Bobbi Kirk
P: 541-264-0675
923 SE Bay Blvd.
Newport, OR
97365
Email:
Website: http://beadingatthebeach.blogspot.com/
I am an artist who worked in traditional media for many years, but began using beads about 20 years ago. I started working with beads because they allowed me to express my awe of the natural world, using a process I found suited me beautifully. I also love being part of an artform that goes back thousands of years. I feel part of a very long continuum!
As a native of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, I have been strongly influenced by both the spectacular beauty of the forests, mountains and waters as well as a long connection to Asian culture, and both the simplicity and the complexity of Asian aesthetics have been an influence on my work. That being said, the design of my work is thoroughly contemporary.
For the past few years I’ve been working on a series in bead embroidery, beginning with a baker’s dozen hand portraits, based on the actual handprints of twelve other artists/friends who work with beads or use beads in their work, then continuing with small amulets based on the hamsa hand of the mid-east, and finally bead collages using my own hand as a pattern. I am obviously strongly drawn to the hand image in my work, as I’ve always been compelled to making things “by hand”.
The process of beading is surely one of the most labor intensive of all the art or fine craft mediums. Since each element (bead) is so small (some are literally as small as grains of sand!) it takes many hours to finish most pieces. Unlike many other artforms, beadwork is primarily valued by the intensive labor, intricate craftsmanship and fine design that goes into its making. I use glass beads from around the world, vintage and contemporary, as well as embellishments I’ve collected over the past twenty years, which make my pieces unique and precious to the discerning collector.
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