Beadmaker Interview: Chris & Jackie Rice

1. What is your personal name, business name, website and location?
C.N.Y. Glass Studio & Gallery
Artists: Christopher & Jacquelyn Rice
Address: 12840 State Route 12 Boonville, NY
Website: www.cnyglass.com
Email: cnyglass1@yahoo.com
Phone: 315-525-2802

2. What kind of beads do you make? What kinds of processes do you use? What is your favorite beadmaking technique?

Lampwork Beads, Marbles, Sculpture and Goblets are our specialties! We Love anything to do with making glass into a work of art of all shapes and sizes. We also dabble in glass fusing, slumping, sandblasting and some other cold working. Our favorite techniques are flower and butterfly implosions and cartoon like critter beads.

3. How did you get into bead making? What are some of the important things you do for your business?

Chris began working with glass about 7 years ago focusing primarily on the hollow forms for example perfume bottles goblets and large marbles. Jacquelyn began lampworking about a year later with the same approach. After about a year Jacquelyn began to stray to find her own calling in glass art. She found sculpture and bead making allowed her to express her humor and adventurous personality better and on a smaller scale. Two most important things to do as a business is to never put all your eggs in one basket and be open minded. For every minute not working is another dollar left unearned.

4. What is your workspace like and how do you work in your studio? What is a typical day like?

Our studio and gallery is a 20x30 pole barn we renovated ourselves. The lampworking area has 6 stations; we also teach classes and rent out studio time. Typical day starts with coffee the bookkeeping and phone calls and a trip to the gym. By 8AM we are in the studio working. Between 8 and 10 we try and get as much work done to fill orders because Wed – Sun from 10 till 4 the studio and gallery is open to the public. One weekend or sometimes more we do a bead marble or craft show. One weekend or sometimes more we have lampworking classes or PMC class. We finally settle in about 5 and take this time to focus on website, jewelry making, cleaning beads, labeling, photos etc. Finally we watch a little TV and go to bed.

5. How do you stay inspired and motivated?

We live in the Adirondack Mountains of Central New York inspiration invades us. We stay motivated because we absolutely love what we do!

6. What type of beads and jewelry designs do you feel best compliment your art beads? Do you design your own jewelry too?

We have such a variety of beads we can compliment any artistic pallet. We have your basic filler or spacer beads to focals, all shapes and sizes, a color for every day of the year, humorous to earthy and abstract, sets, pairs and singles. Jacquelyn does design her own jewelry.

7. What beady plans do you have for the future? Do you have new designs or ideas you will be exploring soon?

We have Bead A.D.D. we always have something in the works. We just recently added a new page on our website called what’s new to try and keep up with our ideas. Jacquelyn has been working on soft glass beads that are almost like little 3d paintings of flowers, bird’s nests and butterflies. Chris has been working on incorporating his implosions into focal beads.