Spotlight on
Shauna Mitru
Greetings from Canada – Regina, Saskatchewan! My name is Shauna Mitru, and I am a member of the Prairie Firebirds, Saskatchewan Craft Council, the International Society of Glass Beads, Jewellery Artists Guild of Regina and a Glass Dragon! I have been a lampwork glass artist since 2005 and an instructor at the city run arts centre – Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre, since 2006. I also work full time with the federal government.
I am married to a very supportive husband – Warren, and we have one fur baby – Jersey, a chocolate lab who just turned 13 years old. I am lucky to have a very nice home studio setup for glass and metalsmithing. I use a minor torch hooked up to household natural gas and an oxygen concentrator.
I am primarily self taught and started my artistic journey when I discovered artist-made beads while looking for more unique beads than what the local bead store carried. I have taken only two in-person classes so far – Lucio Bubbaco and Astrid Riedel. Both of these artists and their classes were amazing. I have attended the Glass Craft and Bead Expo twice during the trade show day in Vegas and have met so many glass artists at the bead bazaar.
I was invited to set up the lampwork glass program at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre in 2006 and have taught many wonderful bead artists, I know some of you have met at Bead Camp or other bead studios. It always amazes me that six students are each provided one pound of glass with all the same colours, are taught basic foundational techniques and after eight weeks of class – all have their own creative style.
In 2012, Saskatchewan was one of the first provinces in Canada to start the Beads of Courage program in the local hospitals in Regina and Saskatoon. We have a wonderful group – the Prairie Firebirds who have created over 3300 beads for the Beads of Courage Canada program with the center’s sponsorship. Only a couple of the Prairie Firebirds have a home studio set up, so the center is a very important place for our local bead artist community. We recently had an excellent time when Alexx Cheng came to visit us and shared his skills and knowledge with the group.
My most memorable bead moments have been through opportunities provided by the Canadian and USA Beads of Courage programs. Two Prairie Firebirds were inducted into the Beads of Courage Hall of Fame. I was invited to create a strand of beads for Johnny Reid to wear while he toured Canada and sponsored BOCC during his Fire It Up concert tour. I created a special bead for the Aspire – A Spire of Hope project, the bead of the month artist for December (twice) and created multiple special request children’s beads. Beads of Courage has provided me with so many opportunities to stretch and grow my skills and promote bead making to others.
I love making glass art as it is never boring, and there are so many avenues to take your ideas!
“Spotlight On” is an area where we highlight one of our own. Members are encouraged to share a personal story or an adventure. To see past Spotlight articles, visit our website.
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