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Interview with Gary Lisle, a lamp work glass bead artist, continued.
What has been the most difficult aspect of your craft for you to learn? I think the process of getting to know the properties of glass itself, it is something that you never stop learning. What do you find most pleasing about lamp work? I find the teaching part is the most enjoyable, especially years 9 to 12. The joy it brings to people who see it for the first time, the explanation of the process and the complete inhibition they have to boundary's. Have you got any advice for people that are considering lamp work as a hobby? Give it a go, find a teacher who's style you would like to try, think, challenge yourself, do not take too much notice of what is printed or said, believe in your self and experiment.......experiment, experiment. I noticed by the site your gallery is on that you are part of a group of lamp workers or bead makers. How does this benefit and/or effect your work?It is probably the most rewarding part of it, we all offer different things and styles, we share and work together it gives us an outlet to discuss and gain confidence in our work and processes. I think everyone in our group is from a different cultural background, we have all done many other things and I think it is a great example of not having the fear some artists get about being copied etc. all our work is different and yet we all complement each other.  Twisted patterns, opaque black effetre italian glass What else do you like to do aside from working with glass? I do volunteer work on a couple of art related community centres. I have also been a wood turner / cabinetmaker. I also make glass annealing kilns. Was lamp work originally a hobby that developed into a business for you?I was very lucky when I commenced, I got started to make beads for a person making jewellery, whilst not a full time business it is where I would like to go. And if yes do you think that you enjoy the process any less since it has become a business for you, compared to doing it as a hobby? No I never tire of it, I still enjoy it very much, I think a lot of this comes from the evolution process and the fact I find it very rewarding to constantly make new things. Is there something that you do differently to other people in your craft? Probably the main thing is I like working big, I really enjoy working with and out of the Hot Glass Studio and at the same time having done some basic hot glass, do not want to go there. What kind of workspace do you have? I have a small studio in my shed which looks out to the trees and wildlife, it is very quiet and a meditative space. On occasion I teach and work out of Sunshine Coast Hot Glass Studio Yandina QLD What benefits have you found the internet has for your craft? It makes the world very small, allows me to contact people much easier and is a great resource for information gathering.  Turquoise raku pendant by Gary Lisle What are some of the tools that you would use to create a typical lamp work bead?Torch, mandrel, graphite paddle, tweezers and annealing kiln. What craft tool could you not live without? Annealing Kiln. Are there any safety issues to deal with in your craft? If so what measures do you take to deal with these? There are a number of issues, high temperatures, glass powder, eye protection, gas fumes and fatigue. I have a well ventilated workshop and if using something dangerous i will try to work with the breeze at my back. Fatigue is a big issue, I spoke with my osteopath and he suggested I stand to work, which I had been doing, so I now take a break of 10 min's every hour or so. I also found by standing it gave me much more manoeuvrability when making more challenging pieces. Can you outline the typical process behind making something like the pendant you have shown me? I first select the colours it may be up to four so I rubber band these together. I will select one of these colours as the loop for the pendant, I then make a bead of this colour give it a quick shape and park it in my annealing kiln. I then take the bunch of canes and heat the end, I then push these onto a graphite or metal marver and repeat this process until I am happy with the mix and basic shape. I then decorate the face and attach any millefiori. With the canes in one hand I then bring the bead out of the kiln and in the flame join it to the pendant. With canes in one hand and the bead mandrel in the other I heat the back of the pendant where the canes attach until I feel no resistance I then pull the canes from the back of the pendant. Then tip the pendant vertical with the bead at the bottom and in the flame finish the join front and back. I then finish of the back of the pendant where the canes were joined and do the final fire polishing on the front. It is then into the annealer. How long do you think it would take to make a piece like that? It is normally about a 20 minute process, depending on how well the glass is co operating with the artist............ Where do you generally buy supplies? Do you buy much from local stores or do you mainly order them in?  Beads by Gary Lisle I buy all my supplies over the Internet, early days from USA but now mostly from Australia, I use a couple of COE glasses so i tend to deal with who ever has the brands I need at the time. Where do you mostly sell your work? Most I sell locally to local artists with some going thru www.Northcoastbeadmakers.com site and some from Sunshine Coast Hot Glass Studio in Pioneer Rd Yandina QLD
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