Glass...
It appears to be solid, it is actually a liquid. Don't ask me why or how, but it's true. Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by glass. And whenever light shines through glass, it doesn't matter if that light is candle light, sun light or artificial light, it always looks magical to me...
That is why I started painting and decorating glass tealights and lightbulbs in 2001. Real housewarmers with a personal touch.
A few years later I spent a summer in Florida, where I witnessed a Hot Glass demonstration by Jodi Bove, a glass artist with a self built mobile glassblowing studio. Very impressive!
That same summer at St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts there was an exhibit by Dale Chihuly. The things that man can do with glass are indescribable. You have to see it for yourself...
Working with hot glass seemed something only for the lucky few, until in October 2006 I participated in a beadmaking class in Antwerp, by Michael Klemmt from Germany... Awesome! To play with hot glass and make the most beautiful things. I love the way glass turns to liquid when heated and then turns solid again when it cools, as if nothing ever happened. Very soon after that, my boyfriend and I created a working space in a little corner of the house. I bought my first torch and loads of glass and started practicing...
Since then glass is on my mind every day. Unfortunately I can't spend every day behind my torch, but I try to melt some glass at least a few times a week...
My boyfriend and I live in the Northwestern part of The Netherlands, close to the Northsea beaches. We love animals and we have a big black labrador mix, two fluffy cats and a fish pond.
My biggest inspiration is nature, especially the beaches and the ocean. This is why most of my designs turn out to have an organic character.
Enjoy my website!
Jolanda