Welcome to part two of December's Diva of the Month. In this installment, we talk about "Ten Things Glass." This month's Diva is Sonja McClung of Silver River Glass and Jewelry.
1. Attraction to Glass - We asked Sonja what first attracted her to glass. She says, "I've always liked lampwork glass beads and I wanted to make my jewelry as unique as possible. Plus, I like to play with fire."
2. Training in Other Artistic Areas - Many glass artists have training in other mediums, and Sonja is no exception. She tells us she also does lapidary work (stones) and metal smithing. And, she enjoys drawing and sketching.
3. First Beads - We asked Sonja to tell us about the first bead(s) she was ever proud of. She said she was particularly proud of the first batch of beads that she ever made in class because, "Well, they were round lol. And round is not as easy as you would think." The beads below were made 12 days after her first class.
4. Inspiration - Sonja tell us that just about anything can give her inspiration, but the top two things that inspire her are color - "I love just about every color under the sun and the combination of colors are endless" and nature - "Anything in nature can give me an aha moment."
5. Ideas and Planning - Sonja tell us, "Sometimes I have a plan sometimes not. Usually if I have a plan it involves learning new skills or specifically practicing skills. This sometimes deteriorates into just playing with glass though, as I tend to have so many ideas swirling around my head, I can go off on a tangent any time."
6. Photography - Photography is a very important component for any glass artist who sells online. Sonja uses a portable light box from Walmart with an OttLite. "I have no idea what type of camera I have lol except that I know its a Canon and the macro button works great."
7. Money - We asked Sonja, if the issue of finances (i.e. will it sell?) were of no consequence, what would she spend your time making? She says, "The same things I make know, I can't really make myself make something just because its popular. But I am very blessed that I have a full time day job that allows me to make what I want when I make beads."
8. Personal Style - What kind of jewelry does Sonja wear? Every day vs on the town? She tells us, "Every day jewelry is usually something simple and organic and most likely going to be something that I have made Out on the town would be a bit more sparkly but still most likely something that I have made. I make jewelry also so I don't really own a lot of jewelry from anywhere else."
9. Skills - One skill that Sonja wishes came easier to her is sculptural work. She says "I am just not that good at it, but I will continue to practice til I get it!"
10. Marketing - "I don't particularly enjoy any of the marketing," Sonja says, "but if I had to pick something it would be wearing my work. The hardest part of marketing for me has always been just putting myself out there to begin with."
Stay tuned for next week's installment!
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