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About this Instructor:
Brad
Pearson lives and works in Richmond Virginia. He has been
working with hot glass since 1991. After owning a
glassblowing studio and working as a scientific glassblower
for 8 years, he turned his attention to beadmaking. Through
out his career the work he was doing became smaller and more
complex. Moving to beads was a natural progression that
allowed him to explore his interest in glass as an art form.
Artist Statement:
Since graduating from the fine crafts department of VCU, I
have vigorously pursued hot glass as a career. Throughout my
career as an artist, my work has become smaller and more
complex. Several years ago I began to focus on the bead as a
template from which to explore my ideas. Using the bead as a
form has allowed me to explore texture, pattern and color
within a framework that is limitless. Making beads is a
natural progression for my interests in glass. Hopefully I
have proved that small-scale work can be captivating and
innovative. For me, it has certainly provided a rewarding
experience.
My current work draws
inspiration from many diverse cultures. I have drawn on
Tibetan prayer wheels; ancient writing and Celtic designs,
just to name a few of the sources. In most parts of the
world, beads hold a great spiritual and cultural
significance. I have tried to hold the viewers attention on
a very small object by instilling some of this spirituality
and mystery into my work. I view each piece as a
miniature sculpture that retains its core function as a
bead. |