Having New Eyes

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."
~ Marcel Proust

The countdown is really on now. As I type this there are but two more full days until I have to have all of my pieces of jewelry in for my first ever gallery exhibit. {By the time that you read this on Art Bead Scene, the opening will be but two days away.}

When I started this whole process it was like setting sail on a big vessel with no one on board but me. I had to do everything from swabbing the deck to hosting the sails and steering this massive vessel into the clear skies visible on the horizon.

I set sail on this voyage back in January. The Gallery Q crew had been seeking me out to mount a show. I really didn’t believe that I had a whole show in me. I mean, how can one humble jewelry designer create enough to fill a whole gallery, let alone entice people to come and see {and buy!}.

I'm so glad that my inner critic is incompetent. ;-)

This exhibit has been one incredible voyage of exploration and discovery for me.

The most satisfying {and, if I am being completely honest, challenging} aspect of this whole experience has been in the collaborations and pairing just the right artists together. At first I really thought I would just create beautiful jewelry and find the beads myself, but then it hit me that this could be so much more if I asked the right bead artists if they would 'play in my sandbox' as Barbara Lewis put it. I didn't know if they would want to play or have time in their busy schedules, or just think I was nuts. But every single person I approached was more excited than the last. And many of them have told me that I challenged them and that opened their horizons to trying new techniques or colors or patterns. That is such a great feeling to know that not only have they inspired me, but I have inspired them right back! That tickles me more than you know.

Let's see what I have explored, shall we?



I have explored color with Brenda Wenberg, Kerry Bogert and Barbara Lewis and Jennifer Heynen. I discovered that although I usually shy away from bright bold colors, I seem to have a knack at combining them in odd and fanciful ways. Since one of my goals this year was to really experiment this year with color, I think that these pieces satisfy that desire, don’t you?

I have explored shape and movement with Roberta Honl, Juliana Cannon and Nancy Schindler. When patterns are so vivid as these it is easy to feel them morphing right in front of your eyes. There is such a strength and unpredictability in this art, as well as a very exciting graphic quality and I really hope I captured that.

I have explored botanicals and natural forms with Ann Waisbrot, Kate Clawson, Heather Powers and Beth Hemmila. Tulips are my sister’s favorite flower, so that is what drew me into this painting. I really liked the pop of orange and knew that would stretch me creatively. But when I saw what Kate did for me with the tulip beads I was really blown away. Taking the familiar forms of the flowers and breaking them down into more abstract concepts really pushed me. In a good way. And it was a challenge to come up with ways to make components mimic the beauty of nature, the light, the color, the predictable unpredictability.





I have explored free spirits and joy with Ann Singsaas, Christine Damm and Beth Hemmila. I have never ridden a horse, but they are fascinating creatures. Scary, but intriguing. I can just picture the ponies that inspired these paintings as wild and free and full of unbridled joy. I wanted to be sure that I didn’t cage these beauties in but let them run with abandon. And when you have such amazingly detailed beads it was not hard to expect wild abandon.

I have explored the bitter and the sweet with Ann Singsaas, Heather Powers and Mary Jane Dodd. I like the idea of opposites. And I think that Ann, Heather and Mary Jane do too. Heather was challenged to come up with a new natural motif, one that I know she as sold to others already, and that makes me happy. Although most of the beads and components you see in these pieces were made specifically for me and I am the sole owner of them, but I am so happy that I was able to inspire Heather to make something so fabulous that others want to share them as well. And Mary Jane shares my love of words and the deep and abiding power that they have. Blending these two talents has been a delight. There is a sweet quality to this seemingly innocuous plant that is really full of poison. I like that dichotomy.


I have explored precious things with Ellie Honl and Mary Jane Dodd. Learning a bit about the history of the Wardian cases that inspired Ellie to make this mixed media artwork was part of the fun. Knowing that these cases transported precious seedlings from far flung places was very intriguing. I had a lot of fun with these mixed media pendants of my own. {I hope to make more. I hope people will love them as much as I do. If I made them, would you want to buy them, too?} My original ideas did not pan out, and I am happy for that. Because it forced me to explore a different aspect of my creativity which I think turned out far better. And that is an integral part of the voyage of creative discovery.




I have explored transformations with Jen Selwyn, Lynn Davis, Melanie Brooks and Kate Clawson. The idea that you need to let the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis on its own so that it can stretch its wings to fly is something so personal to me. I wanted to capture that fleeting moment when happiness alights on your shoulder before flitting away. And I wanted to honor this moment of my own transformation.

I have explored storms with Ann Waisbrot, Kate Clawson and Heather Powers. There is something so wonderful about a storm. Okay, not when it blows your house away, but lately I have discovered that my new house has a wonderful system of gutters that simply sing with the water rushing through them during a good soaking rain. And I have witnessed more double rainbows in this new home than I ever did before. {Maybe that means that this is where my pot o' gold resides. I hope I find it soon.} I love it when the storm breaks and the clouds roll back to reveal those golden rays of liquid happiness. That is what I hope I have captured here.


I have explored contrast with Mary Ellen Pollock and Dora Schubert. When you distill something down to its black and white basic you need to pay even more attention to the details. I enjoyed the challenge of making the intricate elemental and the elemental go ka-pow. The fact that these beads were made just for me, inspired by this pen and ink drawing makes them priceless in every way. I am deeply touched that Dora went to such lengths to make these beads what they are, and they are nothing short of majestic in their elemental simplicity.

It has been my privilege to throw this party and invite all of these artists to play along with me. Since I was never the one that anyone wanted to party with I am so thrilled that they all accepted my invitation. I have learned so much about my processes and my style through all of this. One of the greatest lessons I have learned is to trust who I am and what I am doing and to let others do the same. I didn't give any of these artists much to go on other than I wanted a set of beads inspired by the artwork. If I had given them more direction I am certain that I wouldn't have received nearly the caliber of beads and components that I did. They have astounded me with their commitment to this project, amazed me with their masterful insights into the art, and humbled me that I, who am so new to this world, get to create what is sure to be my magnum opus.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kind comments over the past few weeks. Your interest and critiques have been an incredible support. I wish that you could all be here to enjoy the show...and my birthday cupcakes!

Enjoy the day!