Hi and welcome to my About ME page! My name is Cathy Brown and I've been a lampwork artist since May of 2003. I began working with stained glass over 20 years ago. My favorite items to make are kaleidoscopes, candle holders, and boxes. I bought my first kiln about 7 years ago and started fusing and slumping glass. Not long after that, I wanted to add more intricate designs to my fused glass projects. For this I needed a torch. I signed up for a 2-hour introductory beadmaking class and was immediately hooked! My sheet glass is now collecting dust and will soon be melted into beads!
Aside from the introductory lampworking class, I'm a self-taught lampwork artist. Thanks to many wonderful books and the wealth of information on the internet I've been able to develop and improve my skills at the torch. If you are interested in learning how to make lampwork beads, I highly recommend "Passing the Flame" by Corina Tettinger as well as "Making Glass Beads" and "Beads of Glass" by Cindy Jenkins. Also, feel free to email me if you have any questions about lampworking.
I also design and sell jewelry made with my lampwork beads and fused glass. I HAD to do something with all those beads I was making! I taught myself basic jewelry making skills and started creating necklaces, bracelets, ankle bracelets, and earrings. I sell my wares with my bead buddies at local art fairs. In addition, my co-workers keep me pretty busy with jewelry orders.
Speaking of co-workers, yes, I also have a full-time job. I've worked in the data processing field for 26 years moving thru various areas of expertise such as programming, tech support, systems admin, and database admin. I look forward to the day that I can make beads full time. I've had 26 years of being on-call 24/7 for my day job and I'm soooo ready to cut those ties!
I live in central Indiana with my husband, Jeff, my 17yo son, Austin, and my dog, Larry. I also have 2 step-daughters & 3 grandsons. Lisa and her son Dylan, and Stacy & Matt, and their sons Jordan & Ethan. My most favorite thing to do is spend time on our boat up in New Buffalo, MI. We've been boating on Lake Michigan for the past 5 years and just can't get enough of it! My husband loves to play acoustic guitar....mostly 60's & 70's music, and entertains at local restaurants here in Inday and up in New Buffalo.