| My name is April Velazquez, I am married and do not have children, (unless you count my cat, Kiki, and my dog, Curly), I am in my thirties, and I am a total klutz. My husband lovingly calls me "Grace" when I injure myself. For as long as I can remember, I have been mesmerized and fascinated by the way light plays on the colors in art glass. So I was excited when I signed up for a two-day lampworking workshop in 2003. When I melted my first piece of glass, I knew I was hooked! I thought just looking at art glass was mesmerizing, it pales in comparison! Each color of glass melts and flows at a different rate, certain colors cause chemical reactions when used together, different amounts of oxygen can create different effects. The possibilities are endless! For the first time in my life, I knew what I really wanted to do. When I told my friends and family about the workshop, most of the replies sounded something like: "No offense April, but aren't you a little 'graceful' to be working with an open flame". That workshop demonstrated how to make round glass beads, but I learned the basics that I needed to teach myself how to make other things. I joined a few informative forums on the internet, (you can view these by clicking the Links button on the left hand side), and through trial and a lot of error, have managed to create some beautiful things. 
GRACEFUL GLASS IS BORN
To see more examples of my work, you can go to my Galleries page. You can also view the items that are currently listed for sale online by following links on my my Online Sales page. I also take custom orders. Just click the button on the left to e-mail me if you are interested. I sincerely hope my customers enjoy wearing my pieces as much as I enjoy creating them. |