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Artist in the Spotlight…Pam Welborn
March 10th, 2008
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
