Joyce blows her own glass at Diablo Glass School in Jamaica Plain, MA

Glass as a medium offers many interesting elements to work with, such as light form and color. As an artist, I find its possibilities endless and exciting. I have been working with hot glass since 1978, and since 1992 I have focused on bead making and glass jewelry design. Hot glass refers to glass worked in its molten state directly from the furnace. This off-hand blown glass is shaped and finished by mouth-blowing and working with hand tools as opposed to using molds. The techniques employed in off-hand glass blowing are very old and many originate in Murano, Italy. That is where the name “Latticino” comes from, which describes the beads as having solid stripes of color in them. The beads are made by drawing a gather of hot glass across the studio, sometimes more than 30 feet long. This is very intense work and usually involves at least two people. The resulting glass tubes are then annealed to reduce stress and finally cut into slices of varying thickness with a diamond saw. A lapidary process, which takes up to two weeks, gives the beads their final shape and finish; either a matte, frosted surface, or a shiny gloss. In my jewelry line I use only my own beads, sterling silver or gold findings. and goldleaf to accentuate the glass.

– Joyce Roessler