About the Artist

Barbara Becker Simon has been a jeweler for over thirty-five years and a lampwork/bead artist since 1996. She received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in metalwork and jewelry from the University of Wisconsin.

Her teaching duties have included: the University of Wisconsin, Menomonie, and Iowa State University. She held the position of professor of Fine Arts at Edison Community College, Ft Myers, Florida, is currently on the staff of the Cape Coral Art Studio.

Recently, she has traveled the country as a Senior Instructor for the Rio Rewards Precious Metal Clay Certification Classes. 2004 saw her in Japan teaching PMC workshops in the land of its origin. In 2001, her necklace, "Winter", earned the Grand Prize "Millennial Metal, The Art of Precious Metal Clay," held at the Brookfield Craft Center, Brookfield CT. Her work appears in CeCe Wire's book, Creative Metal Clay Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration.

In addition to her metalwork she has gained a national reputation for her Lampworked glass beads and jewelry. The third edition of Contemporary Lampworking by Bandhu Dunham features her hollow core vessels on the cover. Formed of Fire by Bandhu Dunham and Cindy Jenkins' book, Beads of Glass, contain examples of her work and a how-to on hollow core vessels

She has garnered recognition for both her metalwork and her glass work in such publications as Lapidary Journal and such venues as the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C..

"I have been an artist all my life. I can't remember when I wasn't drawing or making something. I distinctly recall drawing ballerinas in kindergarten.

Within the first week of jewelry class in college, I knew that this was where I wanted to be: designing and creating art to wear.

And when introduced to the world of lampworking, I was gleefully consumed with the drive to create small, intimate objects in glass. Manipulating hot glass is, for me, an exciting, joyful process. When I can combine my glass with my metalwork, I feel that the best of both worlds has been achieved."