Intellectual Bead Porn

Suzanne Golden Presents:
Interviews with 36 Artists
Who Innovate with Beads 

Of course, the artwork is beautiful. It would be easy to go through this book looking only at the photographs.

But it would be a mistake. A very big mistake.

After you've looked at every photo and drooled over the amazing and wonderful art that Suzanne has curated into her own personal gallery, go back to the beginning and read the text. There is as much here for the mind as for the eyes: you'll meet thoughtful, passionate and intelligent artists who work with beads for many different reasons. You'll be inspired by their words; by their choices, by the way they create and the way they live their lives.

Suzanne Golden

Suzanne has put together the perfect dinner party of bead artists; I would love to have all of them in the same room at the same time. I would even cook a multi-course feast for them, just for the pleasure of their conversation. (Though, if they brought their artwork with them, that would turn my imaginary party into a major event.)

If you know Suzanne, you'll recognize her style. Quirky. Fun. Colorful. Always surprising and interesting. Never predictable. If you don't know Suzanne, you'll wish you did. This book is one that will stay close to hand for a long, long, time; I'm quite sure that I will find something new to love about it every time I pick it up.

Heading into the unknown

The starting point for the Battle of the Beadsmith is rapidly approaching, and I'm beginning to think about what I want to make.

I don't draw out my designs, or plan in advance, but I do tend to have some sort of theme for my larger pieces; something that expresses how I feel, or what is happening in my life.

Last year, I was counting my blessings; I'd had some tough times, and was coming out the other side. I needed peace, and I spent my working time thinking about good friends, and about how much they meant to me. It was a time of quiet reflection, and I found the peace I needed.

This year, I think, it's about the journey. The road ahead, and the road behind me. There will be lace. And metal. And, of course, beads. Lots of beads. That's all I know right now, and I'm beginning to find the things I want and set them aside.

A lace-trimmed handkerchief. The inner workings of a watch. Thin gold lace yarn. A bag of baroque pearls. Crystals. Brass wire, wound into a coil, and hand-sawn into jump rings with my own hands. Steampunk. A future-fantasy with elements of the past.

Me: old enough to be an antique, but still dreaming about the future.