Gordon Uyehara at HonuDream!

Gordon Uyehara

HonuDream
http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html


Gordon Uyehara has to be one of the most sharing, gentle spirits on the planet. Several years ago I was “checking out PMC” and joined several forums and Yahoo! Groups...from that experience I discovered this man’s work. His patience with newbies and willingness to share his knowledge in this relatively new medium impressed me. I have since moved on to other media but have always remembered Gordon’s example and have tried to model my journey after his...

From Traditional...




Sun Garden Sanctuary 2 - Why "2"? This second piece was created while writing a step-by-step article for Art Jewelry Magazine (Sept. 2005) based upon the original Sun Garden Sanctuary medallion. My intention was to make the vines more robust but as I became more adept at making coils, I inadvertantly made them more delicate. The original was traveling, so I worked from memory. At least they are no doubt more refined. NFS.

Bio:
Gordon K. Uyehara was born and raised in Hawaii. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After thirteen years in the information technology field, he decided to take some time off for artistic exploration. It was then that he made the thrilling discovery of silver clay in a local workshop. Still residing in Honolulu, Gordon is a freelance artist/designer and an Art Clay Silver Senior Instructor. Working with silver clay led him to reconnect with an attraction to small scale design and wearable art. His motivation is to create pieces that are familiar and yet interestingly seductive and to explore the outer design limits of this relatively new art form. He is gradually incorporating traditional jewelry making techniques into his work as he learns them. Inspiration for his creations arrives from nature and from the visual and performance artists he admires. Gordon actively participates in local, national, and international juried exhibitions. This Honudream Web site, displays my current creations and some older works. The turtle and world on its back logo is based on a Native American creation myth. It surfaced in my consciousness one morning before I learned of the story.

As an artist, the best thing you can do is wake up dreaming.-GKU

...to Child-like...

Castles in the Sand - The Castles in the Sand pendant is pure silver (kiln-fired silver clay). The main shape is a textured sea shell that encompasses a beach scene. The central sun with polished center rises above sand castles, shovel, waves, and a shiny starfish. Guarding over everything is an audacious little crab. The pendant is treated with a patina to bring out the detail.Castles in the Sand was awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2003 Silver Accessories Contest (Japan) and is featured on the January 2004 cover of Lapidary Journal magazine. Show piece only, not for sale.


When you visit his website (http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html) – and you finally take a breath – between the glorious fine silver and his modern take on traditional Oriental art - you notice the quotes...I could visit this site for motivation daily...

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."- Degas

...to Fantasy...

Ancient Life - is a silver clay creation with eight arms (or legs) and a 6mm amber eye. It is a stylized version of something that might have existed but not necessarily anatomically correct. Along for the ride is a stylized sea scorpion and some stylized trilobites. A spiral pendulum hangs beneath. Ancient Life was awarded second place in the 2005 Saul Bell Design Award Competition (PMC Category).

....to Political and Environmental Statements....

The Last Forest Spirit - This prototype is being developed into a step-by-step project. The body is pure silver created with kiln-fired silver clay. Sterling brooch findings are soldered onto the back. As the forest loses its many spirits to human arrogance and ignorance, it begins to die.

"A good teacher protects his pupils from his own influence."- Bruce Lee

Workshop Schedule:
Yes - you can take a workshop with Gordon – he will be on the mainland for several visits this year!

August 15, 2008, 7pm Metal Clay Lecture Art Clay Society of Orange County, CA Contact Brea Bead Works for more info.

August 16-17, 2008 Cosmic Honu Pendant and Mini-Spoon Contact Brea Bead Works to register! Student Supply List

September 12-14, 2008 Cosmic Honu Pendant and Nature Capture Art Clay World EU Conference West Dean College, UK

November 15, 16, 2008 Workshop with Louise Duhamel Art Clay Society of Orange County and Brea Bead Works Details coming soon!

HonuDreams - http://www.geocities.com/gtrsolo/index.html

Jessica Dow of Different Seasons Jewelry

For the Complete Interview with Jessica see my Jewelry and Gem Artisans Blog at:
http://jewelrygemartisans.blogspot.com/


Jessica Dow with
Different Seasons Jewelry
http://differentseasonsjewelry.com/

If you have picked up the new ArtJewelry magazine you will see there is a new type of feature – the cover pendant accounts for three different techniques and step by step instructions in this issue! This is a great idea as it allows the issue to cover more beginning techniques like bezels while also offering the advanced artists a tutorial on engraving!

The featured artist(s) are Different Seasons Jewelry better known as Jessica Dow and Mark Anderson!!

I have known Jessica for a couple years now and in that time I seen her go from an insecure talent to a confident artist that, through her new partnership, will be a force to be reckoned with!

What type of training have you had? how did you get your start and the progression that got you where you are today.

I started making jewelry after attending a couple of basic classes taught by Joe Hesselgrave at the Parks and Rec center in Tucson Arizona. After learning the bare bones of soldering I opted out of the class and started working by myself at home. At the time I was a single mother of a special needs child and leaving home to attend classes was difficult. I found some used equipment and tools through Kent's Tools in Tucson. I also bought some books such as The Complete Metalsmith by Tim McCreight and Decorative Techniques for Craftsmen by Oppi Untracht. I believe I spent under $200.00 setting up the entire workshop. I was almost immediately drawn to the art of piercing. I love sketching and piercing allowed me to draw my own templates and bring those drawings to life in metal. Piercing has continued to be my favorite fabrication technique.




A year ago I moved to Wisconsin and joined forces with my fiancé Mark Anderson. Mark has been working with lapidary arts and jewelry design for about 8 years. He is one of the most talented artists I have ever worked with.


I started out doing my own lapidary work - cabbing my own material expanded my design abilities and enabled me to work with gems that were previously out of my price range. I rarely cut cabs anymore. Mark handles that aspect of our business which allows me the benefit of custom cut gems to fit my designs as well as more time to devote towards jewelry. It's hard to do it all yourself... working with Mark and my mother Martha has allowed me to focus on the aspects of jewelry making that I love most. I am currently training with Mark in the art of lost wax casting. I have been carving my first wax models and have been observing Mark during every step of the casting process. We have also gotten the tools and materials needed to begin adding enameling to our jewelry.... we're both very excited to begin experimenting with various enameling techniques! Mark is also teaching me advanced gem setting techniques such as channel setting and flush setting. I am excited to watch my work transform and progress as I learn new techniques. I feel I am merely at the beginning of an exciting journey.



Give the one piece of advice you wish you had gotten as a jewelry artist just starting out.
When learning a technique, take the time to learn it the correct way! Once I started working with Mark I discovered I had developed some bad habits with a couple of techniques. I not only had to learn the technique again the correct way but I also found it took me much longer due to having to break my old bad habits. If you are not in the position to get professional instruction, be sure you're learning from a good book by authors such as Tim McCreight or Oppi Untracht.

I remember your first posts to the Yahoo Groups that we were both on - talk about the journey from fabricating your early designs to the commission work you do today - how did you get your name out?

I had been making jewelry for just over a year when I sent a photo of one of my pierced opal pendants to Lapidary Journal's Jewelry Artists magazine along with the photos I had taken during the fabrication process. I never expected anything to actually come of it.... I had assumed only an experienced jeweler with a solid reputation could get into a magazine the likes of Lapidary Journal. Lapidary Journal had been one of my biggest sources of inspiration when I first started making jewelry & cutting gems. I had dreams of getting my work within its pages someday. I literally nearly fell off my computer chair from shock when I opened up my e-mail and saw a message from one of the magazine's editors. She told me she wanted to print an article with one of my pierced opal pendants! I was thrilled and intimidated at the same time. It ended up being more work than I had anticipated but it was one of the best learning experiences I've had within this business thus far. That first article was just the beginning... since then Mark and I have had four full length step-by-step articles published, two gallery features, our recent cover with Art Jewelry magazine and we have another article coming out sometime this fall or winter.



Our "Sunstone Waves" article in Jewelry Artist was actually more of an assignment than a submission. The magazine had an issue coming out with a focus on Sunstone. We were asked to carve and set a sunstone gem in a sterling silver pendant. Mark did an amazing job with the carving and I designed and fabricated a pendant to compliment the gem carving. It was a fun project.


Follow Jessica on:
DeviantArt - http://jessa1155.deviantart.com/
MetalChasers - http://metalchasers.com/Different_Seasons_Jewelry
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/jessa1155
Facebook - http://www.myspace.com/jessa1155
Xanga - http://www.xanga.com/Jessa1155

Judaica by Ruth Shapiro

http://growingupjewish.com/ 

Writing this post has taken me longer than most – first because Ruth is a dear friend of mine, second because I don’t know anything about Judaica. So when looking at an object, while I could appreciate it’s artistic value, I had no idea what the object was or how it was used. So this became a learning journey and I am taking all of you with me!

Bio - In Ruth's Words:

      In addition to being a Judaic artist, I work as a part-time nursing consultant, in the legal field. I have been a registered nurse, in some very high-powered fields, since 1970. In 1981, I had a serious accident, which left me unable to continue at my previous pace. In 1984, I went to UCLA Graduate School to take a nursing course, but was unable to get into the class I wanted. I next went to Santa Monica Community College to see if they had a similar course, but was instead drawn to a course called "Lost Wax Casting" in the Adult Evening School.

I didn't have any idea what the subject was, but signed up anyway. Those 6 classes changed my life! I was hooked on this very old, exciting method of sculpture and jewelry-making.

At the same time, I had joined the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework, again a strange choice for me. While I'd always liked embroidery and knitting, etc., I'd also hated meetings and anything as sedentary and slow as a sewing circle! Well, the rich symbolism and visual stories I saw at the meetings fused with my new metal-working skills and my first mezuzah cases were made and sold in only a few weeks. Demand grew, and I was pulled along at a furious pace. I had to pull up any vestiges left of my Jewish education, and furiously read everything I could find, always just a step ahead of (or behind) the next project., from mezuzah to yod, to menorah to breastplate for the Torah. I took a few adult school jewelry classes, and added contemporary jewelry to my repertoire. I’ve taken many workshops in the last 2 years, learning more metalworking techniques from renowned artists, but always, Judaica has been my love.

In 1988, I went to Israel to learn techniques from some silver masters, and to enhance my spiritual development. My work has taken me to shows and exhibits all over the United Sates. My mezuzzot are in Israel and Canada as well. A yod of mine even went into space!

Until a few years ago, I always felt that I'd "ride the wave" as far as it took me; that I was somehow "supposed to be" a Judaic artist. I would keep at it as long as I could keep creating and keep selling. Just as I would start to think about other career directions, a new commission would appear. Just as I think I'll never have another fresh idea, a dream supplies me with a new mezuzah and a new technique. Do I think these events are Divinely created? Of course I do! In the last year, I've come to believe that I will never be "barren". I also don't harbor any beliefs in my own "talent". I believe that I am a vessel, and the spirit of God and creativity flow through the vessel, stay awhile, and move on. I just have to be there and be ready and open.

In the past 15 years as a Judaic artist, my life has dealt me a few curves and twists...a car accident here, a broken wrist there, a few illnesses. Each time, I made some adaptations in my work. Each time, my work grew in a new, unexpected and better direction. Each time, I learned some thing I might not have otherwise seen. Was this bashert?

* Editor’s Note: Bashert: (beh-sheert) destined, fated, meant to be.

Has my work made me more religious? Yes it has. I now collect the work of other Judaic artists. Their spirituality enriches mine. The more I learn in preparing for a project, the more deeply I feel for my religion, and the more I pass it on to my family. I now celebrate Shabbat, and become anxious to create anew. When I feel close to God, I pray. Only in my case, I pray with my hammer, my torch, and my sculptor's tools.

I feel it is a very special gift and privilege to be able to create decorations for the Torah. I was moved to tears the first time I saw a yod that I had made, hung on the Torah. The rabbi talked about the rich tradition of the Torah and the silversmiths who adorned them. He talked about the generations of Jews who would be proud to display them - in no way implying the adornments are as important as what they adorn.

Mezuzah

And you shall write [the words that I command you today] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. -Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:19

The Mezuzah is a small case that holds a small hand written scroll of parchment (called a klaf). The scroll contains the words of the "Shema Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) passage, in which God commands Jews to keep His words constantly in their minds and in their hearts. The scroll also contains another passage (Deuteronomy 11:13). The passages are written in Hebrew, and contain 22 lines of 713 painstakingly written letters.

The meaning of the Hebrew word Mezuzah is simply "a doorpost". The Mezuzah should be placed on the doorposts of of every Jewish home. The exact placement of a Mezuzah is on the right side of the doorpost (when entering the home or room), on the lower part of the upper third of the doorpost (or around shoulder height for high doorways). The case should be permanently affixed with nails, screws, glue, or strong double-sided tape.

The Mezuzah is affixed at an angle because the rabbis could not decide whether it should be placed horizontally or vertically, so they compromised. The top of the Mezuzah should be slanted toward the room the door opens into.

Yodim, yad, or Torah pointer, one of Ruth’s was taken into space by a Jewish astronaut, Jeffrey Hoffman, about 10 years ago!

You are not supposed to touch the parchment on the Torah scrolls; some say because they are too holy; some say because the parchment, made from animal skins, is a source of ritual defilement; others say because your fingers' sweat has acids that will damage the parchment over time. Instead, you follow the text with a pointer, called a Yad. "Yad" means "hand" in Hebrew, and the pointer usually is in the shape of a hand with a pointing index finger (I always find this incredibly amusing). The scrolls are kept covered with fabric, and often ornamented with silver crowns on the handles of the scrolls and a silver breastplate on the front.

Jewelry
Drawing from the various symbols of Judaica, Ruth offers tiny mezuzahs, hamsa, chai and star of david for women and men.

Hamsa
The hamesh hand or hamsa hand is a popular motif in Jewish jewelry. Go into any Judaic gift shop and you will find necklaces and bracelets bearing this inverted hand with thumb and pinky pointing outward. The design commonly has an eye in the center of the hand or various Jewish letters in the middle.

There is nothing exclusively Jewish about the hamesh hand. Arab cultures often refer to it as the Hand of Fatima, which represents the Hand of G-d. Similar designs are common in many cultures. Why it has become such a popular symbol among Jews? I haven't been able to find an adequate explanation anywhere. My best guess: in many cultures, this hand pattern represents a protection against the evil eye (a malignant spiritual influence caused by the jealousy of others), and the evil eye has historically been a popular superstition among Jews.

Chai
This symbol, commonly seen on necklaces and other jewelry and ornaments, is simply the Hebrew word Chai (living), with the two Hebrew letters Cheit and Yod attached to each other.

The concept of chai is important in Jewish culture and the typical Jewish toast is l'chayim (to life). Gifts to charity are routinely given in multiples of 18 (the numeric value of the word Chai).

Ruth’s Judaica is available online at:
Artistic Judaic Promotions - http://www.ajp.com
...and on her website: www.growingupjewish.com

The Robert Bentley Company

http://robertbentleygemstones.com

At the Tucson Gem Show each year when the AGTA Show opens my first stop – ALWAYS...The Robert Bentley Company Booth. He has all the cut stones and druzys that other booths have BUT his are in innovative stones and great, bold shapes!

But I think what I look for from this company is “new trends”, especially in beads. Two years ago Bentley introduced some of the most fabulous rough finished Aquamarine – last year the trend was picked up by other “gem bead” companies. Unfortunately they aren’t done in the same way, with the same attention to detail and don’t make the statement that the Bentley beads do!

This is Robert Bentley...

The Man

Robert Bentley began his love affair with gemstones while accompanying his grandfather to rock hound meetings in the 1950’s. He graduated from Pratt Institute in 1972 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting. While he continued to paint and sculpt (he still does today), his fascination with gemstones took precedence and The Robert Bentley Company showroom was opened in New York City in 1994.

Within the environment of The Robert Bentley Company’s extensive inventory of the best quality, best cut colored stones available today, Robert functions as a collaborator, instigator, and cohort within the jeweler’s design process, integrating his extensive knowledge and experience in gemology with an artist’s sensibility.

The Company

For nearly twenty years, The Robert Bentley Company has been working with an international community of talented stone cutters to provide the fine art jeweler with better, gem-quality colored stones. The extensive inventory spans a broad spectrum, from fine facets and uniquely crafted cabochons to natural crystal structures, distinctive crystal surface pieces, fine beads, druseys, and an array of phenomenal inclusions. The Robert Bentley Company is a member of the American Gem Trade Association.


Plate Cut Beads
From the more formal shaped plate cut (above) beads to the frenzy of the thinner plates.

Hammered Beads
Huge gemmy chunks of gemstone with a rough hammered finish – yet still clear, clean and polished!

Faceted Beads
These are some of the most dynamic beads – big beads with large free-form facets that, when used in a necklace would send light to the face.

Tubes
These – especially in Tourmaline and Aquamarine – are my favorites. They look like raw tourmaline and aquamarine crystals that are shaped, faceted (in long facets following the tube shape) and polished. They also offer this shape with hexagonal facets.

Lenses
Crystal clear round lentil shaped beads of some of the gemmiest (is that a word?) material. This is the grade of gem that usually gets sent to the faceters for use in indiviual cut stones.

RARE – this isn't just rare stones, but rare stones cut in beads! ...strands of watermelon tourmaline...



mixed beryl, lapis (polished and hammered)... apatite...

...and hammered Chalcopyrite!

Some Things To Keep In Mind While Viewing Website Photos...from Robert Bentley:

These images do not reflect our entire inventory. Aside from the selection of strands pictured we also carry various cabochons and faceted single stones, surface pieces and many other rarities.Our inventory is constantly changing. While we will add new and exciting stones as we receive them, it is always possible that we have stock which is not represented on-line. These images are intended as a guide, not a complete catalogue. If you are looking for something in particular please

e-mail or call us and we will be happy to assist you.While the images are kept as true to the original as possible, it is almost impossible to create perfect representations of these stones. Please keep in mind when viewing the images that most colors are less pronounced on-line then they are in person.

Contact Info:

Robert Bentley Company - Unusual Stones
E-mail info@robertbentleygemstones.com

Wendy Culpepper

Wendy Culpepper

Contemporary

Handcrafted

Designer Jewelry

http://www.wendyculpepper.com/

Wendy’s introduction to the arts and metals came at the University of Florida as an Engineering and Fine Arts Student. Originally focusing on her strong drawing skills, she traveled to Florence, Italy to immerse herself in a study of diverse mediums. This search for her artistic Muse had her exploring metalsmithing and jewelry design...the perfect blend, engineering, fabrication and the creativity she craved.

Following her heart, Wendy furthered her jewelry education by completing the Fashion Institute of Technology's vigorous bench jewelry and design program, graduating with the coveted honor of top design student. With her jewelry designs and beaded work selling right from her neck, Wendy began to explore an online business for her well-received pieces.

Culpepper’s first experience in the Jewelry Industry came when she joined the product development team at Me & Ro Jewelry (famous for their numerous celebrity clients). Her success in this position encouraged Wendy to look into launching her own line...and in 2005, W. Culpepper was born!

Wendy’s work is best known for her strong, simple carvings, bold statements, wear-ability and classic elegance. Her feminine and balanced pieces have led to a strong clientele and followers ranging from editors, stylists, celebrities and popular personalities. Her pieces have been featured in Lucky, InStyle, Redbook, People, and the Rachel Ray Show to name just a few!

The collections from this artist, range from the strong yet fluid movement of the Paradise Collection to the fun and feminine florals in the Flower of Life Collection and everything between... culminating in the funky organic feel of the Alligator Collection. There is a collection that will suit the mood and style of every woman.

While it is her Jewelry that drew me in, I think it was Wendy’s Artists Statement that spoke to me...below is just a small part of that statement:
“When working on a piece, I tend to have personal battles. I put my heart into my ideas, and I put a piece of myself in everything I do. I tend to be in my work, but as each piece progresses, it’s unusual for the audience to actually see all that I intended. I find that I mask so many of the ideas I begin with. Something in me tends to hold me back from fully exposing the ideas that I want to share. This obstacle is what I am working toward overcoming.”

Infinitely wearable - W. Culpepper can be purchased through their website and in various retail outlets http://www.wendyculpepper.com/

It’s good to be “Included”…

…if you’re quartz, that is!

The “hottest” trend among jewelry designers today is the use of these lesser known gemstones of the quartz family. If we were looking at almost any other gem an inclusion of anything would devalue the gem. This however is not the case with certain quartz varieties. Due to the soft, porous nature of this gem other minerals are able to grow into it.

QUARTZ From the Slavic word for “hard”

Color: Clear, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Golden, Brown
Moh’s Scale: 7 (hearty, good for everyday wear)
Crystal System: Trigonal, Hexagonal Prisms
Chemical Composition: Silicon Dioxide

Macrocrystalline Quartz – crystals identifiable with the naked eye. This group is represented by most of the stones gemologists classify as varieties of quartz: Amethyst, Rose-de-France or “Pink” Amethyst, Citrine, Rock Crystal, Prasiolite or “Green Amethyst, Smoky Quartz (and the various browns – whisky, beer, champagne and cognac), Rose Quartz, Aventurine, Tiger’s-Eye, etc.

Quartz is the most common gem on earth…literally found in almost every corner of the world. Important deposits are found in Bolivia, Brazil, the Swiss Alps, Madagascar, Russia, the Ukraine, Mexico, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Uruguay and the United States.

Rock Crystal Quartz is a transparent variety valued for their clarity while some are valued chiefly for their inclusion. Rock Crystal it is the perfect showcase for Mother Nature’s surprises, due to the amazing clarity of a gem quality stone.


Rutilated Quartz - the most popular of the “stuff in quartz” category...in this variety, golden needles of rutile are arrayed in bundles, sprays and various patterns inside the clear quartz. Sometimes called “Angel Hair”, each pattern is different, and some are breathtakingly beautiful.

Tourmalinated Quartz - this variety shows black or dark green tourmaline crystals in a thicker, rod-type inclusion. This can be in heavy patterns and sprays or random spikes. One of the favorites of faceters is to facet a round with a single rod of tourmaline running from the culet to the table – the optical illusion is quite spectacular.


“Stuff in Quartz” - has become a collecting category - today some of the more popular varieties include (pun intended)...Pyrite (gold), manganese oxide, form crystal "dendrites" (small branch-like), Chlorite (mossy, green), black Hematite (often seen at the “hub” of a wagon wheel spray of rutile needles), red Hematite platelets or Lepidocrosite (can give an overall pink or red color), green Edenite, golden Goethite needles, Epidote (thick green crystals), Actinolite...


...and my current favorite – Medusa Quartz, a clear crystal quartz with small Gillilite inclusions...named for their resemblance to the Medusa Jellyfish!





Asterism - the star effect that appears as rays of a star on the domed surface of a cabochon gem. This occurs when a strong, single light source reflects off layers of thread-like inclusions that inhabit these unique gems.

Chatoyant Quartz – if those threads align themselves in a single direction, much like the strands in a spool of thread, the reflection will appear as a single ray of light called a Cat’s-Eye. Other examples of chatoyancy in quartz are the Hawk’s-Eye, Ox-Eye and Tiger’s-Eye varieties. These are finely fibrous, opaque aggregate that are formed when quartz replaces the mineral crocidolite (a type of asbestos).

Throughout history quartz has been a jeweler’s chameleon, standing in for more expensive gemstones ranging from diamond to jade. Now, finally, quartz is coming into its own, allowing the average consumer the “luxury” of beautiful jewelry...with less common varieties beginning to show their appeal. Designers are using included quartz today for “high-end” pieces due to it’s “one-of-a-kind” nature.


I want to say a special thank you to Barbara Smigel for the use of the photos from her website: http://www.bwsmigel.info/

Bead Weaving – Sculptural Art and Beyond...

The Art of Weaving Glass Beads was the Spring 2008 show at Mostly Glass Gallery in New Jersey!

This show featured Madelyn Ricks and Sharmini Wirasekara along with five other artists working in jewelry and sculptural bead weaving.

I was looking through the catalog for this event and noticed that most of the pieces have sold! So take a few minutes – get over to the website and check it out before they take it down!

http://www.mostlyglass.com/Exhibits/glass_beading_08.htm

Madelyn Ricks – Beyond Kimonos...

For those of you who are involved in Bead Weaving – Madelyn Ricks is a household word. For a metalhead like me – she was a revelation!

Madelyn Ricks works exclusively in peyote stitch using Japanese Delica seed beads for her very popular Kimono series, her whimsical sculptures, and her Jewelry.

For the kimonos, she first graphs her designs by hand, gluing multiple sheets together, then beads it in separate strips which are stitched together.

Weaving Glass Beads

The art of interlocking beads together with thread is both ancient and universal. Madelyn's designs are a mixture of many different cultures and times. The technique is peyote stitch named by the Native Americans in the US. A very strong multifilament nylon thread is used.

The square glass beads are a high quality glass manufactured in Japan using novel techniques. Many of the beads are plated with precious metals such as 24K gold, rhodium and palladium.

Also used, are lot of silver-lined colored beads to create a lot of sparkle, making the finished piece look like small dots of colored light woven together.
There are very few artists that work with beads this small (about 300 per square inch), or create pieces with such intricate patterns and colors.

Sharmini Wirasekara - Robes

Sharmini creates Robes and Wall hanging Objects predominantly inspired by Mexican Art. For the Robes, she chooses to work in Off-Loom techniques mostly peyote stitch, using Japanese Delica seed beads.

Some of her Wall Objects are Neckpieces. For those, in addition to Peyote, she uses a single-needle right angle weave, and prefers the Czech seed beads because their roundness gives the pieces a different look and shape.

A Brief History of Working with Glass Beads

As fans of The Antiques Roadshow can tell you – beads have been an integral part of most cultures in every region of the world. There are patterns that are specific to Southwest Native Americans and those patterns can even be broken down to northern Arizona tribes versus Southern Arizona tribes.

Glass Beads and Bead Weaving have, throughout history, been used to denote not only region but the “class” of the wearer. With ornate and intricate patterns reserved for the Emperor/Chief and simpler designs for the working class. Alternately, glass beads have been used as currency in some African cultures as well as historically for trading in the Native American tribes.

The great glass center of the world was for centuries The Venetians who originally began working with glass around 1200, and by the eighteenth century had a near-monopoly on the glass bead market. The trade became a staple throughout Europe and when the great European explorers began their travels, these beads became prime trade items and were distributed throughout the established seafaring trade routes.

Glass beads are usually made using one of two methods... drawn glass, a method that involves molten glass that is then stretched or drawn out into a long, thin tube. This method created what we now know as seed beads...the drawn glass is cut and tumbled to soften the edges. The second, and oldest method, virtually the same as the methods used by today’s lampworkers, on a much smaller scale!

In the 1980’s computer control of seed bead manufacturing came into play, both in the Czech Republic and in Japan.

Bead weaving techniques are usually either the use of a bead loom that has multiple warping threads through which beads are woven as the weft, like in traditional textile weaving...or off-loom bead weaving.

The later incorporates the many techniques developed by various cultures worldwide. With names such as peyote, herringbone, right angle weave, ladder, brick and netting stitches these techniques involve working with a needle and threading material to form patterns.