Michelle Hair
Visual Arts
Michelle Hair is a Colorado Springs lampwork and fused glass artist as well as the owner of New Earth Beads. Lampwork is the art of using a torch to melt glass rods and form the molten material into shapes, such as beads, with hand movements and tools. Fused art is where sheet glass is cut into shapes, arranged, and fired in a kiln where it melts together to form various creations. She has a home studio and properly anneals all glass pieces in her kiln for durability. In May 2017 she began teaching fused glass glasses at her home studio. To view upcoming classes or to schedule a private group class, please visit https://squareup.com/market/new-earth-beads or email Michelle@newearthbeads.com.
Michelle is a relatively new glass artist having taken initial classes in August 2013. Her teachers/mentors recognized and praised her natural talent with glass and encouraged her to pursue her new passion. Michelle feels such intense joy when she is creating with glass and believes that this energy is infused into each piece. She designs each piece with the intention to invoke joy and inspire others to follow their passion. She currently practices her art full-time.
In 2014, her first year of introducing her art to the public, Michelle participated in many handcrafted art events which included: MeadowGrass Music Festival, Colorado Farm & Art Markets, Downtown Sunday Markets, Woodland Park Fine Art Market, Front Range BBQ Art Show, Discover GoodWill Market, Senior Center Art Fair, and Cheyenne Mountain High School Holiday Fair. She is a key player in advocating for the continuation of the successful summer Downtown Sunday Market in Acacia Park.
While vending her art at these events she was approached by managers of the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital gift shop in Woodland Park and also the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum offering to sell her creations in their stores. Her lampwork bead bottle stoppers were featured in the Fall 2015 edition of Springs Magazine (Locally Good, p.45).
To date, she creates the following glass art pieces:
Lampwork – individual handcrafted glass beads, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, zipper pulls, wine charms, bottle stoppers, and beadable utensils.
Fused Glass – earrings, pendants, cufflinks, tie pins, tie bars, dishes, coasters, yard art, and nightlights.
Michelle continues to expand what she creates and makes deliberate conscious choices when purchasing findings for her projects. When possible she uses products made in the USA. She also uses only energy efficient LED lightbulbs in her nightlight creations.