Amy Jean Nichols

Glass Beads & Enamels

Soon after graduating from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA in 1988, Amy Jean Nichols started making glass beads. The beads she creates are made by a technique called lampworking. Colored glass is melted at a torch then shaped onto a steel rod, then cooled slowly in a kiln.

Combining her love of motorcycles and art she drives a 1973 BMW with a sidecar! She carries the beads to sell and trade on tours across the land. Taking her so far through 49 states in the United States, plus Canada and Mexico.

Amy Jean also works with enameling specializing in leaves with a series called “Leafing Out”. Trees are the symbol of shelter, strength, and family. Trees are able to reach their branches out to the sky and grow. She gets her inspiration from the trees that surround her fifth-generation farmhouse in Bath, Ohio. Created by individually shaped copper, then each piece is decorated with glass enamel powder and fired at 1400 degrees for each color.