Getting out of the beading comfort zone.
Spring has sprung here in Wisconsin and I have been longing to get out and go places. So, I took a little road trip down to Paoli in southwestern Wisconsin, to visit polymer clay artist extraordinaire Laura Timmins.
Here’s the backstory. I met Laura when I wandered into her booth at the Morning Glory Fine Craft Fair, held every August in Milwaukee. Laura’s work is stunning (her beads on a necklace are shown above), to say the least, and she is quite friendly, so we talked for a little while and I left with one of her business cards.
Now let’s fast forward. Laura and I "conversed" by e-mail a few times, and she invited me to her studio. On the day I visited her, the weather was cooperating and I jumped at the chance to take a drive to Paoli. I was pleasantly surprised at my destination. Laura’s studio is located in an old creamery that also houses Artisan Gallery, a Niche magazine top 100 gallery. I was impressed, to say the least! Laura’s studio has big bay windows that face directly onto the Sugar River and the view is a constant inspiration generator. She gave me a tour of her various work stations that are set up in the studio and pulled out drawers containing luscious-colored chunks of clay and patterned canes. She placed beads and components in various stages of completion in my hands and I marveled at the color combinations — both subtle and striking. We talked at length about both of our crafts — beadwork and polymer clay work — and found a lot of similarities. We sat outside, drinking coffee and eating brownies (my decadently delicious chocolate, cherry brownies) enjoying the whole creative vibe. At one point, we strolled into Artisan Gallery, admiring incredible works of art by glass and ceramic artists. Laura pointed out that some of the effects achieved in porcelain, ceramic, and glasswork can be translated into polymer clay, which I found fascinating.
On my drive home, my mind was buzzing with all of the inspirational images I had seen, so I’d like to share a few of my thoughts with you. First of all, you may be asking, "What does this have to do with beadwork?" Stick with me and I’ll pull it all together in a big bow.
If you check out the biographies of many top-tier bead artists, you will find that they did not start out working with beads. Instead, they have backgrounds in graphic arts, photography, fine arts, etc. Somewhere along the way, the lure of the sparkly bead captured their imaginations. The interesting thing is, when artists switch from one medium to another, they bring all of their aesthetic knowledge and skills with them and apply it to the new craft. I like to call it cross pollination.
Lately, in the world of handicraft, there is a lot of linking going on. It used to be that seed-beaders, art-glass people, silversmiths, and textile artists stayed in their own neighborhoods. My, how things have changed. If one takes a look at juried-competition-winning art jewelry, you can find masterpieces made with various techniques like seed bead embroidery, precious metal clay, lampworking, and silversmithing, all contained in one glorious neck piece.
Since Bead&Button magazine was first published 15 years ago, each issue has featured articles and projects focusing mainly on beadwork but also on other work, including art glass, metal clay, wirework, and polymer clay. I’ve been reading these articles all this time, and yet, only in the last couple of years have I been looking to cross pollinate my work with these other mediums.
My question is, "Where and how can I overlap one craft with another?" Asking this question reveals where I am in my personal artistic journey.
Are you using more than just one set of craft skills in your creations? If so, please send me a comment and maybe even a picture.
One thing for sure, this year when I look through the booths at the Bead&Button Show, I’m going to make a concentrated effort to look at everything, not just seed beads.
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