I am a jewelry maker - a crafter, artisan, artist. I have been called all of these things but I prefer "artisan" (which is a skilled practitioner of a craft who makes items that are functional and/or decorative). Even though I have tried my hand at a few different things - assemblage, collage, mixed media - I always come back to jewelry. So, I am an artisan who makes jewelry.My jewelry-making (and selling!) started out with black wire way back in the late 80s. I added beads to the wire in the early 90s and ultimately dropped the wire and kept the beads in the mid 90s. Through the years the beads got smaller and smaller and I became a beadweaver/embroiderer somewhere around the late 90s/early 2000s. By 2005 I had some gallery showings, was beginning to get published and had gained some recognition as a bead artist.
Now in the 2010s, I am still a jewelry artisan but my focus has been a bit blurry over the last couple of years. I still love beads but my interest has waned a bit. I have dabbled in making jewelry from upcycled bits and found objects, fashioning statement pieces from fabric and fiber and now I am totally enamored with weaving - needleweaving, to be exact.
Needleweaving, sometimes called pin weaving, seems a natural progression for me. It still utilizes needles, thread and beads - the materials with which I feel most comfortable. I love detail and this technique certainly lends itself to detail. I love color, want lots of color choices and fiber comes in every color (and texture!) imaginable. I also like portable and it's beautifully portable! The pieces I have finished harken back to my early love of African and Native American jewelry and the Bohemian feel of them just makes me happy!
I'll talk more about the technique in future posts as I share pieces I'm working on. In the meantime, here is just a taste of some of the finished pieces. I hope you like them :)
Those look like they are fun to make. Lots of room to experiment.
ReplyDeleteI really am enjoying the process of making these lovlies! It's like bead embroidery in many ways - you can use so many textures and variations in the design that every piece is one-of-a-kind. I have an art fair coming up this next weekend and am hoping they will attract some attention. I also have a truly vast collection of beads that has been built up over several years and it's been great to have a new medium in which to use some of them.
ReplyDeleteMy next project is to try to make earrings and cuffs using the same techniques - it will be fun to see how those turn out :)
Beautiful work!! Its so funny that old crafts are coming back. Needleweaving and Macrame seem to be making a big comeback and I for one am happy about it. I am adept at both and look forward to trying to put my own new spin on the craft!
ReplyDeleteYour pieces are gorgeous and powerfully colorful. Love them.