Melody Lynch

I was first introduced to lampworked beads when I started making jewelry about 5 years ago.  I wanted beads that were unique and different from what everyone else was using, and so started looking online at the auction sites.  But what I found was that the beads I “really” wanted, I seldom won.  So I began hunting for classes to learn how to make my own beads.  I have been involved in many types of art all my life, ceramics, metals, copper enameling, etc. and I was sure I could do this, too.  My first class was a short week-end workshop at a local glass gallery in Dallas, TX.  It wasn’t long enough to learn a lot, but it did teach me that I wanted to do more…and I became addicted to the torch and what it could do.

Then I discovered the Craft Guild of Dallas.  It’s a wonderful place full of great people who make you feel welcome the minute you walk in the door.  They have classes in all types of the arts and I began taking class from Kip Maley, and have been there ever since. 

I found that the more I learned the more I wanted to learn.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to take classes from some great, well known, artists.  Among those were Michael Barley, Leah Fairbanks, Kristen Frantzen Orr, Judy Carlson, Josh Mazet and many others whose names we all know and whose work we love.  I’ve been to, and taken classes at the Glass Craft and Bead Expo in Las Vegas and have been lucky enough to attend Glass Stock in Oregon.  But I can never get enough and am constantly looking for more techniques to learn.

I work mostly in soft glass (soda lime) but am also beginning to work with borosilicate glass (hard glass or pyrex) which needs a much hotter flame but can do many things that soft glass cannot.  It’s great for marbles and sculptures and I’m enjoying expanding my abilities.

My latest venture in the glass world is into fusing/slumping glass (also called warm glass).  I use mostly Bullseye glass and it can be used for jewelry, plates, bowls and other items for home décor.  It uses a kiln instead of a torch for the heat.   Click here to learn more about how I make my beads and glass works.