Artist in the Spotlight…Nancy Zeller
How did you come to the glamorous world of beads? Very incrementally. For reasons I don’t recall, I did some bead loom work in the 70s when my only source of beads and information was Tandy. Using academic studies of Native American bead designs and bargello needlepoint patterns, I made a few hatbands and belts including one gorgeous belt in clear, silver and turquoise that finally migrated to be a wide band down the sleeve of a jacket which I occasionally wear. Then I forgot about beads for several years until a bead show came to town which rekindled my interest. The
bead world had changed enormously. I discovered you could do something besides loomwork although it took me several months to figure out how to do peyote as no teachers were available and not many books. Once I mastered peyote, the rest were easy (or easier). Since then it’s been all glamour, glitter, glitz, and sheer mind-numbing sewing-one-little-bead-to-the-next-little-bead-ripping-it-apart-and-starting-over excitement.
What made you start designing and selling your patterns? After I figured out how to make ANYTHING, I couldn’t find designs that I liked. I had and have a visceral aversion to amulet bags which were very prevalent at that time. So I started figuring out how to make things I liked. I got into making ‘competition’ pieces for the Miyuki Challenges as an alternative to jewelry. From that some interesting jewelry designs developed. After a bit, I had made a few things that people liked so I started making up a few kits, wandered into teaching and things progressed from there.
Do you have one piece that you have done that is your favorite? My long-time favorite is One Red Bead, the first in the ‘Fringe’ Series. The concept and working out of the engineering for it was fabulous fun! And I also sold it which is always a major thrill. Since then I’ve made more pieces on that idea. One of the more current ones is ‘Queen of the Night’, named after a character in a Mozart opera. And, of course, ‘Orange, The OTHER Neutral’ is always a gas. You can see the series on my website. My favorite jewelry piece currently is ‘Dragon’s Treasure Bracelet’. I love the metallics and this really shows them off.
What are you currently working on? I’m currently working on a series of bracelets based on the one basic idea. I like working in a series as one piece inspires ideas for another one. Like all designers, I have several notebooks of more ideas; most of which I’ll probably never find time to do. This year, in particular, I’m just following where my nose leads in terms of beading. In past years I’ve been more goal-oriented; this year I’m just playing — the best thing to do!
To find more of Nancy’s work visit:
www.nzbeads.com
www.bead-patterns.com
Nancy will also be teaching at the Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee.
www.beadandbuttonshow.com
Artist in the Spotlight…Pam Welborn
How did you come to the glamorous world of beads? I have had beads in my life as far back as I can remember but I didn’t start beading in stitches like I do now until 1992. My maternal grandmother collected strung bead necklaces and bought me seed beads as a teenager but it was not until I was in my thirties that I took the first class. I had a friend who wanted a specific pair of Parrot earrings designed by Sig. I took a couple classes and learned brick stitch and completed the first pair a couple weeks later. Those bead classes in the back of a craft store in Covina, CA were the start of it all. Jewelry Crafts and B&B magazine were brand new then and really helped to fuel the fire for me. I do tell Sig that all these beads that I have bought – ALL her fault! If she had not designed that parrot earring, I would not have taken that first class.
What made you start designing and selling your patterns? My designing really started when I started teaching beading. A few years later, I ended up taking over for the teacher who taught me at the same craft shop. I met Sig in a bead shop by chance one day when I was on a trip visiting relatives… She encouraged me to bead and design. When I saw her again later on a visit a year or so later, she encouraged me to send some of my designs to Jewelry Crafts where I was first published. Then I got a mac and Beadscape, and I started designing and selling on Bead-Patterns.com.
Do you have one piece that you have done that is your favorite (or
current favorite)? My current favorite is my rainbow collar. I love rainbows because they are so cheerful. My mom taught me the colors of a rainbow as a child to be remembered as Roy G Biv. – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Most of the rainbows I bead will always be those 7 colors. I wear that collar often because it goes with anything. Of all my work, it’s the one that gets the most comments too.
Do you have any special plans or goals for the future? I want to get braver and submit to teach at some of the larger bead shows. All they can say is no right? I love teaching and I would love to raise up to the next level. The local shop finally started having classes here in Redding, CA. I just love connecting with other beaders. So now I have a place to teach locally.
To find out more about Pam and her bead career visit the following:
http://www.violetbead.com
http://violetbead.blogspot.com for Pam’s blog
http://tinyurl.com/35jxmn for Pam’s patterns on Bead-patterns.com
Artist in the Spotlight… Lava Jewelry
The woman behind Lava Jewelry is ‘Chel Dodge. Read on and learn a little more about this multi talented artist.
How and when did the bead bug bite you? I remember playing with beads even as a very young child. I was obsessed with learning to do a peyote stitch with fishing line (which never worked out very well for me). My favorite books were the Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House on the Prairie” series, and I remember a part where Laura and her pa found some glass beads left by Indians at an old campsite.
Laura and her older sister cherished the beads, and they felt that they were something special. I feel the same way.
Where do you get your inspirations for your designs from? I am inspired primarily by nature. I have a love of the outdoors, plants, birds, and geology. Sometimes a particular gemstone will inspire me; I’ll see the stone and I’ll instantly know what I need to make with it. Other inspiration comes from the shapes of trees, branches, leaf veins, flowers. To me, nothing manmade is more beautiful than nature, and if I can share just a tiny bit of what nature inspires in me, I feel I’ve been successful as an artist.
Is there one piece that you have done that is your favorite (or current
favorite)? I honestly don’t have a favorite, although I am more fond of some pieces than others. Usually, I’m fond of a piece because of a particular gemstone
in it, rather than because of my own work.
Do you work in any other art mediums? I do metal smithing, which can be seen at my other Etsy shop http://zbella.etsy.com. I also have a ton of artsy hobbies, including landscape and nature photography, watercolor painting, knitting, crocheting, and candle-making. (Sadly I haven’t had much time for my
hobbies lately.)
Do you have any special plans or goals for the future? Over the next five years or so, I see myself continuing to build my business. I have an idea for a new non-jewelry product line for this fall, which is still in the prototype stages. My background is in geology, so I would love to be able to get back into doing more geology. Finding a good balance between art and science in my life is my dream.
You can find more information about ‘Chel and her wonderful goodies at any one of the following links:
http://lava-jewelry.com
http://lavajewelry.etsy.com
http://cheldodge.net/blog
http://zbella.etsy.com
Bead Artist in the Spotlight…Sig Wynne Evans
Welcome to a new feature of the Blue Bear Beads Blog. Each week (or more often if possible) I am featuring a bead artist. This segment is on Sig Wynne Evans. Sig is an extremely talented artist who I admired long before we met. She and I share a common love of bears and photo-realistic beadwork. Below are her answers to my “interview” questions.
How did you come to the glamorous world of beads? I stumbled in to the bead world back in 1983. There was a gallery around the corner where I used to live in Saratoga Springs NY that had some amazing beadwork. It was done by a man, which was enough to amaze me at the time, and then how it was displayed against the black background with the lights on it, just sparkled more than anything I had ever seen. Plus the style, very deco looking necklaces with lots of fringe. I wanted to wear one out to the Discos I used to frequent!
There was another shop in Provence Town Mass that inspired me during the same time period. It was a long narrow store with nothing but beadwork. Amazing earrings, necklaces, and something I had not seen since. They had these leg coverings, almost like fishnet stockings, with tassels here and there, and a beaded garter on elastic to hold them up mid thigh. I cant imagine wearing something like that, but I was intrigued.
An aquaintance who lived in my building was fantastic at beadwork, especially bead embroidery. I tried desperately to get her to teach me, even the promise of money never seemed to convince her to make the time, or sober up long enough to teach me. So I gave up asking her, and went to the local bookstore. I looked up “Beads” in their “Books in Print” catalogue. There were perhaps 8 titles on beadwork at the time (can you imagine that!!). One of the was Techniques of Beaded Earrings by Deon Delange. I ordered it sight unseen. When it came in, I could hardly contain myself! It was EXACTLY what I wanted! I was jumping up and down. I am sure the clerk thought I was nuts! I went to the only place I could buy beads (Woolworths) bought a package of all the colors they had, needle and thread, and went home. As they say, the rest is History.
What made you start designing and selling your patterns? I started designing because I got bored with the geometric designs. There are just so many geometrics you can do before you go stark raving mad. It gets DULL really fast.
By this time, I had moved to San Jose, CA. There was an ad in the Sunday paper for a local upscale restaurant. A couple was having dinner and wine. What caught my eye was the stained glass peacock in the background. I was so entranced by it, I wanted to capture that peacock in an earring. So I drew little boxes for beads, got my colored pencils and about an hour later, I designed my first earring. I sold DOZENS of the Peacock Earring at a local beadstore. That encouraged me to create more designs. Which lead me later to sell the designs in booklets, and become published. This first peacock design can be found in Earring Designs By Sig Vol 1 Published by Eagles View Publishing, Utah.
Do you have one piece that you have done that is your favorite (or
current favorite)? I would find it hard to pick a favorite of my beadwork or designs. The peacock will always hold a special place in my heart, because it got me started. I think the most technically difficult was the Race Horse and Jockey, since this piece is 3D based totally on peyote with no internal stuffing. It is totally hollow. The same goes for a necklace I had on exhibit at Celestial Seasonings in Boulder CO. They had a call for entries for art work inspired by their tea boxes. I chose Mint Magic. This was the first piece I ever had accepted into an art exhibit! I was thrilled. They had it for a year. Also, Peepers (on my website) makes me smile every time I see him. He is just so bright and looks like trouble!
Do you have any special plans or goals for the future? To add more to The Cracked Bead. Just to keep working on more projects as I have been, and I have been toying with some other wierd ideas. Don’t know if they will pan out, since I get really wierd ideas at times. Sometimes they work, other times they fall flat on their nose. But thats what makes creating fun, right??
You can find Sig at http://www.beadedbear.com
Feature Artists | Comments OffMaking artist focal beads your own
Do you LOVE to collect “Artist Beads” and then have a hard time making them reflect your style rather than the beads? It’s a challenge and one that I think Susan Barton of Archaic Design has overcome. Her own style shines through and is enhanced rather than overshadowed by this fabulous bead by Anne Choi.
Be sure to visit Archaic Designs on Etsy at: http://archaicdesign.etsy.com
and to see more of Anne Choi’s fabulous beads visit: www.annechoi.com
Feature Artists | Comments Off