Best Friends
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads
2009 Jewelry-Making Contest
Crystal Category
Bronze Medal Prize Winner |
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Where do you live?
Cambridge, Wisconsin
Describe your artistic style.
I have multiple artistic styles; it changes with my mood and the media I am working with.
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I am inspired by many things. Nature plays a big part, yet I can be inspired by my mood after reading or watching movies, or just observing something beautiful.
What materials do you most enjoy working with?
I enjoy working with crystals and Delica beads and I love to combine many different mediums into a design.
What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Best Friends
What inspired this design?
I was first inspired by fireopal crystals. I came up with the idea of a ''fire bug'' and his friend after watching a Laurel and Hardy movie.
How did it come together?
I did not plan it out. It just developed as I went along.
When and how did you begin making jewelry/beading?
I began my love affair with beads when I strung my first lima bean necklace at summer camp when I was four.
Who introduced you to beading?
I am a self-taught artist. I have learned from many people. For example, I developed a love of seed beads at the age of nine when I went to an Ojibwa Pow Wow in upper Wisconsin and was amazed at the beautiful beaded costumes.
Do you have an artistic background?
I enjoy wood carving, dance and playing music. I have had training in all arts.
How did you discover Fire Mountain Gems and Beads®?
On the back of a beading magazine.
Do you belong to any beading societies or beading groups?
I do not belong to any beading groups or societies at this time.
What other hobbies do you have?
I enjoy antique shopping, gardening, photography and, of course, collecting beautiful beads for my favorite art.
What role does jewelry-making play in your life?
Beading helps me unwind at the end of a day. It is meditative. For me it is a both a hobby and a full-time career. I own a small bead shop that I work at during the day and when I get home I bead for me.
Do you participate in any charity fundraisers?
I donate some of my pieces to my favorite charities and demonstrate art making at local fundraisers. On the more national level, I have sold many breast cancer awareness bracelets I made using awareness beads.
Any advice for aspiring jewelry-artists?
My biggest advice is having confidence in your work. If it looks good to you then there is a 99.99% chance it will look good to someone else. I hear too many people tell me they don't think their jewelry is very good, when in fact, it is really beautiful.
View all of Sherral's designs in the Gallery of Designs. |
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