I'm Beth Johnson, a retired Biology professor and college administrator.  It's a profession I loved.  Working with students to help them understand the relationships in the natural world and the amazing complexity and beauty of the human body was most rewarding.  It was particularly thrilling to see a passion for Biology take over a student's imagination! 

Much of my free time over the years has been spent creating works of art that interpreted my feelings about the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, where I live.  That, and my volunteer work on several Boards, continues to makes my life fulfilling and meaningful.

As a teenager, I began painting in acrylics and oils .  In later years, I turned to watercolor painting, which allowed me more freedom to quickly capture ideas and impressions onto paper.  Retirement allowed me more time to devote to my artistic side, and I began to design and sell freeform baskets, using everything from twigs, to yarn, to slender iris leaves from my perennial garden.  Later,  I began quilting and found the colors and textures of fabrics to be fascinating.  As I designed small art quilts, I felt like I was painting once more...but I was painting the faces of family and the beautiful scenery of my life with tiny bits of fabric!

 All of these forms of expression still give me great pleasure, each in its own way.  My love of interpreting nature through various media finally has brought me to the art of lampworking.  Now, I spend many hours each week creating unique and original glass beads of multiple glowing layers and unusual forms.  Coming to understand this new medium and the many surprises and rewards it offers keeps me up late at night!

In early 2007, I began making silver pieces from precious metal clay...pure silver particles suspended in an organic "binder."  Beads, and pendants...interesting faces have been captured in silver and formed into unique and fascinating pendants, and exact replicas of leaves, twigs and seeds have become earrings, pins and neckpieces.  Exploring the mysteries of glass and metal has become my passion!

My creations find their way into pieces of jewelry, which are featured in several area galleries and stores (see links to websites.)  A photo of one of my jewelry pieces can be seen in the "I Love New York" brochure for 2007.

 My studio is in my home, nestled alongside the bank of the Racquette River, in the center of the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York.  This is a region of evergreen forests, and deep blue lakes strung together by the random flows of the river. 

It is a beautiful place to live, work and play!  Here in my studio, one can find clusters of glass rods in rainbow colors, capturing the sunshine and forming little rainbows on my countertops as I work.  Flashes of light reflected from half-formed silver pieces glitter on the walls.

        I've become obsessed with fire and glass and the glimmer of pure silver...

Gallery of Beads     Gallery:  earrings, bracelets, watches, pins        Gallery of Jewelry I            Gallery of Jewelry II        Testimonials       Feedback and Ordering      

PMC and Beaded Pens       Inuit and Japanese Icons