CourtneyBDesigns

I'm a homebody. I love the rolling hills of Southern Ohio where I live. It's gorgeous here. I have a small homestead that my husband and son help me to care for. We have a big black horse, a tiny French bulldog and a Lab/Shep mix, a handful of chickens for eggs, a herd of Nubian goats for milk, cheese, lotion, and soap, and a couple of spoiled cats. I am happiest here, and now I am making my living here as well. Life is good.

I'm not from around here. I come from "the city". Mine happens to have been the Washington, DC area. I grew up in the suburbs and dreamed of this kind of life, even when I was a child. Eventually, I found it ... and peace and quiet. (well except for roosters crowing and goats yelling), but first I was surrounded by hustle and bustle. I blocked it out with art. Always making things, I found a joyous juxtaposition in creating art. I was blissful in the solitude of creation, and yet felt a greater connection with the universe and life itself.

Ceramics was my first epiphany. I loved creating in 3-D! I took a sculpture course, and my professor complained to me that I kept my scale much too small. He told me I should look into jewelry. So I did just that. At 18, I began my apprenticeship to a master goldsmith and jeweler. During the next 15 years of creating wearable art, I learned the use of torch, the movement of metal, and even the grading of precious stones.

Then I found a new love. Lampworking. Melting gorgeous, colored glass rods with a torch into tiny sculptures and beads became my obsession. The minute details and all their possibilities were addicting. There in the fluid medium of molten glass, I found my Zen.

I have been flame working glass for over 14 years now, and I am so blessed to be able to make a living doing so!. Trying new designs and incorporating metal work into my pieces keeps me fresh. I'm full steam ahead and SO EXCITED! I hope you enjoy my work as much as I do!