The Glory of the Baroque
Industrial Spikes
Fire Mountain Gems and Beads' Jewelry-Making Contest 2013 featuring Seed Beads
Gold Medal Prize Winner
Category: Jewelry Design Set |
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Meet the Designer-Artist
Where do you live?
Lemont, Illinois
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I have many inspirations like nature, arts, history and everyday small wonders I find around me. I gain inspiration from ancient cultures, their art, jewelry and fabrics, but also from surrounding nature. Both my parents have influenced my work. My father had many archeological books, which I as a small kid loved viewing. The ancient worlds, lost civilizations, beautiful cities, looking for forgotten lands and treasures, all these inhabited my imagination then and were going to stay with me as I grew up.
My mother doesn't realize it, but she inspired me with her artistic creativity during my youth. She was raised in a time when creativity in Poland was not favored upon. Yet, living in imperfect surroundings, she painted huge paintings of wonderful landscapes and still lifes all from her imagination. My mother would be surprised and proud to know that small parts of her influence find their way into my work.
What medium do you work with mostly?
I am in love in seed beads! I also work with a huge assortment of cabochons, cut slices of natural stones like agates, jasper, turquoise, antique glass, pearls and crystals. And I have to admit that I discovered seed beads when I came here to the United States. Otherwise, I never would have decided to try it as a form of art because I never considered it as such.
What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
The name of my necklace is The Glory of the Baroque
What inspired this design?
The glamorous Baroque epoch was the inspiration for my necklace. I am a great connoisseur of classical music and my favorite period is Baroque.
How did it come together?
I cannot draw or paint. My sketches and handwriting look like ancient cuneiform writing. My only tool for creating new design is my imagination. I connect all stitches, all beads, colors together in my head seeing a three-dimensional beautiful new piece. Sometimes during work I can change a few things, but main blueprint begins always in my head.
Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
This is a very good question but the seed beads medium possess endless possibilities of creativity and invention. I like jewelry that resembles small treasures, which have a highly detailed look. This kind of adornments gives me the sense of mystery, adventure and joy I dreamed about many years ago. I can still wander with the images from my father's books about ancient dig sites, archeological mysteries and ancient cultures gone long time ago. All that can still inspire us today. Seed beads medium is just created for this kind of art expression and that is what will never stop mesmerizing me. My childhood and my fantasy world are still with me again. |