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My name is Carrie Berry and I live in the mountains of North Carolina, NW of Asheville, outside of a little town called Marshall, in Madison County. I am married with 2 boys, 10 & 11 years old. We moved here in July 2005 from Key Largo, FL and we realized we were 'home'.
I started making jewelry in 2002 after taking a local class when we lived in Key Largo, FL. I was hooked. I began buying beads and it became an obsession. Then I found glass beads on eBay called "lampwork", and I knew I was in trouble. I had always been mesmerized by glass and was shocked to find out I could melt it myself w/out the need for a lot of space.
Anyways, I started melting soft glass, ie. Moretti, Lauscha, Bullseye, etc., later that year, and had a wonderful first teacher, Carolyn Driver, of Blueheeler Glass. She makes her bead making seem effortless. She is an amazing artist and has a wonderful family, who I was privledged to meet.
I sold a few beads, but due to a back injury, and a disc infection in 2003, I stopped melting glass altogether.
Another year went by and I started making custom, one of kind jewelry again for local clients in Key Largo.
Then we moved to North Carolina, and the property we bought already had a workshop, so I knew I would melt glass again. In the Fall of 2005 my husband got my studio all set up, and I began torching soft glass, but it wasn't 'moving' me and I really felt like I had no direction. I didn't know what I wanted to create.
Anyways, I had tried Boro, hard glass, ie. Northstar, Glass Alchemy, Momka's, etc., in 2002 and didn't have the results I was looking for, but in February 2006 things started to come together with the help and knowledge from other artists on a forum called Lampwork, Etc. I knew I had found what I was looking for. I haven't touched the soft glass since. ;)
I get excited everytime I torch, the colors are amazing and I never get tired watching them come 'alive'. The possiblities are endless. I hope you will check back to see the directions I go in.
Carrie
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