Artists
Sandy Morrice
"I'm a late starter!" says Sandy. Sandy picked up her first beading project about two and a half years ago and having completed it successfully moved on to making necklaces. She then worked on projects she found in beading magazines and before long was finding her friends were becoming her customers.
Sandy lives in the small country town of Gracemere, near Rockhampton in Central Queensland. In that area, Sandy found she was unable to buy the variety and quality of beads she wanted to use in her projects so started buying from eBay. She spent a lot of time sourcing different beads, developing new designs and absorbing everything she could from the increasing number of beading magazines available. Inevitably, Sandy found her curiosity subsequently led her into questioning just how handmade beads and the patterns they incorporated were made.
During Sandy's first visit to the Brisbane Bead and Gem Show in 2005 she met Kimmyg and Gary Lisle. This meeting and the conversations which ensued led to Sandy applying for RADF funding to allow Gary to teach a beginners class in lampworking at Gracemere in October 2005. Having completed this class, Sandy was determined that this was to be her new career and set out to make beautiful beads, even though she admits that her first 'round' bead was a "tragic, off-centre oblong shape"!!
Sandy didn't purchase her basic equipment and glass until July 2006 and so, feeling that she needed to refresh her skills, jumped at the chance to attend a local workshop conducted by Tracy Brown from Brisbane, which had been subsidised by Flying Arts Queensland. Tracy extended Sandy's talent by teaching her florals and hollows as well as some more basic skills. Sandy feels that she has been blessed to have teachers who have willingly shared their skills and expertise in educating her to this point. Glass artists all over the world continue to inspire and amaze Sandy with the many and varied techniques they employ to create their miniature works of art.
Sandy has recently completed a beginner silversmithing course in order to enable her to make her own jewellery components to compliment her designs.
Sandy now finds glass a fascinating and absorbing medium. She is always excited to be unpacking 'her babies' from her kiln, even though there are still disappointments from time to time. "Yep, I'm definitely obsessed with the limitless possibilities and magical reactions that occur in glass and I am continually amazed when 'this' or 'that' experiment produces such wonderful results", she says!