Glass flamework
In 2001 I attended a glass flamework workshop with Kim Osibin, a very talented glass artist from USA. During the workshop, I made this leaf, using the flamework techniques that Kim was teaching. The colours of the glass, each applied separately, are the colours of Autumn — rust, burnt orange, cinnamon and coffee brown with some golden veins running through — it was tricky photographing the leaf in a way that captures the different depths of colours fully. The small beads which complement the colours of the leaf, are dark amber from the Baltic Coast that a friend gave me. It’s my favourite necklace to wear in Autumn.
This set of Murano beads, pictured here on the left, was bought by my paternal grandmother on a trip ‘home’ to England in 1952. I treasure them and tried and make something similar in Kim’s class. Working with molten glass is challenging, especially when trying to copy the beautiful beads of the world-famous Murano bead makers of Venice! I didn’t achieve anything any where near the craftsmanship of the Murano bead makers, but I learned a lot and enjoyed the experience.
The bead on the left shows my attempt at a sunflower shape in yellow and white along with some other patterns in the bead. The image on the right has three hand-made beads in it — they are the largest blue-coloured ones. (The large red one is an authentic Murano bead.) I strung the beads asymmetrically, as shown in the image above right, with an assortment of other interesting beads.
Some time later, I had the opportunity to work with glass bead making again, and learned various techniques to make different patterned beads, shown on the necklace on the left. The clasp on this necklace is a hand-made bead with raised dots on the surface. The smaller beads that make up the necklace are manufactured ones.
Here is another example of a necklace made with the beads I created. The close up images show the different types of patterns that can be made by adding different-coloured glass in various ways to the bead as it is formed. Although these are made by an amateur (me), the combination of patterns and colours is attractive and I have worn the necklaces many times.
Beadwork
This necklace is of a different style, which I created with tiny, manufactured beads and strung together to form a coiled necklace, with raised patterns adding interest at intervals along its length. The Christmas decorations on the right are also made with manufactured beads. Some of these were made by my children when they were little, but as I’m not sure who made what, I’ve included all of them here.
© Ali Brown 2025