BETH GRANT – Individually hand crafted beads for a one of a kind item
A Story In Every Bead
Each of Beth’s beads is a tiny work of art. Created from rods of coloured glass in an extremely hot flame, they are cooled in a kiln then used to create sterling silver jewellery and unique specialty gift items such as pens, salad servers and cheese knives. Beth’s inspiration comes from travels in remote areas of the country such as the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. The beads must be seen to be appreciated and they invite the observer to reach out and touch!
Finding Lampwork Inspiration in Nature
My educational background is in biology and geography with an MSc. in Plant Ecology.
During my undergraduate degree at York University I had the opportunity to participate in a field course in the eastern Arctic and I felt like I had arrived home!
The big sky, wide-open spaces and amazing tundra plants and animals captured my heart and soul.
Since then I have had the opportunity to travel to the north many times, both for work and for pleasure, most recently as a guide with Canoe North Adventures.
Lampwork Landscapes
I have paddled the Keele, Yukon, Horton and Great Bear Rivers and these trips have inspired some of my most popular bead collections. I love the tranquility and relative simplicity of the northern ecosystem and try to reflect that simplicity in my beads.
You don’t need to travel to these areas to appreciate the colours and textures of the landscape, but you might find yourself transported away to a river or beach as you explore each bead collection: Summer, Winter, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territories, Newfoundland.
From Nature To The Studio
Found within these broad collections are specific bead series like Beach, Blue Lagoon, Tropical Storm, Rocky Shore, Winter Sky, True North, Keele River, Yukon River and also the Honeybee Collection!
I began my journey in glass during an evening of stained glass with a collegue in 1984. That was all it took to get me hooked on glass! After about 20 years of stained glass, I discovered lampwork beads and a new passion emerged.
My beads are created in the lampwork studio/showroom at Dragonfly Arts on Broadway in Orangeville.