Arts - color and texture - Getting lost in color and texture

Here’s a little tidbit you might now know: Lampworking is glassworking using a torch to melt and shape glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th Century. Today, fine art lampwork beads sell for upwards of $150 apiece on e-Bay!

    For Susan Spiller, making lampwork beads is part of a vast artistic repertoire that fills her spare time. She works full-time in the sales office of Rehau, an extruded polymer manufacturer in Brooklyn Park. Her evenings are split between creating art, spending time with her son and two grandsons, and serving on community boards. She creates glass beads, pressed clay pots and beads, fused glass and stunning jewelry with Peyote stitched beadwork she sells at art fairs.

    Spiller, a 15-year Lind Bohanon resident, has nurtured a passion for art since childhood. She started weaving 34 years ago and added spun yarn when she and her spouse, a potter, moved to a Wisconsin hobby farm in the ‘70s. They raised their son as true artists, finding creative ways to market their handcrafted goods. Susan’s need to add her own spin to her yard led her to creating quality dyes from Sumac, blueberries and other natural ingredients she foraged from the woods. She was even picky enough to shop nearby farms for the best and cleanest wool for her yarns.

    Life changed and Susan went to work for a regular paycheck to support her son but she never lost her passion for making art. She continued exploring new art forms to nurture her soul. From creating silver and gold gemstone jewelry, she went to painting and bending aluminum for wall art. I have one of her whimsical clocks in my office at the Capri! Susan and fellow Greyhound Pets of America (GPA) members donate handmade items to benefit the adoption of retired racing dogs. Color and whimsy are hallmarks of Susan’s work. She pushes herself to experiment and create work unlike anything else out there.

    Glass has always fascinated Susan. She loves the fluidity and colors as the glass heats up in the kiln and she gets lost in melting glass rods with a torch into one-of-a-kind beads for her jewelry creations. “People come back to my booth at art shows to tell me that mine is the most unique and different work they saw all day. I have to be different through color, texture and medium. Who knows where it will end? That’s kind of the fun part of the journey!”

    Susan is also a new member of the Lind Bohanon Neighborhood Board working on garden projects at Jenny Lind School and proud ‘mom’ to Jazzy, a three year old rescued Greyhound. She’s on the Board of GPA and is working with the Northside Arts Collective on our next Arts & Culture Resource Catalog. Get in touch with Susan at spillgirl555@yahoo.com or 612-529-8099.