JetAgeStudio, aka Renee Wiggins, is another lampworker

who was wrongly accused on the fraud blog. Again, I believe it was simply because the fraud blogger was jealous of Renee's talent and creativity.

All of the lampworkers I am blogging about I have "met" on LE-a lampworking forum. I joined last year for a couple of reasons. One, to show my support for them at their artwork being purchased and then passed off as being made by someone else and two, because I want to play with fire and melt glass one day. I really, really do. Even though I don't have the first piece of equipment right now, I have learned a lot from people like Lydia and Renee.

I asked Renee if I could blog about her work and maybe drive down in google the lies that were told about her and she agreed. I love hearing how people got started in their art and what isnpires them. Hearing Renee's story was no exception.

Soon after she started lampworking in 1993, she started looking for more ways to manipulate glass.

This lead to mosaics, stained glass and fusing, which she still loves to do. Four years ago, she bought a bench torch so she could work different elements into her fused work and with that torch, the lampwork bug bit her again. She got right back into making beads. Getting back to the torch opened her eyes to more ways to manipulate glass. She now focuses on making decorative elements such as murrini which she uses in her own work as well as supplying it to other lampworkers.

When I asked her where she finds inspiration, I found that she gets it like most artists do-nearly everywhere she looks in nature, the desert, (she lives in Tuscon), her garden and the many, she says too many, design magazines she subscribes too. She also getsinspiration from her husband who is a fine arts painter. She says that the way he layers colors is always inspiring. She likes having art discussions in the Arts Group they belong to because she likes to figure out how to incorporate their work into glass.

I love this bead called Miami. The colors, depth and the mulitude of things tolook at is just jaw dropping amazing.

You can find JetAgeStudio by clicking this link There is also an e-zine which features all things glass and many other incredibly talented glass artists.

Jenny Friske-Baer aka Divine Spark Designs

Today's blog is about another talented lampworker who was falseley accused of being a "tax evading fraud" on the fraud blog. Jenny Friske-Baer lives in Oregon where there isn't a state sales tax. Just goes to prove once again that the fraud blogger just made stuff up and didn't check the facts. But then, we already knew that, didn't we? LOL!

Jenny calls her business Divine Spark Designs and it started when she couldn't find beads she like to make jewelry with. What better solution than to make them yourself. In the eternal (and believe me, it is eternal) search for that perfect color/textue/shape bead for that one project, you will do whatever it takes to get that bead, even to learning a new craft. From reading her website and her posts on LE (LampworkEtc.) it's easy to see that Jenny creates for the love and joy of creating. It shows in her beautiful work, too. As someone who creates because I love doing it, things like that are important to me in other artists.

Jenny has an etsy store, http://www.etsy.com/shop/divinesparkdesigns and a website

http://www.divinesparkdesigns.com/. I want you to see a couple of pieces she has done that I just love-the color,the humor I see in them and the cute factor they have is just great!!!! In the first picture, from her website, it's the blue chicken bead that I love. On her etsy header, it's the bird, again that got me.

Elizabeth Wait-the person behing the AGLf calendar

Elizabeth Wait or betsymn as most people know her, is a talented artist in many different aspects. Starting with clay at the tender age of 5, to quilting, pen and ink, fine art painting, jewelry making stained glass and lampworking, she has explored the world of art. She was also falsley accused of being a "tax fraud" on that hideous blog.

Betsy not only gathered all the pictures from assorted lampworkers that are included in the AGLF Lampwork fundraising calendar, but did all the layout, the proofing and the mailing out of the calendars. It was a huge project, and it came out absolutely beautiful. You can see one here, on her blog. http://greyhavenart.blogspot.com/ .I love reading her blog-her animals sound as much fun to watch and as goofy as some I have had. LOL! Besides blogging about her animals, she also shows her work-which is fantastic.

You can see her work in her etsy shop-http://www.etsy.com/shop/betsymn and if you want to buy one of the calendars that is full of lampworked beauties by various artists, you can do so in her etsy shop.

I can't resist, I have to show you a couple of pictures-one the calendar cover-didn't she just do a super job on it? Another picture of one of my favorite beads from her shop.