earthenwoodceramics's Profile

Bio

Earthenwood Studio specializes in a wide range of Arts and Crafts. The handcrafted craft gift line includes handcrafted porcelain jewelry components and kits, ceramic stoneware and earthenware gift tiles and ornaments.

About Melanie Brooks

Melanie is a ceramic artist, specializing in the miniature world of beads and jewelry. Working in the comfort of her home studio, she has been making and selling ceramic beads and jewelry of her own design for much of the ten years since she graduated art college. She has sold her work in galleries, bead stores, bead shows, and through the Earthenwood website . In the last three years, the studio business has become a full time occupation, and is the realization of life long dreams. Melanie works at the home studio with her husband and is "assisted" by her loyal companion, Zoey the studio dog.

For her beads, Melanie is drawn mostly to working in fine white porcelain because of the detail it provides and how it acts as a blank canvas for the colorful and varied glazes in her palette. The beads are all fired to a mid-high fire temperature (about 2300 degrees F) in an electric kiln. Custom molds are used for some of the most detailed beads, and others are hand formed individually. Some of the beads are made with a combination of mold techniques mixed with hand forming using wooden tools, stamps, and small sprig molds. Melanie especially enjoys imagery of fairyland, goddesses, and the natural world. She finds inspiration in historical ceramics like Yixing Teapots and Egyptian Amulets, as well as the miniature carvings of Ojime and Netsuke of Japan. Fantasy artwork and Anime also are an endless source of inspiration.

Melanie always loves to see her beads come alive in the bead and craft creations of others, enjoying this collaboration with artists and designers, and the pleasure when her beads can inspire someone's imagination! She spends most of her business time chatting with customers and fellow artists online or in person at the various bead shows she attends. This interaction with creative people is one of the most rewarding thing about the Earthenwood Studio business.

Female, Born on November 8

Favorite Materials

clay, ceramic, porcelain, earthenware, terracotta, stoneware, glaze