Although I have always been 'arty' this first manifested itself in music, and I studied voice (i.e. singing) at Trinity College of Music from 1994-1998. Following that, I did a PGCE and, for a few years, worked as a secondary school teacher (German and French), before returning to university, first as a lecturer in education, then as an educational developer. I have a passion for learning, which is why glass is such a rewarding craft - there is always something new.
I have been silversmithing since 2005, and took up lampworking to complement my designs. Living in the beautiful Peak District, I love incorporating organic designs into my beads and jewellery, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of glam now and then, or even a combination of the two! In 2010, my contract with the university came to an end, and I decided to focus on glass and jewellery full-time.
I have been lucky enough to have a number of lessons with fantastically talented beadmakers (and great people to boot), allowing me to learn from Mike Poole, Sally Carver, Diana East and Claire Morris and Julie Anne Denton in the UK, Claudia Trimbur-Pagel from Germany/France, and Rocio Bearer in the US. I have recently been selected to attend a one-week master class with Gianni Toso, one of the 'old' Venetian Flamework Masters, in August 2010.
My studio is at our house, Castle Green, north of Sheffield - together with my surname, Little Castle Designs was born. All beads and pieces of jewellery are created here in my studio. I regularly contribute to jewellery and glass art magazines in the UK and Germany - and sometimes, the 'in the press' web page on this site is even up to date with them. I am a member of the Contemporary Glass Society and Craft Candy, a Sheffield-based group or local artists; and an elected committee member of Glass Bead Makers UK.
When I'm not making beads, my son is keeping me fully occupied.
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I hope you will enjoy looking through my work - please contact me if there is anything you would like but can't see - it is not always possible to re-create something exactly, but I'm sure we can work something out together. |
Take care,
Sabine