Yeah, who the heck is Eli?  My name is Sharon Kopko and my creative passion is melting glass in a really hot torch and beating the crap out of metal.  Two crafts that are very therapeutic for me : )  Where does Eli come from, well it's my husband's nickname for me as my middle name is Elizabeth, so he shortened it to Eli. 

 

I have been melting glass since 2004 after I took my first lampworking class from Delphi Glass and am totally in love with this art form.  I make beads primarily for artisans that design jewelry, including silver lined beads that fit all of the European style bracelets such as Pandora and Biagi.  I also have learned the art of metalsmithing -  annealing, forging, chasing, fold-forming metal into designs for you.  I primarily work with Copper, Brass, Silver and Gold.

  

Many thanks to my wonderful husband John and my three children - Jaimi, Alex and Emma for all of their support. John built my studio fully equipped with an exhaust system, ceramic top workbench for glassblowing as well as a metalsmith bench. He says my collection of tools is growing larger than his (as it should be, right?).   

 

I am proud to say that I am a registered Self Representing Artist which means that all of my creations are handmade by me, no mass reproduction in this studio. No design can be totally replicated which is the beauty and uniqueness of handmade, artisan designs.

 

 Enough about me, off to create some baubles for all of you! 

 

Best Regards,

eli