Member Profile: Amy Waldman Smith

Amy Waldman Smith is a fixture at the Toronto Bead Society Show. She’s not the table or the chairs, she is the light! Her beads are standard fare for any collector and have gained her reputation by quality production.

Imagine, her watching TV one day while flipping through the channels and catching the tail end of program and the name Lezlie. Then the sleuthing began. Local cable – York area; only internet connection – Thornhill Studio. Like a patient detective she waited until she found a studio tour and the next thing, her daughter Sarah pushed her into signing up for a weekend class. From there, she never looked back.

Of course Lezlie, is Lezlie Winemaker a very talented glass artist and a big inspiration to Amy. She is also influenced by Emiko Sawamoto, Loren Stump, Heather Trimlett, Sharon Peters and Jim Smircich. She does admit to being a bit of a groupie when it comes to her admiration for Michael Barley. He didn’t know what to make of her when she was so excited just to say hello to him!

Although Amy has studied with the best, her greatest teacher has been PRACTISE. When she started teaching at BeadFX she had to hone up her skills in order to offer a wider range of techniques. Her dots were great, her flowers . . . not so great. Now after much more practice her control allows her to do simple symmetrical spacers, complex dot creations, encased florals and sculptural creations as well.

What are her favourite colours? She loves a medium blue, but can’t remember the name of it, and ivory because of the chemical reactions that amaze and intrigue her.

When it comes to the creative process, she says she finds a natural high in working with the flame. She concentrates so totally on the bead that the rest of the world disappears. Each little creation takes her away while she makes it.

Her biggest challenge is finding time to play at her torch and practice making the dots just right so they end up looking like flowers. Three and five petal flowers don’t seem to cause a problem, but 4 dots . . . go figure.

Have you seen her hippy dippy flower beads? They are hers. She doesn’t cop other lampworkers, but instead gives her own interpretation of the beads. They will be featured at her table at the Toronto Bead Society Show in the fall.

Amy’s work can be seen at her new website www.amywaldmansmith.com or at the May 6th Bead and Jewellery Fair. Enjoy!

By Susan Hood