rae@sonshyne.com

Artist's Bio

I have been making glass beads since 2002. † Before my life as a bead artist, I was a Process Engineer with a Chemical Engineering background in the field of printed circuit boards. Printed circuit boards are manufactured with layers of fiberglass and are very picky about thermal cycling. † This gave me my first experience of working with glass transitions and incompatible materials. When combined in a wrong way they expand and contract differently causing stresses that warp and crack. The multilayer printed circuit board process is not too different from the glass layering I use now in making beads. In addition to incompatible materials I find that the same ramping up and cooling down temperature rules apply.

Living in Seattle gave me the opportunity to be a consultant for companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Nintendo and several others. † After too many ISO seminars and listening to people speak total sentences in acronyms, I decided to stop taking technical classes and began studying art at Belleview Community College and Pratt Fine Art Center. † I fell in love with sculpting and found this to be a Zen-like experience. In addition to sculpting, Pratt had a program that allowed artists to go into Woodland Park Zoo on Saturdayís to study and, with environmentally safe pastels, sketch the animals. † I loved being with these beautiful animals and connected with them in so many ways. † Our art instructor at the Zoo taught us not only to draw the animal, but also to draw the energy and rhythm of life around the animal. †I was able to sell my drawings and paintings in the Rain Forest CafÈ at Wood Land Park Zoo and in the Park Lane Gallery in Kirkland Washington.

As much as I loved the artistic side of things and taking art classes, I had to keep my Engineering job to put food on the table. Life has a way of kicking a person out of their comfort zone and soon I found myself a single mom living in Seattle. † I wanted my son to grow up in the same loving environment that I had grown up in. † My parents and 2 brothers, along with their families, live in Montana. We are very close and connected. † A lot of my inspiration comes from the deep love of my family. I was lucky to be able to move back to Montana and remotely work in the Seattle area.† One sacrifice of living in Montana and working in Seattle was I had to make the 600-mile drive back to Seattle once a month. The opportunity came up for me to stop the Seattle commute and work in Bozeman Montana for a laser company.

The laser company was my first introduction to light and optics. † I love the way light scatters through glass. Even as a little girl I had been fascinated by light reflections through crystals and prisms. † Now I create images in my glass beads that bounce light in fun ways. My beads are best viewed in sunlight to pick up the subtle light that scatters throughout the layers of glass.

The laser company was fun to work for but life again decided to kick me out of my comfort zone. † My son had turned 18 and was moving out of the house to go to college. I had done my motherly duties and it was time for momma to get a life.

In 2002, I met the love of my life ñ Bill Grout, of Aspen Hot Glass. Bill has been making glass beads since 1992. He showed me a new world of hot glass and art. † With this new world I have been able to combine the technical sides of thermal dynamics and light reflections with artistic talents of sculpture and find my Zen feeling of creating again. †

I prefer to create bead sets and find it is hard to make one bead alone. † I like the continuity that comes from creating several beads in a set and hope that continuity transfers over to whomever uses my beads in their jewelry designs.

In April of 2003, I gave up corporate life and moved 250 miles away from my family to the beautiful Bitterroot Mountains of Mountain to be with Bill and become a full time glass artist. † On January 24, 2004, Bill and I eloped. † We live in such a wonderful place of love and harmony I really believe that energy becomes fused into the glass we forge. Our goal is to spread peace and harmony one bead at a time

I started lampworking using a Minor torch and an old drafting chair I have had from years back. For a Valentines gift in 2006 Bill gave me a Lynx torch and a brand new drafting chair so I can create bigger, sculptural pieces of work. Two days later I was making a large pendant when the handle broke off. The red-hot pendant dropped from the flame, bounced off the table and between my legs. As I looked down flames shot up ~ I was able to wheel the chair back and grab the pendant and douse the chair with water. Luckily I salvaged the pendant and have black duct tape for my chair. Bill bought me another Valentines gift, a welderís apron to go with my other new toys. Now thatís love.

3 easy steps on how to make a marble

These instructions will only work for people who have a sense of humor and do not take life too seriously.

Step 1: Using Boro glass make a ribbon cane and create a small pendant.

Step 2: Have spouse look over your shoulder and comment, ìThatís not a small pendant, itís a paperweight.

Step 3: Remove the pendant handle and flame off ends to create a paperweight. As you add more glass feel the pendant break off the punty and catch it with the marble maver. Say to self, wow thatís what this chunk of glass really isÖ. Reattach punty, round off the glass and Voila! A marble. Make sure to kiln anneal properly.

I have been making arrowheads called ìCourageous Heartî to honor a Great-grandmother I recently found I had. She was a Blackfeet Indian who gave up everything to marry my Great-grandfather (a white man). It took a lot of courage to leave the comfort of her home and people to be with the man she loved, but in the end love conquers all.