Interview with: Trix Remy
How long have you been making glass beads and how did you get started?
I have been doing "something with glass" for an eternity, I suppose, though that hasn't usually been actual beads. After some initial attempts at the camping stove flame using shattered Prosecco bottles, I stumbled across Cindy Jenkins' book and realized that you could take it more seriously. Then I had a few great teachers. In my beginnings, Jean-Charles Doyen from France, who taught me to make little creatures out of boro, and later Angela Meier from Winterthur.
What did you find the most difficult to learn?
Definitely heat control: For boro, making sure the stuff gets hot where it needs to and is actually shapeable; for soft glass, making sure it doesn't move somewhere you don't want it to, for example along the mandrel, leaving behind frayed holes with sharp edges. Very precise symmetry in beads is still not quite my thing.
Who is your role model?
Off the top of my head, I would say Loren Stump; I find it fascinating what he can draw out of glass. But Kim Fields, whom I had the good fortune to meet this year, and Sage Holland are also among my big favorites. And then there is a young glass artist in Germany, Petra Pepper, whose energy and creativity I admire.
Where do you get your inspiration?
That depends very much on what I'm looking for. Sometimes I scroll through Pinterest, and it doesn't even necessarily have to be in the glass field; sometimes I prefer to reach for a magazine like "The Flow" or a book. Many inspirations come spontaneously—a color combination, a mood—others arise from external suggestions, like "you could try..." or opportunities like this challenge from Neus Shop.
What are your goals?
To have fun! But that probably wasn't the question. I want to further improve my technique, especially in the area of marbles. Collaboration with Mutperlen Schweiz is also important to me. My goal there is to provide as diverse and cheerful a range of beads as possible, and maybe design one or two new "food beads."
What are you taking away from this challenge? What did you like about it?
I liked the colors right from the start. I also thought of Christmas roses almost immediately. Then I carried this idea around with me for a long time and wasn't quite sure how to implement it. The idea for the pins came to me at the exhibition in Wertheim; I actually "borrowed" that a little from my neighbor at the booth, Floor Kaspers. In the end, the whole thing was a bit more time-consuming than I had imagined, but I am highly satisfied with the final result. I hope you on the Neus Shop team and your visitors will be too.
P.S. I mixed all the color variants from the 5 specified glass colors: the dark gray from Ivory and CIM Goblin (I wouldn't have thought it would turn out like that at first), the light opaque green tones from CIM Goblin with white, and the transparent green variants with Reichenbach Lime Green and CIM Goblin.
Contents of set: 3 glass rods, approx. 30cm each, in the following colors:
CIM Pachyderm c511824
CIM Goblin c511424
Reichenbach Lime Green G00.L4017TRB
Moretti White G00.591204
Moretti Light Ivory G00.591264
Do you already know our monthly color challenge?
Every month, we publish a pre-selected color combination and we want to see your creations using them. Participate in our challenge, and your bead project will be published and linked with your name, photo, and, if desired, a short interview.
Additionally, you will receive a bundle with the color rods of the month. Would you like to host a color month? The months from February to December 2025 are still available. So? Will you take on a month? Get in touch with us!
Everyone else has the opportunity to purchase the respective glass rod set, consisting of 3 glass rods of approx. 30cm per color, in our shop.
