From Beads to Jewelry and Back Again! - Self Teaching, Self Learning and Self Reflection
Welcome to StudioStJames and glad you stopped by!
My story is based on 8 simple rules which have influenced me as an artist....
1) Go Where The Spirit Takes You!
I began my career as a jewelry and bead designer about ten years ago. This wasn't my first dabble in art, however, I have always enjoyed art, it is in my soul and I could not imagine my life without it. Over the years I have experimented in many different mediums from painting to pen and ink, sculpture, paper crafts and finally evolving into bead and jewelry design. I just went where the spirit took me and polymer clay bead and jewelry design felt like a natural progression for a new chapter.
2) Immerse Yourself In What You Love!
Back in the day...... my love affair with polymer clay bead making and jewelry design started when I first watched polymer clay masters like Donna Kato and Lisa Pavelka on the Carol Duvall show. These artists would turn out incredible pieces of wearable art jewelry and I was hooked!
The expression "do something you love and you will never work a day in your life" is very powerful. The immersion began............
3) Learn Something New Everyday !
I would practice, practice, and practice some more while watching these featured artists. I expanded my library by buying up just about every polymer clay book (NO, I am wrong, it was every book!) on the market and finally relying on the internet for continued self education and training, tracking well known and emerging artists and keeping pace with evolving polymer clay techniques.
4) Love Your Mistakes!
During my practice sessions it is more than fair to say that I made my share of mistakes. But when I thought all was lost out of the ashes (and with some over-cured beads they were truly ashes!) emerged a new process, design or technique that I could file away in my "tool box" of knowledge. So the moral of this one is mistakes are invaluable, period!
5) Stop And Smell The Roses!
Inspiration - where does it come from - are you kidding? Mother Nature of course!
I am, as most artists are, drawn to nature… the landscapes, flowers, trees and rocks… which always inspire me to incorporate their elements, colors and textures into my jewelry design. You can see the influence of Mother Nature in my River Rock, Sea Shell, Peas in a Pod and Tree of Life collections. Take the time, look around and be amazed at the world and all its glory.
6) Feel Accomplished In The Effort!
To lose yourself in the creative process and embrace the artistic message brings passion to the art and a sense of accomplishment and confidence to the artist.
In describing my creative process I forget the "plan" and instead reach for that emotional place in myself that needs to be expressed. I love the spontaneity of hand creation and I just play around with my initial inspiration until the designs and details emerge. That’s where happy accidents occur and it is where I learn the most about myself as an artist. It is in that moment that I know my composition is on its way to completion...........And it feels good!
7) Stay Current!
I love some of the latest material and tools on the market today and probably have tried them all but in particular I have been exploring the properties of translucent clay. Processes and techniques for translucent clay are emerging everywhere in field. The polymer clay artist community is itching to know more and experiment with this clay and I am very much a part of that "interested group"!
8) Evolve through Self Reflection - Be Grounded In The Past!
When I think about the pleasure I derived from my paintings I was always fascinated with land, mountain and seascapes. The sunrises and sunsets, the tranquil blue and green colors of the sea, particles of beach sand in brown, grey, the refined and organic ridges in the barks of trees framed by the blended colors in the sky, the beautiful and graceful leaves in autumn, the seasons and how they bring their own beauty to these views. These are the elements I drew upon then and inspire me now. From beads to jewelry and back again, self teaching and self learning, self reflection, interpreting these ideas in the polymer clay world is very simply.....
Where the spirit is taking me now.......
My goal is simple and that is to create something that can truly resonate with people and then let it stand open for interpretation among the wearers!
