Wednesday, June 8, 2011

In the Spotlight: Hextasy

We always love catching up with our members to find out all about their craft and what makes them tick creatively! This month we caught up with Samantha from Hextasy to chat about how she got started, her creative inspirations and her plans for the future.

How would you describe your work?
My work is neither black nor white, it's every other colour in between.  It combines many different techniques and materials, however, glass in any shape or form is my heart's desire.


How did your Etsy shop come into being?
Over a decade ago while I was working as a digital fantasy artist, 'hextasy' had become the label under which I created my deviant designs. In 2006 after taking a break from anything remotely artistic, my fingers were restless and I once again found myself needing to create, and with a love of jewellery this is where my designs of decadence started.  Beadwork turned into wire wrapping, then metal work, enameling, polymer clay, metal clay and then finally glass.  After discovering the beautiful effects of dichroic glass and fusing this spawned my passion and with the introduction of lampworking and making glass beads this has been the last piece of the puzzle to my life's passion. My store is a never ending evolution of my creative journey.


Who or What inspires you?
My inspiration comes from many sources, nature, music, colour, but most of all I love to create little worlds that other people can carry with them.  I love the idea that you are not only receiving a piece of jewellery, you are receiving a world that has been captured into a piece of decadent wearable art which is truly unique.  I'm always thrilled to hear from my customers and get a real kick out of finding out which corner of the world my work is being sent too and am very humbled by this.


Do you 'reduce, reuse, recycle' as part of your creative process? If yes, how is your art/craft eco-friendly?

No part of my glass work goes to waste.  I'm a hoarder when it comes to saving off cuts and they are always able to be incorporated into my future work. One of the joys of the medium is that they can be recycled if a project doesn't work out.


Can you describe your studio/work area?
My studio has grown quite considerably over the past few years, from a small fishing tackle box to a dedicated beading room.  To be honest, beads occupy pretty much every room in the house.  I have laid claim to a corner in the garage for my lampworking (as shown below).  The plans are to build a fully air-conditioned studio over the next couple of years.


What is your favourte thing in the shop at the moment?
My favourite item in my shop at the moment would have to be the Sea Shore Seas Sterling Silver Lampwork Bracelet.  I just love the combination of colours with the silver and my lampwork beads.


Where can people view or purchase your work?


Thank-you Samantha for taking the time to chat to us about hextasy!

3 comments:

Creative Arty Facts said...

Yay for you Sam! Congratulations - what a fabulous write up!

Hextasy said...

Many thanks to the BrisStyle team for sharing my creations with everyone :) This has been the highlight of my day. Thank you, Samantha.

Louise said...

Sam I am so proud of you. I see you in your day job - 8 hours a day. To see the beautiful pieces of jewellery you create after working all day....truly wonderful. You have so much to give, to share with us all. xx