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Hi My name is Michelle Veizaga and I am a glass artist. My studio name is Sun Door Beads which is where I create all of my Glass and Jewelry pieces. I am a self representing artist which means that I alone create every bead and nothing is mass produced. I belong to the SRA and my member number is #V-25 I am also a member of Lampworketc.com which is a forum for everything Glass!!!
I began as a humble yet fickle crafter who has done everything from knitting to scrapbooking. I always had the support of my Mother and Grandparents who enabled me to learn just about anything I put my mind to. My Mother herself is a musician and an artist and my Grandfather could pretty much teach himself anything as well as being an accomplished Pianist, My Grandmother is an extraordinary woman who is the most amazing cook and gardener! My Mom was responsible for putting my first crayon in my hand and always having a supply of craft items on hand for us to create with.
I was always mesmerized by glass and my Mother had a beautiful glass animal collection which, sadly, are now are missing limbs due to my affections. This facsination must be in my blood because my Great Grandparents worked for the Stuben Glassworks Factory. That said I never was able to quite put all the pieces together as to how it was done and just admired the final product collecting items as my Mom had.
I first came across a "Lampwork" Artist on my first visit to Disneyworld and finally said "AH HA" I now had mentally connected the dots and was set out to learn how I could accomplish this amazing feat! I looked everywhere online in bookstores but this "lampworking" was very elusive. I finally gave up and went on "scrapbooking" (If only I had saved my money to buy glass-hehehe).
One day I googled glass beads and came up with Cindy Jenkins Book Making Glass Beads and was stunned at how easy it seemed to be and how "available" most of the items were. It took another two years and some fundraising- (Thank You Grandma!!!!) to set up my first Kitchen studio. I was so scared when I lit my first torch and I was almost expecting the entire house to go up in flames but I heard only a beautiful hiss and remembering all the steps made my first (lopsided) bead!!!!! Except for Cindy Jenkins book I am entirely self taught and had never taken a class. I now have used tutorials, advice and the help of my new amazing friend Dawn Scannell to further my knowledge of this intricate skill. I would also like to thank the LE community for being so supportive and giving the best constructive critisism and help out there.
I could never forget to mention my amazing family!!!! I have the most supportive husband in the world and the most beautiful sons God could've given me!!! My Hubby Oliver has sat in the garage with me many a night talking to me while I create and even making a few beads himself!!!! He has always told me "buy it" if I needed glass or something else and although we could'nt always afford it he would find someway to get me what I needed. My oldest son Gabriel has made glass into science projects, hobby winning a spot in his district science fair for his topic on annealing glass!! My youngest son Bryan is only 3 but he is my biggest fan and loves to "look" at all of creations and comment on them. I would be nowhere without them and thank God everyday that they are mine!
I continue to grow and find myself as an artist and hope one day to be a well recongnized name in the Glass World. I will always feel at home behind the torch and look forward to providing unique pieces that people will cherish for generations.
Thank you for all of your support and to my customers who have faith in my designs. Thank you God for providing me with this amazing talent. All thanks in this life are to God!
With Many Blessings,
Michelle Veizaga
SunDoorBeads
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