RebeccaCordingley

Art has always played an important role in my life. I played the piano, violin and harp as a child and spent most of my spare time with my nose in a book. In my teens and early 20s, I loved taking photos with my SLR and developing them in the darkroom.
I studied politics then post-graduate social health at university, with a particular interest in human rights. I have a very strong interest in disability and women's issues, especially violence against women.

In 2006, a friend introduced me to lampworking. I knew nothing about jewellery at the time - I didn't even know what a lampwork bead was - but I was fascinated by hot glass and hooked from the moment I melted my first rod.

I bought my first little torch (a hothead) that week and set up a small studio at home. That small studio grew as I acquired more glass and tools and moved on to more powerful torches.

I find hot glass mesmerising and love playing with it and trying to get colours to react in different ways. The array of reactions you can get from a single rod of silver-rich glass is astonishing and depends on so many variables - the temperature of the flame, the chemical makeup of the flame, the kiln environment, the types of tools used to manipulate the glass (brass vs graphite etc)...

Like so many artists/craftspeople, I began selling my work as a way to fund my hobby but after a while my business became quite successful.
Unfortunately, in late 2010, I had to give up lampworking due to ill health. Since then, I've been back to university to study post-graduate computer science.

From the time I started lampworking, I've wanted to try silversmithing and I was eventually able to do beginners and intermediate silver jewellery-making and lost wax casting courses at the incredible Jam Factory in Adelaide.

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I'm a big proponent of buying handmade whenever possible - not just for the sake of the creator but for ethical and environmental reasons, too. I find that people who make things by hand are often interested in the origins of their materials and concerned about the impact their work might have on others and the world. Some materials cannot be obtained as ethically as I would like and that's a conflict I often find myself thinking about as I'm working.
I use recycled/reclaimed materials whenever possible.

I also think handmade objects are inherently more interesting than mass-produced. They're never machine-perfect but their imperfections make them unique and remind the owner that a real person put time, knowledge and skill into creating their piece. I like knowing that the things I own are one of a kind.

I get an enormous sense of satisfaction from the process of turning a pile of raw materials into something (hopefully) beautiful and/or useful.

All my items are handmade, by me, in my studio in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.

I hope you enjoy my work!