Larissa Spafford Designs

 Hi! I’m Larissa.

 

     When I was a little girl living in San Juan Capistrano, California, there was a magical shop filled with vibrant and colorful hand painted pottery. Sometimes people sat at tiny tables in the arched entrance ways creating glass hummingbirds and other figurines in the flames of torches. Several times, I watched in awe as the glass became molten and was transformed into sparkling creations. That is where my journey with lampwork glass making began.

 

     In my early teenage years, living in Port Townsend, Washington, I saw glass beads being made in a gallery downtown. At that point I just knew I needed to learn to do that someday. I loved creating all kinds of jewelry from dyed macaroni noodle necklaces, Native American style seed bead earrings and loom woven bracelets, braided hemp and gemstone jewelry to polymer clay bead jewelry. The possibility of making my own glass beads to use in my jewelry was enticing.

 

     In my later teenage years, for our first Christmas together, as newly married parents of a 6 month old, my husband gave me my first torch. Shortly after we set it up in the entry way of the apartment we shared with room mates and my first beads were born. The first ones were little nubs streaked with grey soot, had sharp holes and many cracked, but I was hooked.

 

     At first I learned from books and magazines and as much experimenting as I could fit into the few hours here and there when I could get a much needed creative break from life as a stay at home mom. While he napped in my lap I often thought about the beads I’d create and the techniques I wanted to try the next chance I got.

 

     After about a year, I attended my first lampwork glass bead making class and shortly after another and another. I feel so fortunate and grateful that I was able to learn from several of the most talented lampwork glass bedmakers without leaving town.

 

     It wasn’t long before I’d set up a card table on the sidewalk downtown and sell my beads and jewelry for a couple hours before the shop owners would call the police to complain and they’d come and make me leave. Next I participated in my first local craft fairs and farmer’s markets. That led to branching out and exhibiting my work at larger contemporary craft fairs and bead shows in nearby Seattle and Tacoma.

 

     After working with glass for about a decade, and another baby boy later, in 2009, fueled by our love of snowboarding, my husband and I took a chance and a massive leap of faith, uprooted the beautiful life we’d created in Port Townsend and moved to Bend, Oregon.

 

     After moving to Bend I began traveling more and more to exhibit my work at fine art and contemporary craft fairs up and down the west coast and as far away as Baltimore and Chicago. Craft fair travel life was exciting while it lasted, but ultimately my desire to be with my family tugged at my heart, telling me to stay home.

 

     Over the years my work and how to articles have been featured in a variety of publications. I enjoyed having studio space at The Workhouse, a wonderful local artists and makers studio space and gallery. Red Chair Gallery, also a local artist gallery has been home to my work for over 10 years now.

 

     It’s been over 25 years since I made my first bead. Those baby boys are grown and creating beautiful lives of their own. With them out of the house we’re wondering what’s next on this wild adventure of life we’re on together?!

 

     Over the years I’ve often heard people say, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body”. That is so not true! Everyone is creative. Creativity isn’t a bone, it’s more like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. So if you have even a tiny spark of desire to be creative, listen to it, follow it and create something. You never know where your creativity will lead. 

 

Creating with glass has taught me so much. It's brought me so much joy and there’s still so much to learn!