Guest Artist

I was born in Pasadena, CA in 1954 to a mechanical engineer and an elementary school teacher. I always
lived in my own little world. I dreamed of living in the mountains, away from the madding crowds of Los
Angeles. I wasn’t a real social kid and would race home from school so I could plunge myself into some
artistic project. In 1976 I earned a degree in Dietetics and vowed that I would never work in a hospital
with sick people. So over the years I worked in Yellowstone National Park, the food service industry, a ski
instructor, a bicycle mechanic, owned my own gift shop, and now work at as a plant nursery person. I
also volunteer a couple of days a week as a k-9 evaluator/photographer for my local humane society at
the county animal shelter. I enjoy hiking and camping in the desert and mountains. I live with my partner
Mike, dogs Ted and Lizzie, cat Jackson, 11 chickens, and 80 year old desert tortoise, Mr. Tortie. We have
10 beautiful acres with a seasonal creek in Mountain Ranch, CA. in the foothills of Sierra Nevada
mountains of Northern California.

What is your art?

I do seed bead embroidery. Primarily I design necklaces, however, once in a while I do create some bracelet cuffs.
Although I do find focal pieces that stir my soul, cabochons are the focal point of my work. Nature oriented themes
and the landscapes I see in the cabochons are my favorite, however, all my pieces are based on the focal piece
itself.

How did you get started?

My best friend in New Mexico taught me some beadweaving techniques in the 1980s. I made native American style
earrings and peyote stitched key chains. I didn’t really pursue beading for many years because I had developed
carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. I rekindled my interest in painting, drawing and pen and ink. In 2002 I had
surgery on both hands. Around the same time I acquired many cabochons that were cut and polished by my
grandfather in the 1960s. I knew I wanted to do something creative with them. It wasn't until 2004 when I got
back into beading that I started with simple beaded cabochons. Now I have developed my beadwork with
cabochons into painting with beads. I love the tiny beads and the detail they produce. Although I have been
criticized that my work is too flat I am fine with that. We all need to have our own style and I guess at this time it is
my style.

What do you like best about it?

Once I pick out the beads I am going to use, (by the way my projects can be packed up at a moment’s notice.
Since my beading area is also the desk for our business, our personal lives, and my latest job as the trustee of my
parent’s trust. I need to be able to put away my beading and attend to the real business end of life.) I also love that
I can take a project all apart and start over, unlike painting and pen and ink. I love the feel and look of the beads
but most especially I love the stones. Enhancing the beauty of a cabochon is what it is all about for me. I love
seeing the finished product. Sometimes I just put them on a bust and display them around the house. I have even
thought about just framing them and hanging them on the wall.

How do you get inspired?

Nature inspires me. I love cabochons. Some people buy shoes, I buy cabs. It always amazes me what beautiful art
is created by nature. It is all in the stone or focal piece for me. I am most drawn to stones that look like landscapes.
Natural colors just really draw me in but I am trying to branch out into the turquoise and pinks. The stones that
remind me of a place I have been or an experience I have had are a dream come true for me. I lie awake at night
sometimes and picture in my mind what the final piece will look like. What I can create with the focal piece is the
most enjoyable part of what I do. Sometimes I just start beading and follow where the beads take me and
sometimes I draw out a design.

Anything else you’d like to add?

My work has been published in Fire Mountain Gems catalogs, in the “Your Work” section of Bead and Button
magazine twice, placed First and Second in the 2009 California State Fair in the Bead Woven class of the Bead Art
Division. I sold a necklace to rocker Courtney Love and a water color painting to singer Judy Collins. I love the
competition end of creating beadwork. It pushes me to do something different and makes me try to be a better
artist. Sure, sometimes I am disappointed with the results of the competition but I have always been able to pick
myself up and move on to bigger and better things. I guess, I really am a pretty competitive person. I just love my
little beads and when I am able to get back to my beading my hands just get a warm feeling as I thread the needle
and string the first tiny beads.