Bamileke Beaded Objects

"Most Bamileke art (and the work of other kingdoms of the Cameroon Grasslands) relates to kings and important chiefs, who defined their power by the display of prestige objects during important ceremonies. The motifs used include leopards, human figures and heads, spiders, lizards and other subjects plus abstract designs. The spider, often found abstracted in repeating patterns,is a symbol of wisdom. The leopard; cunning, fast, mobile and guardedly aggressive, signifies the ability to survive and is the most important royal icon, often even the king's alter ego. Glass beads embellish the most important royal objects. Most of these beaded objects formed a cap or headdress." - Hammill Gallery

To see more pieces go the the Hammill Gallery website.

Madelyn Ricks

"It is the art of interlocking beads together with thread is both ancient and universal. Madelyn Ricks's designs are a mixture of many different cultures and times. The technique is peyote stitch named by the Native Americans in the US. A very strong multifilament nylon thread is used. The square glass beads are a high quality glass manufactured in Japan using novel techniques. Many of the beads are plated with precious metals such as 24K gold, rhodium and palladium. Also used, are lot of silver-lined colored beads to create a lot of sparkle, making the finished piece look like small dots of colored light woven together.
There are very few artists that work with beads this small ( about 300 per square inch), or create pieces with such intricate patterns and colors." - website

To see more of her intricate work go to her website.

Debra Zar

Debra Zar is an extremely talented multi-media artist from Illinois. She works in a variety of different materials including glass, metal and paper to create her jewelry, sculpture and assemblage pieces. I have been blessed to have her as a teacher and a friend for many years. To see more of her exquisite work go to http://www.debrazar.com/

Linda Fifield

"For twenty-five years, Linda Fifield has been striving to perfect an ancient netting stitch using Czechoslovakian glass seed beads and nylon thread. She constructs these beaded coverings over hollow wood vessels that she turns from Appalachian hardwood gathered from her 250-acre backyard. The precision of the intricate stitched beadwork creates a pebbled, tactile surface that's sensuous to the touch and pleasing to the eye." - The Artful Home

To see more of her work go to http://www.lindafifield.com/

Linda Dolack

This exciting beaded work is by Linda Dolack. You can see more of her work at http://www.lindadolack.com/

"Recycled food packaging, magazines, shopping carts, as well as other found objects are embellished by carpeting their surfaces with visually seductive craft store or 'low art' goods such as glass beads, sequins and rhinestones. These common supplies, traditionally used most often by women, were selected as a means of celebrating the spirituality and repetition of mundane everyday rituals employed in caring for one another." - Linda Dolack