Nancy Tobey

www.nancytobey.com

Artistís Statement

I have been in love with glass and beads for as long as I can remember, so it was an easy transition for me to meld these two loves into a creative outlet. Since 1996, I have been creating small works of glass art in bead form. I do this using hard glass called borosilicate. The process of melting that glass in an extreme flame, and then sculpting it on to a steel mandrel is both exhilarating and relaxing. The hot glass flows, but not so quickly that I can't take a moment to think about the next placement of color. Often times I begin working on a bead and let the glass decide the next step for me. When I am particularly adventurous, I will close my eyes for a moment and pick up an unknown colored rod. When that piece comes out of the kiln, I am reminded that my art is part talent, and part luck and part good raw materials.

I draw inspiration from simple things I see around me; the light in a cloud streaked sky, the striations of color in a mountain range, and the shapes of leaves and flowers in a garden. With these images in mind I apply multiple layers of color to my work. I feel that I have accomplished my goal as an artist when someone looks into one of my beads and say they can imagine what it would feel like to be on the inside

Artist's Bio

A lifelong love of glass brought Nancy Tobey to beadmaking in 1996 and today she is a full time glass bead artist and teacher. She is known for her work in boroscilicate glass that is colorful, and sculptural. Nancy creates depth and luminosity in her beads through complex layering of powders and frits, as well as the application of oxidations and reduction techniques.

Nancy shares her love of handmade glass through teaching and exhibiting at several venues including the Worcester Center for Crafts, Worcester MA, Snow Farm New England Craft Program Williamsburg MA and Sharon Arts Center Peterborough NH. She is an active member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, serving on the Board of Directors from 1999-2002. Nancyís work has been appeared in ì1000 Glass Beadsî, ìA Beaders Guide To Colorî, Lapidary Journal and Bead & Button magazines. Galleries carrying Nancyís work include Arts Afire, Alexandria VA, Kittrell Riffkind Gallery in Dallas TX, and Handworks American Craft Gallery, Acton MA.