My name is Kalera Stratton, and I am an artisan glass beadmaker.

I got my start making beads in early 1992, at the tender age of 21. My friend Jen had just learned how to make beads, and gave me a beadmaking demonstration in the kitchen of her apartment. I was addicted! Fortunately, my birthday was approaching; with the help of a gift certificate from my mom, I was able to purchase my very own Hot Head and an assortment of glass rods.

Keeping in mind that I had never taken a class, had never heard of the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers), and the soon-to-be-published seminal works of James Kervin and Cindy Jenkins were still but a twinkle in the eyes of their authors, it will be no surprise to you that my first few years making beads were spent fumbling in the dark. I didn't even know what the technique I was using was called! In 1995, some research on the Internet turned up information on "Lampwinding", and I at least had a name for what I was doing. I had been selling simple pendants and earrings made from my beads on a limited basis to friends and coworkers; I now got brave and approached a local gallery chain. My work was immediately accepted, and I started selling a few items a week consistently.

In 1996 I was able to special-order Jim Kervin's book "More Than You Ever Wanted To Know About Glass Beadmaking", and shortly after that, Cindy Jenkins' "Making Glass Beads". The quality of my beads improved dramatically! I also got my hands on a glass fusing kiln and, with the help of a year-long stint with a major art glass manufacturer, was able to enrich and expand my education about glass.

Fast forward to the present day. Instead of the small starter torch I had, I now work on a powerful Bethlehem Barracuda, and instead of cooling my beads in a can of vermiculite, I anneal in a digitally-controlled Fusebox 10 kiln! What a world of difference! Although I have STILL never taken a class, (and boy, I can think of several I'd like to take; there are some brilliant teachers out there!) association with other glass artists has opened my world to techniques beyond what I could have dreamed. A decade of more-or-less dabbling proved to be a solid foundation for my new thrust as a serious lampworker, and, a few months after the birth of my newest baby daughter, I left my retail career to earn my living with artisan glass - which brings me to the present.

We - Me, husband Moxley, oldest daughter Juliet, son Sam, and littlest Ophelia - live in our much-loved 1909 bungalow in Portland Oregon, along with a mellow Sheperd named Nikko, a Chug named Leda, a freewheeling cat named Sol Rosenburg, two parakeets, assorted foster-kittens, and a turtle named Wayne. My studio is set up in the newly-renovated garage... it's all mine! I finally have room to spread out and set up all my doohickeys and gadgets.

I am grateful for all the people and circumstances that led me to this point, because this is exactly where I want to be, and I am happy!

Thank you so much for visiting!