Spotlight on Lilli Berry
Hi. My name is Lilli of Flame Lilli Glass Studio, and I’m a glass addict. (Response: “HI, Lilli.”) Lol! I have been a glass addict for as long as I can remember – an interest sparked by my artistic mom, aunt and grandma, and their collections and hobbies. We’ve always been drawn to glass: crystal vases, glassware, Italian blown glass, millefiori jewelry, depression/uranium glass, aniln arts. My grandmother also carved porcelain doll heads/limbs, taught ceramics and any kind of kiln work, which I eagerly soaked up all I could.
After watching a PBS documentary on Dale Chihuly, I knew I would work in glass someday. Being pre-internet, it was impossible for me to find supplies though.
In the meantime, life was full of work, glamping, hubby’s semi-pro drag racing, motorcycles, pool time, Disneyworld, cats, and quilting. My work life and interests would read typical ADHD/ND: a floral designer at Old America Store, a repo agent for banks, a Credit Analyst in the Fraud department of American Express for 10 years. After Amex left Jacksonville (Florida), I went back to school for something fun and earned a degree in Culinary Arts (I’m also a foodie/addict.)
For a few years, I cheffed in local breweries, coffee shops, restaurants, and did some catering and cake decorating (another thing I learned from my pro cake decorating grandma). I also was in sales and taught cooking/baking classes at Williams-Sonoma for 15 years (again, adding to the glass/foodie addiction)! In the last eight years, I have been a permanent Substitute Teacher/RTI Language Arts Interventionist for K-2nd Grade, as well as an Art Appreciation teacher for another elementary school.
When a local glass blowing shop (Burnt Glassworks) opened up with ‘Make Your Own’ opportunities, I made a pumpkin, and was totally hooked!! I even ended up working there as a shop assistant while soaking up every bit of glass knowledge that I could. My body couldn’t keep up with the harsh demands of the hot shop full-time, but I still help seasonally.
While the world shut downy, hubby and I started on a long-time goal of building a ‘shedio’ (that’s what we call it). It was exactly a year’s endeavor. But totally worth it.
In the meantime, the fusing intent morphed into lampworking -thanks to some Facebook fusing groups also talking about using the kilns for annealing beads too.
Plus, hubby gave me a gift certificate for a lampworking session at Old Kinderhook (Sanford, FL). So I purchased a lampwork start kit.
We built the ventilation system and set up the rest of the studio for lampworking. I purchased Corina Tettinger’s “Passing the Flame” (Facebook online video instructions) and other few books on lampwork beads to refer to.
I am still very much a Newbie, so I’m still finding my style while I learn techniques and experiment. So far my favorites have been beach/ocean themed. Beach waves, tidepools, coral reefs, shells. I like dotties, frities, twisties, fine silver accents, and especially murrini!!! I was drawn to create memorial pieces for friend’s pets and family, and I really enjoy making those special items. I do make simple pieces of jewelry with my beads, usually on request or to sell, occasionally.
I am so thankful for all the people out there that pass on their knowledge of this beautiful art, and for all my friendships I gained through it, too.
My glass journey is still evolving: I am learning to use silver glass, adding dichro, taking classes online, trying sculptures. My goals include making murrini, learning enameling, electroplating, silver clay sculpture (just took Michael Marx’s class!!!) and jewelry smithing. I plan to add a larger fusing & slumping kiln, and a vitrigraph setup. In the meantime, it’s practice, practice, practice…..lol.
