Lorraine Mayes Buckley

Lorraine Mayes Buckley

Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Contest 2010 featuring Seed Beads

Finalist

Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Bloomfield, Michigan

Describe your artistic style.
Freestyle. I work as the spirit moves me.

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
Nature and its colors.

What materials do you most enjoy working with?
Delica® beads.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Evening Out Beaded Handbag

What inspired this design?
I saw the pattern in a book, but the other side is freestyle.

How did it come together? For example, did you plan it out or did it define itself once you began working?
It defined itself as I began working.

Share Your Background


When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
I always had an interest and I took a beading class 13 years ago and I was hooked.

Who introduced you to beading?
A former co-worker of mine.

Do you have an artistic background?
I grew up in New York and wanted to be a fashion illustrator, but it didn't happen and I stopped drawing. Beadwork is a way for me to release.

How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?
I found a catalog in 1994 at work.

What other hobbies do you have?
Reading, making jewelry

Beading Success


What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
It is a stress reducer for me. It is a part-time hobby.

If you used jewelry-making as a way to bring in income, how are you selling yourself and your jewelry?
This is the first contest I have entered. I have sold a few pieces at craft fairs.

Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
Go where your heart leads you and develop your own style.