Mix Color August Artist: Gabi Kellenberger
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Contents of set: 3 glass rods each, approx. 30cm, in the following colors:
Effetre:
G00.591212 Pea Green
G00.591073 transparent green/yellow
G00.591268 Light Gray
G00.591038 transparent light aqua
511319 Eggwhite
G00.l3203ORB Pastel Blue
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Interview with: Gabi Kellenberger
How long have you been making glass beads, and how did you get started?
I have been working with various materials in my spare time for quite a while. From paints and paper to ceramic jewelry, I use a wide variety of materials to create everyday objects, gifts, decorations, jewelry, or greeting cards. Creative work is an important balance for me.
This February, I took my first bead-making course at the Neus shop. The fascination for glass bead making gripped me immediately. It is incredible to see how a beautiful glass bead is created from a glass rod through the flame and the shaping process. The material of glass had already fascinated me before, though more as a spectator at the Glasi Hergiswil or in Murano, Italy. I had long harbored a desire to work with glass myself. Now I have finally taken the leap and gained a great hobby—or perhaps more of a passion.
What did you find the most difficult to learn?
Shaping the spheres and creating patterns with dots works well for me. A big challenge for me is stringer painting. This requires a lot of sensitivity for the flame temperature and the handling of the stringer. But as with many things in life, the saying goes: practice makes perfect.
Who is your role model?
To be honest, I don’t really have any specific role models. However, I love learning from other people. Therefore, all of my previous instructors are my role models.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I like browsing through books or the internet to collect ideas. Sometimes I just try something out and let myself be surprised by the result. I often share a smile with my two instructors when I end up doing something that really shouldn't work ???? Even while working in the Neus shop studio, I am inspired by the work of others or the beads on display from various artists.
What are your goals?
Glass bead making is like a form of yoga for me. It helps me to slow down and find peace. That is why I want to incorporate it into my week regularly and complete countless more courses to learn new techniques.
My dream would be to create a creative oasis where I can inspire others to do creative work.
What do you take away from this challenge? What did you like about it?
I liked the color combination with the many different shades of green right away. I was able to work well with light-dark contrasts. I slowly felt my way into different color combinations. What I found particularly exciting was that color combinations I would have previously thought impossible achieved an incredibly great effect. The challenge has made me much more open to combining colors. Some of the individual glass rods also challenged me quite a bit, as they have to be heated very carefully during processing. It is incredible how differently the individual glass rods react!
