North Georgia Arts Guild Kimberly Adams

The Arts North Georgia Arts Guild Kimberly Adams – Glass Artist, Author and Teacher

By Tricia Moore

Kimberly Adams is a glass artist and the owner of Transformation Glass, which specializes in lampwork glass bead jewelry and kilnformed glass. She has been a member of the arts community in Clayton, Georgia and an active member of the North Georgia Arts Guild for several years. Currently, she serves on the NGAG board as Chairman of the Outreach/In-reach Committee and is coordinator for the Northeast Georgia Arts Tour. Having always been interested in art and design, Kim studied Fashion Design while living in Chicago. However, after taking a lampwork glass bead class, she knew she had found the perfect avenue for expressing her creative spirit. The beautiful, one-of-akind beads that Kim makes, created with narrow rods of glass and a torch, was the beginning of a life-long interest in glass artistry. Along the way, Kim has both taken and taught many classes in creating with glass. Kim and her family moved to Asheville, North Carolina in 1993 because of Asheville’s art/artist friendly reputation. In 2005, Kim wrote “The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking” published by Lark Books. Kim related that she had contributed to other books published by Lark, but nothing compared to writing an entire book on her own. She stated that it was the hardest thing that she had ever done. The book generated many positive reviews and is still available for purchase. It can also be found at the local library in Clayton. beautiful home in Tiger, Georgia where Kim has a workshop/ studio on the lower floor. Kim has two grown children by a previous marriage, Ian who is 32 and lives in Michigan and Jordan, 30 who is a fiber artist here in Clayton. Kim has continued to learn new ways to express herself through her chosen art medium. In addition to her unique glass beads, Kim creates gorgeous fused glass vases, bowls, platters, candle

In 2011, Kim met her future husband, Veterinarian John Woodward, on Thanksgiving Day at a mutual friend’s home in Henderson, North Carolina. Kim and John now share a

holders, and even lamp shades. One of her most recent projects is a large multi-colored glass chandelier that represents the four seasons and hangs over her dining room table. She uses a technique called “drop out” for creating many of her utilitarian pieces. This method involves fusing glass into a sheet, and using molds for the melted glass to drop into. She states she loves this method because she can create pieces that look like blown glass.

Three years ago, in 2019, Kim took a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in powdered glass painting. This is a complex technique that Kim has mastered to create truly unique wall art. To help me, and the reader of this article to understand this process, Kim walked me through the steps involved.

The first part of the process involves preparing the screen. The screen is coated with a thin layer of photo sensitive emulsion and let dry for 24 hours. The black and white image, which has been printed on transparency paper, is placed against the screen. The screen with the image on it is placed in a light box with UV light and exposed for a little less than two minutes. The light causes the emulsion to harden and bind to the screen. Where the light is blocked (where the image has been placed), the image remains water soluble. The screen is soaked with water and softened and then “hit with a hose.” The water soluble sections are washed away leaving the image. A sheet of glass is set up on condiment cups, and the screen is placed over this. A light coating of powdered glass is placed on the screen and a piece of mat board is used as a squeegee to push the powdered glass through the screen. This forms the image on the glass, and the glass is placed in the kiln and fired at a temperature of 1250 – 1450 degrees. The higher level of heat creates a smoother shinier effect. This method of creating glass art is a way to make framable glass art and a wonderful addition to Kim’s repertoire of artwork.

If you are interested in viewing or purchasing Kim’s unique artwork or in taking a class from her, you can email her at beadtyc1@gmail.com, or visit her website at www. transformationglass.com. Her work can also be seen at the booth she shares with her daughter Jordan at Butler’s Galleries in Clayton.

Tricia Moore is a retired teacher, having taught both English and Art in public and private school settings. She is currently an active member of the NGAG and has held several positions on the board. With her background in both art and writing, she feels that writing the NGAG featured artist article in the Laurel of Northeast Georgia is a good fit and something that she will greatly enjoy doing.