|
Hi,
my name is Brad Pearson and I live in the wonderful city of Richmond,
Virginia. It's a medium size city with a rich history and wonderful
architecture. My home and studio are in a neighborhood that was built
in the 1920’s.
I
later moved the studio to a large warehouse in the city. I shared the
space with a blacksmith and a furniture maker where During
this time I also worked part time in a wonderful father and son scientific
glass shop (Research Glass). . Brian and John Bivins taught me the
ins and outs of working with Pyrex tubing on a glassblowing lathe. Hopefully I have proved that small works of art are not insignificant. I treat each and every bead as a miniature sculptural work. I
now enjoy the best of two worlds. I get to be a full time artist, working
on pieces that still get me excited, and in addition, I get to be the
stay at home parent for my two children. So if you drive by at 1:00
AM and the lights are on in the basement, that would be me making beads...
|
I
also attended school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
VCU is one of the largest art schools on the east coast. When I first
started there I was planning to be a furniture designer. I took glassblowing
on a whim, and the rest is history. Once I held the molten glass, there
was no turning back. From there on I took every glass class I could
get into. In my senior year I completed 11 credits in the glass shop.
After graduating I worked for Hershey’s Ice cream in the freezer
and as a truck driver . If you want to talk about extremes, how about
going from a 100 degree studio to a freezer that was 20 below zero.
Saving every penny I could, I bought my first studio and set it up
in my very understanding parent’s garage. 
we
worked for about 7 years in our respective fields. The wonderful thing
about the arrangement in this studio was the sharing of ideas and inspiration
that came from working closely together. Throughout this time my glass
work began to get smaller and more intricate in its designs. The movement
towards beads was a natural progression for my interests. When my daughter
was born, I sold the glassblowing studio and built a flame-working
studio in the garage at my home. Later we moved to a larger home, and
the studio was moved to the basement where it now stands.