I’m a Brisbane based artist, working from my home studio, specialising in hand crafted glass beads since early 2007. I create glass beads using traditional Italian glass work techniques called lampworking. I also design jewellery pieces based on my glass work.
Fascinated with glass since I was a child, from glass paperweights at my dad’s workplace to collecting brightly coloured glass vases and bowls from second hand shops as a teen, to making jewellery with bought glass beads in my twenties, I have always loved the nature of glass.
And now, since discovering how to make my own glass beads in 2007, my creative world has been expanded. To be able to work with glass, making my own beads – from start to finish – I now have complete creative control over my finished pieces and this is the ultimate joy of my work.
I work carefully creating organic shaped beads that convey the message of them being handmade and not mass produced. I source glass from around the world to find the right colours and effects to produce truly unique pieces in limited runs and of high quality.
I’m inspired by all sorts of creative mediums – textiles, fashion, design, ceramics, architecture and nature – and try to adapt their colours, lines or textures into my work. But above all, the glass itself is my biggest inspiration. I spend long hours hunting down the right colours from manufacturers around the world just to make my beads.
Contacting me
If you would like to contact me – via mobile 0407 754 805 and email avril@avrilbowie.com or via this website’s contact page.
Photos
If you would like to see more photos, then please visit my Flickr account and my Instagram account.