Deniz Divlei Ozdemir

 

I was born in Ankara in 1986 and have loved glass since my childhood.

 

One of my most vivid memories was when my grandmother offered two pendants to me. One was glass, the other one was wood. I chose the glass one, and all my life I made the same selection.

 

When I was in my teens, I watched a video about glass bead making. It
mesmerised me. After that moment all I wanted was to make a bead.

 

In 2010 I got my first workshop and set up my small studio. Meanwhile I was
working for an insurance company full time and spending time at the torch during my free time.

 

In 2012 I resigned from the insurance company and was hired by a studio at Ulucanlar Art Street, Which was the turning point of my life and my
greatest luck.

 

I started to spend all of my time at torch. For four years, I did my
best to develop myself and apprenticed in lampworking.

 

In 2016 I married Şahin Özdemir who is a flameworker like me. We moved to
Serbia-Belgrade last year and now we work in a bigger studio together. We are teaching lampwork, for those who want learn glass art.

 

     I feel so lucky to be married to not only a glass lover but also a flameworker.                                                Although sometimes we have hard times,                                           the power of flame and love overcome it.

 

I believe that the learning process of glass is never ending. I do my best to learn something                                new every day. Thanks to International Denizli Glass Biennial of Turkey,                                I attend the workshop of famous and pioneer glass artists every two years such as Lucio Bubacco, Gianni Toso,  Simone Crestani,  Tom Galbrait,  Christian Arnold and Julie Anne Denton. It was great honour for my husband and I to be demo artists for the biennial on 5-7 May 2017. We were invited again to the 5th International Denizli Glass Biennial in 2019 Nature inspires me.

 

That is why I love making murrini and reflect the colors and themes of nature in my works. With my murrine, I design flower gardens, colorfullandscapes, vivarium and galaxy bead

My name is Şahin Özdemir, I am from Turkey.

 

I was born in Ankara, 1984. My father is a glass artist who creates designs with cold glass techniques.

 

Due to the long time that I spent in his workshop throughout my childhood, I learned the particulars of working with cold glass techniques. Since then, one way or the other, my life has always been intertwined with glass.

 

In 2013, I left my full-time job and following my personal interest, started a lampwork studio. As a result of my efforts, I started making decorative products using the glass-blowing technique within a couple months.

 

After meeting my wife, who is a glass bead artist, I have started making glass beads as well as glass marbles. In order to improve my art and learn new techniques, I have participated in the workshops of Ömer Meral, Tom Galbraith and Simone Crestaine.

 

In 2015, I was awarded the title “Glass Artist Affiliated with Turkish Ministry of Culture” by a special comission that evaluated my work.

 

In 2016, I married Deniz Divleli Özdemir and we began working together in a bigger workshop.

 

In May 2017, we participated as performance artists at the 4th International Denizli Glass Biennial.

 

In October 2017, we moved to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We are continuing our work in this city where we have built ourselves a new life and a workshop.

 

We organise workshops and courses at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels for people who are eager to learn glass art.