Handmade Jewlery, Bags, Clothing, Art, Crafts, Craft Ideas, Crafting Blog

Handblown Art Glass Cremation Jewelry

in Featured Crafters, Handmade, Jewelry on

Mark Hamilton

Random Facts About You?

I'm vegan

My grandfather was a glassblower

My birthday is the summer solstice

I've lived in 6 different states and 3 foreign countries



What got you started crafting?

I fell in love with glassworking for the first time as a kid when I visited my grandfather who worked at the Corning Glass Works in New York. I remember melting thin rods of glass over a bunsen burner in my home science kit and wishing I could do more with them.

The first time I actually made something out of glass as an adult was when I was 26. I was traveling in North Carolina and a glass artist I met let me make some beads on her torch. I was hooked and within the year I had found a torch to work on and someone to teach me the fundamentals of glass blowing. I've been an active blown glass artist ever since.



What is your source of inspiration?

My source of inspiration for my cremation pendants is, of course, the person or animal whose ashes I'm working with. I really love to have several photos of them so I can feel their energy as I create their memorial pendants.



What have you made recently?

My most recent line of handblown glass creations is the cremation pendants. After quite a number of my customers requested them, I took the time to develop a line of glass memorial pendants that really let the cremation ashes become the focal point of the piece. Since the cremains vary so much, each pendant is just as unique as the person or pet it's memorializing.





Where do you sell your crafts presently?

I used to sell my work at craft shows all over the country, but now I sell almost exclusively online.



Why are handmade crafts important to you?

I recognize that there's more to any object than is visible with the eyes alone. There is an energetic component that becomes a part of the object as it's being created. We recognize this intuitively and are drawn to objects that are obviously handcrafted instead of being made by machine. There is a much warmer energy to these handcrafted objects, particularly when they are made by an artist who loves what they do.



MENU