Mary Ellen Mead has traveled extensively and collects beads and vintage jewelry, which she incorporates into her own creative pieces. This lecture will include a presentation about the beads and their origin, and will also showcase Mary Ellen's work.
Artist/weaver Helen Banes developed the concept of incorporating beads into tapestry and thus created a new form of personal adornment, the tapestry-woven necklace. This will be a short romp through that approach in an attempt to impart the enthusiasm to try this technique.
About Mary Ellen:
Colors and textures sing to me. I enjoy creating jewelry which combines fibers and metals, beads, glass, stones and especially artifacts-either jewelry our mothers or grandmothers wore on ethnic pieces from far away.
Two weeks before I retired, after 13 years as a Financial Consultant with a leasing brokerage firm, I attended a weekend workshop in tapestry-woven necklaces. This method of combining beads, artifacts and fibers intrigued me. In pursuing this interest I have also become involved in metal work, beadwork and the exploration of polymer clay. My work has evolved to combine whichever of these techniques best expresses a particular concept. My work has been exhibited at The Artists' Studio, Palos Verde Art Studio, Bella Cosa, and Eileen Kreman Gallery.
Any questions can be directed to the Program Chair. We hope to see you at the February meeting!