Gini Cooper

Making glass beads, working with Precious Metal Clay Silver and fusing glass has been an amazing journey of exploration and discovery for Gini Cooper. In 2000, she won a scholarship to take a bead making class at Ox Bow, the Chicago Art Institute’s summer school in Saugatuck. Within a week of her first class, she had purchased a torch, a lot of glass and started working at home. In 2002, she took another class at Ox Bow to focus on making glass sculptures. Gini’s discovery of Precious Metal Clay Silver (PMC) was a perfect fit with her glass beads. PMC is made with microscopic pieces of silver recovered from the x-ray and photography developing process and mixed with an organic binder to achieve a clay-like substance. When fired in a kiln, the binder burns out leaving fine silver. It was a natural evolution for Gini to explore glass fusing; her fused glass earrings and pendanats are striking in their simplistic beauty. She has also started making fused glass plates and bowls. Gini finds inspiration everywhere: the beach, her garden, rocks and the night sky. Making whimsical pieces are especially enjoyable for her. Teaching has also been very inspirational for her. She teaches glass bead making and PMC at Holland Area Arts Council and South Haven Center for the Arts. She also teaches one-day PMC workshops around the country. Gini lives in the Saugatuck area with her musician husband Jim.