| Meet the Artist
INTRODUCTION
Let me introduce myself, my name is Sharon Barnhill, I am a Lampwork Glass Bead Artist. My husband, Bill (the sweetest), our dog Phoebe (spoiled rotten), and two cats Sophie and Lilly (also spoiled rotten), live just outside of Springfield, Illinois. We are all retired, some more than others.
HOW I GOT TO WARM GLASS
In the late 90's, I got into the craft business thinking it would be a good retirement activity. I rented mall space around town and had a good time shopping and selling things I loved. As you might guess, I soon tired of that and found myself bored and unchallenged. I felt a change coming on (no, not THE change) but I didn't know what direction I would go. I remembered seeing information that a stained glass class would be starting soon and since it was something I had always wanted to try, I decided to give it a whirl. Well, the class was a good one, thanks to Jim Walsh at Walsh Glass Studio. I knew I had found something I liked, glass, glass, glass!! I'm not the person who thrives on detailed, involved projects. So, alas, stained glass didn't capture my heart.
I am a detail person, but I like instant gratification. I was kind of interested in glass fusing and as luck would have it, information on glass classes sort of fell into my hands one day and the light bulb finally came on. I took a giant step and made the call. Well, rats, the fusing class was full, but the Lampwork bead class was still open. So, I thought what the heck, I'll do that until I can get into the fusing class. I knew about Lampwork beads as I had seen something on television or read about it somewhere. It was one of those things that I automatically filed in my pea brain under the heading "oh, I will never be able to do that". Not that I didn't think I had the ability required, it was more that I didn't think I would ever have the opportunity to even try. So the big day came and off I went, excited and eager to learn. Well, the first bead was soon born and I haven't looked back yet. All the skills learned through years of sewing, crafting, art, etc. came together in that little bead. Add to that love of color, working with tools, and a steady hand, and you have the perfect chemistry. I was lucky, the ability was already there, I just had to explore all the possibilities and find my way into this whole new world. Thank you Leslie and all the great folks at the Glasshopper in St. Louis!
Need I say that my husband thought I had really lost it? Here I was driving out of town to learn something that he thought was a waste of time. He was not aware of the "bead-affected lives" so many of us live. Until I came home one day with a check in my hand, his standard comment was "and what are you going to do with the beads after you make them?" I guess he had visions of millions of beads just piling up in every room of our house. Come to think of it, my craft business kind of did that, it took over several rooms of our house, so maybe his fear wasn't so unfounded after all! Anyway, his light bulb finally came on and he has been a great help to me. He has great ideas (sometimes) and he is the best P.R. man ever.
THE RESULT
So, here I am a year and a half later--I have completed, with the assistance and support of my fabulous hubby, a year of local area art and craft shows, and my web site is a reality! I'm having a blast!
Thank you for letting me bend your ear. I hope you enjoy what I have created!
Sincerely,
The Bead Lady
P.S. I can't leave this page without sharing our family. We have four beautiful daughters and one son who make us very proud. John lives in southern Illinois and is involved with Civil War Reenactment groups. Connie, is a Cordon Bleu Chef, lives in North Carolina and has a victorian bead, I mean bed and breakfast called Oak Hill Country Inn. The home is gorgeous and you won't go hungry, check it out at www.oakhillcountryinn.com. Melissa lives in Springfield, is a Certified Meeting Planner, has a busy family, and a beautiful wedding chapel, The Chapel On Main,
located in Athens. If you are planning a wedding and need an exciting and fabulous location for the ceremony, give her a call at 217/638-1703 for details. Whitney lives in Woodridge, Illinois, and is a special education teacher for a large high school. Brandi lives and works in Springfield too. She is the daredevil of the family and she "thinks" she is the favorite daughter, just ask her!
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