Posted with permission from Bead&Button

1. PROFILE “The little details are what
catch your eye; it’s not the
big objects. Working on
the details also gives you
a chance to discover
Convergence
Minds meet in a singular statement of metal and glass something else in your
work,” Dora says. Dora Schubert draws
on her background in
graphic design to
lampwork beads.
by Ann Dee Allen
When you meet Dora Schubert and Elizabeth Prior, you quickly
realize that their collaboration on Dora’s new collection of
jewelry isn’t all about the finished pieces. It’s about a passion
for lampworking and design and a spirited collegiality.
Photo by Lily West
Elizabeth Prior has been working
with metal for more than 30 years.
W
hen they “In my work with metal, the metal studio in Penland, North Carolina. As
presented the has dictated my forms to me, but I’d Dora and Elizabeth worked from 9 a.m.
collection at the never touched glass before,” Elizabeth until midnight at Penland each day, they
Tucson Whole says. “I thought, how in the world am I traded ideas. Dora wanted to learn
Bead Show in going to come up with a design? But metalworking, but Elizabeth cajoled her
January 2007, somehow, by figuring out what very out of it, saying: “You know, there’s
the artists offered a lively discussion limited things I could do in just a day or only so many years in life, why even
about jewelry making. Dora’s neck- two, I was able to come up with a bother.”
laces, rings, pendants, and pins feature concept for a finished piece. Ever since Elizabeth’s amusement stemmed
multilayered glass cabochons set in then, I’ve always worked that way.” from an experiment of Dora’s in which
silver by Elizabeth. Dora designs and “Me, too!” Dora says. “For me it Dora had glued a cabochon onto a
makes the cabochons and then sends was very important to begin with a metal ring form. Dora recalls, laughing:
them to Elizabeth, who designs the drawing and finish that piece.” Dora “[Elizabeth] looked at it and said, ‘You
metalwork and finishes the jewelry. now creates the cabochons for each of know what, Dora, why don’t you leave
Each piece bears Dora’s signature. her necklaces in one lampworking the metalwork to me!’ She has been in
Their partnership was sparked in session. “Part of it is an obsession I that line of work for 30 years. I was
Fall 2004 when the two met at Kristina have. When I discover something new, very honored when she offered to do it.”
Logan’s lampworking class at Haystack I just work at it until I exhaust all Dora returned home to Börnsen,
Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, possibilities,” she says. Germany, and immediately sent more
Maine. Kristina asked the class to first than two dozen glass cabochons to
design the glass components they Elizabeth offered her skills Elizabeth, who set to work in her South
planned to make for envisioned pieces Several students from Kristina’s class Portland, Maine, studio. She scanned
of jewelry and then to learn the tech- got together again for a week in March some sketches and e-mailed them to
niques they would need for the designs. 2006 at Penland School of Crafts’ bead Dora. Their ideas clicked.
Photos by Ralph Kerpa
102 Bead&Button | beadandbutton.com beadandbutton.com | June 2007 103

2. Dora’s designs were inspired by
Moorish mosaics and portholes
on ships. She used Moretti and
Vetrofond glass for these
pieces.
“Most of my beads have dots,” says Dora.
“I love dots. I also like working with lines,
partly because I was trained in graphic
design. I like lines because they’re so
straight. They’re very clean-cut. It’s the
direct opposite of what I am.”
“It’s so funny that her design was structure to the piece. It’s about be visible through the transparent glass. my opinion, is what contemporary craft her creativity. Her husband first Elizabeth’s work garnered national
exactly what I had in mind,” Dora says. her glass.” While the custom-designed mandrel is is all about.” brought up lampworking in 2003 after attention in 1988 at the first of many
“It’s very difficult for me to tell a The most important consideration exactly what she had in mind, it After a cabochon goes into the kiln, he saw a demonstration. Within three appearances at American Craft Council
designer how to design a piece. When for Elizabeth is that the finished jewelry requires her to take a unique approach it falls off the flat mandrel during the weeks of taking classes, Dora bought wholesale markets. During the past five
you start telling someone what to do, is technically sound. When she receives to lampworking. annealing process, as the temperature in her first professional torch. She then years, she has explored materials of
you begin to restrict their work.” the cabochons from Dora, she cuts the “There is a trick,” Dora says. the kiln decreases. At first it was a little taught herself how to make beads from color for her jewelry and beads: poly-
At the beginning of their collabora- silver for the bezels and marks them “You’ve got to keep the plate hot or the alarming for Dora to find a cab at the Corina Tettinger’s book Passing the mer clay, fiber, and, most recently, glass.
tion, Dora sent Elizabeth unlabeled with a numbering system for each bead will slide off. When I dot my bottom of the kiln. Now, it seems Flame: A Beadmaker’s Guide to Detail Clearly, the collaboration between
cabochons, which Elizabeth used at her cabochon. She solders every bezel onto work, I could be heating the mandrel natural to her. “It’s beautiful when it and Design. “It became my bible,” she these two artists has been beneficial.
discretion to create a specified number a base and sets the cabochon. She then three times or twice as much [as usual] comes out,” she says. “It’s always like says. She has also studied with Diana They set about brainstorming on a new
of necklaces. Now, Dora designs the designs and makes the links and clasp as I’m putting one dot on it!” Undaunt- Christmas to open the kiln.” East, Michael Barley, Andrea Guarino- collection shortly after arriving in
cabochons for one piece of jewelry and to complete the jewelry. ed, Dora says she enjoys the challenge of Dora has been involved in art and Slemmons, and Akihiro Ohkama. Dora Tucson. Their enthusiasm was evident
sends them to Elizabeth with notations keeping the cab on the mandrel. design for 30 years. She attended fine now sells a variety of beads. as they described the ideas flowing from
about placement within the piece. Mandrel has unique feature “I always tell my students – I teach arts school in her native Singapore in words to paper and the “good energy”
Dora is deliberate in her conception While Elizabeth stresses the simplicity beginners – that you better control the the 1970s, completed a separate graphic Dedication built on education they derive from showing their work.
of each jewelry design. “I’ve come to the of her technique, Dora describes the glass, otherwise the glass will control design program, and began studying Elizabeth’s interest in metalworking “It’s been really fun,” says
stage where I no longer make beads lampworking she uses for the cabo- you,” Dora adds. “You have to under- illustration in the United States in the began in 1974 and became her life’s Elizabeth. “The trick is realizing that
without any intention,” she says. “All chons as a balancing act. First, she need- stand and respect glass. It’s a living 1980s. Her life took a dramatic turn work in 1987. She first studied metal- things are working out the way they’re
my beads are made with a certain piece ed a custom mandrel with a flat bed, so thing when it’s fluid.” when she met her husband, Kai, and work at the Hilltop Craft Center at the supposed to and you just better get the
of jewelry in mind.” she commissioned a friend in Germany Elizabeth offers, “It also is the best quickly moved to Germany in 1986. University of Maine in Orono and heck out of the way!” w
Elizabeth downplays her role in the to make one. A typical mandrel has a exhibit of your control over the As the couple’s lives progressed, received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts
collection. “I knew the piece wasn’t protrusion that holds the glass in place, material. Your imagery is very much they moved between Singapore and from the Portland School of Art (now Visit Dora’s Web site at doraschubert
going to be about the metalwork,” she but the protrusion leaves a hole in the dictated by what you know glass will do Germany, and had two children. the Maine College of Art) in 1982. She .com and Elizabeth’s Web site at
says. “The metalwork simply gives cabochon. Dora did not want a hole to and the property of the glass, which, in Dora made crafts as an outlet for has studied extensively at Penland. epriorjewelry.com.
104 Bead&Button | beadandbutton.com beadandbutton.com | June 2007 105