plans do you have for the future? Do you have new designs or ideas you will be exploring soon?
One thing I’ve learned through working with glass – you can make as many “plans” as you like, but eventually, the glass will take you wherever it wants to go and you’ll find yourself creating designs that never even occurred to you before. Glass is definitely a material that has “a mind of its own”. Even when you think you’re controlling it, it’s really controlling you! Since writing is another activity I enjoy, I plan on writing a book (or possibly a series of booklets) about glass beadmaking in the near future. I have taught some beadmaking classes in Europe over the past few months, and I am heading out to teach in Australia this summer – and then to the International Festival of Glass (www.ifg.org.uk) in the UK. I hope more travel opportunities come up in the future – what could be a better way to see the world, than sharing a love for glass beads?
If you have a discount code you would like to give our readers, please list it here, including the expiration date:
I’d be glad to give your readers free shipping on any order from my Etsy shop (http://sarahhornik.etsy.com) – just place your order, contact me through Etsy and tell me you read this interview, and I will refund your shipping costs.
Joan Tucker and Lana Weed
May 14, 2008 at 6:09 pmWow yes! I have been lurking and watching Sarah Hornick’s work on Flickr forever. It is so great to see you get her mentioned and more known in US. I frame pictures of her beads. I think she is a master colorist. She should be at Bead and Button and Expo etc. People would flip out.Thanks from an avid Sarah fan. Joan Tucker
Off Center Productions
Tari of claybuttons
May 14, 2008 at 8:19 pmSarah’s beads are phenomenal! I am not an owner of any but an admirer from afar!
[email protected]
May 15, 2008 at 7:57 amOh wow what beautiful beads.
I was wondering if you might consider adding a news feature about a new challenge blog that we are starting
Its open to all artists and crafters no matter what form that takes.
We only started thinking about the blog last Thursday and people are so excited by the idea that we already have our 1st 5 sponsors .
Most challenges will have a prize and a design team sample pack.
Our second weeks challenge is sponsored by a bead shop and the prize is beads.
We believe that you can always learn from seeing something new and wanted out challenge to encourage cross fertalization of ideas and techniques.
we are also looking for guest designers from all forms of arts and crafts and would love if you asked your readers to contact us if they think they are what we are looking for
If you need any more info or our HTML link banner if you decide to talk about us or just want some more info
e mail [email protected]
to look at the blog in development
http://www.thisthursday.wordpress,com
[email protected]
May 15, 2008 at 7:59 amsorry web adddress is thisthursday.wordpress.com
Joy
May 16, 2008 at 2:40 amI’ve been drooling over Sarah’s beads on Etsy this week. Wow. They are beautiful! What an inspiring artist. 🙂
Donna
May 16, 2008 at 4:43 pmI’m not a fan of lampworked beads. They all seem the same. But the use of color here is inspirational. It makes them come to life. Love it.
Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor
May 16, 2008 at 11:34 pmI am so crazy about beads that I can not imagine anyone not being a fan of lampwork beads!?!! To each his own, I guess…
I think these beads are fantastic. The ones in the first picture are like ‘a party made of glass’ and the earthier ones further down are stunning! Thanks for sharing this great artist with us!
Anonymous
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riyogems
June 6, 2008 at 5:47 amThe blog entry above is very interesting. They have very well elaborated the items. I really love the above blog entry. And I have found a nice link. I have found great website for nice and beautiful Jewellery website. It has nice Styles and good product. They carry many items which are unique and handmade and also some trendy. They have sterling
silver Gemstones Handmade Jewellery. And also they have white gold 18kt Diamond Jewellery with Ruby, emerald and sapphire. You can visit them here http://www.riyogems.com/index-1.asp or http://www.riyogems.com please visit online shopping section and you can securely use your credit card to order the goods. The entire items are made in India.
Sonu
October 8, 2011 at 4:28 amCool. Interesting place I must say. I just ended up finding this place while browsing the internet for some assignment. Its a great job you people are doing. Keep Up the great job. I'll be visiting this place frequently.
Thanks