Artist Bio

Little Works of Art
By
My sister Midge Smith
fall 2005

High Desert Home
Set against the rich backdrop of the red rock high desert and the azure-hued sky of Northern Arizona is the small studio of CC Design. Owner and lampwork bead artist Carolyn Conley met with me recently over dinner at a homey pizza bistro. Stirring her iced tea, Carolyn confided that she has shared a love of beads for as long as she can remember. With a soft voice, Carolyn described how, has a child, she was always fiddling around with beads. Macramé had been quite popular during her childhood and her teenage years, so she put her talents to use then creating beaded chokers, plant hangers, and even a hanging coffee table, complete with glass top.

Growing up with a mother who had a talent for always making 'something out of nothing,' Carolyn's creative determination was nurtured from a young age. Carolyn said, “I have three sisters, and our mother sewed most of our clothing. If we saw a dress or top in a store that we liked, mom would go home and make it, using a bodice from one pattern, a sleeve from another, and in the end, she would recreate the original design at very little cost.”

Discovery
“Captivated by their simple beauty.” This was how Carolyn described the first time she ever laid eyes on lampwork beads. She tells it this way, “In the late 1990s, I had been creating jewelry for both myself and my friends, and while searching the Internet for beads to use in my jewelry, I happened upon a website that featured lampwork beads. I had never seen anything like them before, and I was immediately hooked. They were so dainty, and so beautiful, especially the ones with flowers. I remember that I ordered a set, but I did not make anything with them; I just wanted to own them. To me they were little works of art that I could hold in my hand.”

Fueled by her love of their subtle beauty and her determination to learn the process of creating lampwork beads, it has taken several years of trial and error to perfect her current technique. Her chin cupped in her hand, she said, “I originally bought a book and a video on lampwork beads to see how they were made, and to find out what equipment I would need.” Using the book and video, Carolyn taught herself how to make the delicate beads. After many long days, burned fingers, and misshapen beads, she finally was able to create beads that met her exacting standards.

Painting With Glass
As our salads arrive, she explained how in high school, she had taken a painting class, and later she taught tole painting for several years as a 4-H leader in her community. She smiled as she said that making the switch from painting to creating beads was easy. She simply thought of it as “painting with glass.” And for her it is; listening to her describe her work brings to mind's eye the picture of an artist and brush. In much the same way, Carolyn handles her torch and a small paddle, deftly shaping the molten glass into one of her hallmark designs.

Carolyn explained that she uses Moretti, and Vetrofond Italian glass to create her beads, and that they are kiln annealed for strength. Though she creates many different types of beads, three styles in particular are her specialtes. The first style has small, delicate flowers encased within the bead, and she appropriately calls them “flower-encased.” The second style she calls “sculpted rose beads,” and the third she describes as “open rose beads.” These three styles of exquisitely made beads are the foundation of her distinctive designs for which she has garnered a loyal worldwide customer base.

The hardest bead to master? She is quick to respond, “The flower-encased beads.
It took a grueling, hard year of work to figure out how to create these. My customers
always want to know how I do it, because they truly do look like miniature flowers
encased within glass. I had many botched attempts, and then one day it occurred to
me to try a different approach. Unbelievably, it worked, and now I would have to say
that now they are quite easy for me to make.” She adds that she does have a short
demonstration on her website that explains the process.

Her personal favorite? “Well,” she says with a warm smile, “It would have to be the
sculpted roses. Making these roses always reminds me of a sculptor working with clay.
I use layers of glass and my paddle to help shape the glass into petals. For these beads,
I often mix colors and then pull them out to create a new color. Mixing my own colors
has the added benefit of creating a unique bead. Once I am satisfied with the overall
look and shape of the petals, I simply add the leaves, and then I am finished.

Her best seller? “The open rose beads,” she says without hesitation. “I have probably
made hundreds of these beads,” she adds, “and no two ever turn out quite the same. I
think that is why my customers love them so much-they know that that are buying a bead
that is definitely one of a kind. I love experimenting with color combinations and giving
my imagination free rein in color, form, and detail.”

Making a Living
As we sip our iced tea, Carolyn she tells that since 2000, when she sold her first set of beads, demand for her designs has continued to grow. She has taken her beads to regional art and craft fairs in both Northern Arizona and Southern Utah. However, her website, www.beadsbyccdesign.com and eBay store, http://stores.ebay.com/Beads-By-CC-Design , are the primary places her beads currently can be found.

In the early years of her business, she typically did not design much jewelry, preferring to focus for the most part, on making the beads themselves. She decided to design several bracelets and auction them on eBay. The response was overwhelming, to say the least. After the sale of the bracelets, her jewelry was suddenly in demand, and in response, she has added a small jewelry line to her website, which is doing quite well.

Into the Future
“It looks bright,” she says, “very bright.” Married for over twenty years to Tim, an entrepreneur in his own right, she was finally able to quit her job a couple of years ago, and focus entirely on her beadwork. With daughter Alison heading off to college this fall, Carolyn is hoping to have even more time to devote to her beads. Moreover, she has set her sights on participating in a national bead show, such as the one held annually in Tucson, Arizona. For now, though, it is enough just to create the beads she loves, the “little works of art.