About
About the Artists...
The glass beads shown on this site are primarily made by me, Melissa Perry McQuilkin, but now and then, I may list some beads made by my beadmaker husband, Bill McQuilkin.
Many of you know me already and have been with me from the days when my company was called Melissa Perry Glass Studio. Others just learning about our beads might wonder why the change. When I started out selling beads, I did all the beadmaking and all the other tasks involved such as marketing, traveling to shows to sell the beads, making the jewelry, etc. Over time my business grew and I added on a part time person to help with shipping and other office tasks. My then fiance, now husband, Bill began helping with the business too. He helped by traveling to shows, packing and shipping and eventually began making beads as well. When his beads became more and more popular buyers were confused as to who made them -- me or him. So in time, we decided to change the name to something more vague that could grow with us.
At the time the company name changed from Melissa Perry Glass Studio to Whitney Street Studio, my name was no longer Melissa Perry anyway and hadn't been for several years. Although I had established my company name I am a bit old fashioned and took my husband's last name when we married. The new company name would allow us to have more than one beadmaker in the studio rather than having all the beads made by me alone. It also allowed us room to move into other areas should we ever tire of glass, as silly as that sounds.
Our company continues to evolve and at this time, I am the sole beadmaker again. Bill has moved on to other endeavors and is currently working as a Grader in a lumber mill.
We are fortunate to have had so many of our beads published in books and magazines over the years. It's always exciting to see your own work on the pages of the latest book or in your favorite magazines. Below is a list of the publications our beads have appeared in.
2006 Glass Art Calender
Wet Canvas Glass Artists Present (TBA)
2005 Glass Art Calender
Wet Canvas Glass Artists Present Sand and Fire
Beadwork Magazine Presents Stringing , Spring 2005
Ear-Resistible - 40 Designs!
Beadwork, October 2004
The Challenge
Beadwork, June 2004
W.O.R.D. What Our Readers Did
Beads of Glass
The Art and the Artists
by Cindy Jenkins
Obsession: A Ten Year Affair with the Bead
A juried exhibit and auction catalog to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF).
Beadwork, June 2002
Garden Goddess Necklace by Sarah Beth Cullinan
The Crafts Report, June 2001
Should You Say "I Do" to the Bridal Industry by Diane Lamdin Myer
Lapidary Journal, October 2000
Beads in Cyberspace by Ilene Sternberg
The Crafts Report, August 2000
Insight: Bead Artists
All of our glass is individually handcrafted using a technique called lampworking. Although modern equipment is used, this is an age-old technique. Rods of glass are heated in the flame of a torch until nearly molten. The hot glass is wound around a stainless steel rod called a mandrel. This basic process forms the bead. Additional glass is added to the bead to decorate it and create unlimited design possibilities. Once the bead is completed at the torch, it is then placed in an annealing oven to slow cool to prevent thermal shock, otherwise known as a cracked or broken bead. The annealing cycle is quite lengthy, yet it ensures each bead will be able to survive many generations to come. Most of our beads are made with Kugler glass from Germany and in the past we used Effetre, an Italian glass, more commonly known as Moretti glass. In 1996 we phased Effetre out of our studio and began using Kugler.
We also dabble in borosilicate, a hard glass, occasionally. All of our borosilicate pieces are one of a kind. We primarily use Northstar and Glass Alchemy colors and Pyrex clear rods and tubing, but we sometimes dip into our small stash of Rooster and Chameleon colors as well.
If you are interested in learning more about the beadmaking process, visit the International Society of Glass Beadmakers Website or the Wet Canvas Glass Forum.
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