Larry Scott, glass bead maker extraordinaire (and former box magnate), acted as curator for MASTERS: Glass Beads. He took a few moments from his busy workshop schedule to chat with us.

Larry, was it challenging to narrow the field down to just 40 invited artists?

Challenging, yes, to put it mildly. There are many beadmakers who deserve the title ‘Master,’ but all of the ‘Masters’ books are limited to just 40 artists.

I asked several other beadmakers and bead collectors to send me the names of those they would include if they were the curator instead of me. I also made lists of names in exhibition catalogs and in books, like Lark’s 1000 Glass Beads. I cross-referenced all those lists with my own choices and eventually all the names fell into place.

Surely another curator would have made other choices and I know that some artists were disappointed. Still, I have received surprisingly few death threats.

Some beadmakers draw direct inspiration from nature and one can see that inspiration quite clearly in their work. Sometimes the inspiration is realistic, while other times it is quite abstract.

I am probably in the abstract camp. A lot of my work is derived from basic glass techniques and the patterns that develop from the repeated use of them. Some of those patterns remind me of Islamic tile work. I know that some of the color combinations I return to again and again are ones I saw when Kathleen and I traveled to Central Asia and saw the monuments in Bukhara and Samarkand.

In the end I make glass beads because I need to make things with my hands.

Where can people see more of the beads that you chose for the book and the work of newer beadmakers as well?

Probably the best place to see the studio lampwork beads is at the annual convention of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers at www.isgb.org. This year the convention is in Oakland, CA. On Saturday August 9 there will be a Bead Bazaar at the Oakland Marriott Convention Center in downtown Oakland. Many of the beadmakers from the book will be there as well as dozens of other beadmakers, all worthy of attention. Hours are 10 AM to 5 PM.

Currently, it is not legal to raise cows in the City of Seattle. We keep cats because they are smaller and usually use a litter box. They are, as you know, considerably more difficult to herd than cows.

Once when I was on the Danish island of Bornholm, friends and I went to make rubbings of some petroglyphs of ships that sailed the Baltic about 2500 years ago. As we walked out into the field the yearling cattle took an interest in us and followed us wherever we went.

The picture is titled ‘Portrait of the Artist out standing in his field.’ The cows are some of my most attentive fans.