Artist: Jean Hutter
Business name: Totally Twisted
Location: Lakewood, NJ and Lake Ariel, PA

Websites & Blogs:
Jean Hutter
Jean Hutter Beads blog
Totally Twisted etsy shop
Totally Twisted 1000 markets shop
Jean, how do you describe your work?
My work is constantly evolving and changing. I would describe it as eclectic – a little of this and a little of that.  I enjoy beadweaving, bead embroidery, stringing and wire work.  I started with wire hence the name Totally Twisted. I don’t work with wire as much any more but I think the name still fits me. I see my work evolving to include more natural and found objects …read more

Artist: Nancy Peterson
Location: The Poconos, Pennsylvania

Website & Blog:
Patterns of my designs
Beading Blog

Nancy, how do you describe your work?
I think that my first love of style of beading is beadweaving. I love to learn new stitches and then take them, create and explore new possibilities. There are some that I find myself coming back to, like the various forms of peyote.

What is your creative process like?
Having two sons, my creative process can be quite chaotic. I may have an idea for a piece but then I only get to work on it in small spurts between …read more

Artist: Mark Hamilton
Business name: Solstice Glass
Location: Eugene, OR

Website & Blog:
Solstice Glass
Solstice Glass blog
Mark has graciously offered a special discount to Jewelry&Beading readers: if you type BEADING into the box for the coupon code, Mark will give you 10% off your entire order before shipping.  This offer is valid through the last day of November 2009!  Thanks, Mark!
Mark, how do you describe your work?
My work is inspired by natural organic forms and colors, and I work with borosilicate glass because the color palette has more of an organic feel than soft glass does.  Most of my designs are scenes such …read more

Artist: Krystal Backer
Business name: MonkeyBuns
Location: Mason City, Iowa

Websites & Blog:
MonkeyBuns etsy shop
MonkeyBuns facebook
Krystal Backer blog

Krystal, how do you describe your work…and why MonkeyBuns?
MonkeyBuns is my son’s nickname. I started making jewelry when I was up to feed him at night so it seemed only natural to name my business after him. I would describe my work as unique and on the cuff of being outside the box.
What is your creative process like?
I have a few ways of working. Some times I make sketches of projects if they come up at a weird time like just before bed. …read more

Artist: Liliana Glenn
Business name: LilianaBead
Location: Natick, MA

Websites & Blog:
LilianaBead
LilianaBead.etsy
LilianaBead.blogspot
How do you describe your work, Liliana?
My business name LilianaBead reflects my dedication to expressing my aesthetic ideals in glass. Each bead is a result of my journey alongside glass and fire. My commitment to the process, the medium and the design underlies everything I make.

My Heart
Color and form dominate my collections. The finished pieces continually remind me how much I love color. Color in glass is particularly rich because of its interaction with light; the possibilities of layering are limitless. The eternity of glass is partially …read more

Artist: Doug Frates
Website: Doug Frates
Usually I profile glass artists who make wearables on this site, but I had to make an exception for Doug, because as you’ll see, his work is exceptional in every way! I think you’ll really enjoy reading what he has to say about his artwork, his process, and his business tips!  He stresses how much hard work goes into building a successful business, and that is true in any creative field.

Doug, how did you decide to simply use your name for your business?
I picked the name of the business because as a High End artist …read more

Artist: Lea Avroch
Business name: LA Jewelry Designs
Location: Long Island, NY
Websites & Blogs:
http://www.lajewelrydesigns.com
http://www.lajewelrydesign.blogspot.com
http://www.lajewelrydesigns.etsy.com
http://www.lajewelrydesigns.artfire.com
http://twitter.com/lajewelrydesign

Lea, your beads are beautiful!  How do you describe your work?
I make handmade wearable glass art and unique jewelry. I started out as a jewelry maker (self taught), mostly stringing and simple wire work and most recently to beadweaving. I’ve always been fascinated with glass. I have a collection of some lovely art glass sculptures in my home so when I saw that a local art league was offering lampwork classes, I quickly signed up. It was a beginner class, which gave me the basics. I since have taken …read more

Artist: Beverly Ash Gilbert
Location: Kirkland Washington
Website and Blog:
Gilbert Designs
Beverly Gilbert blog
How do you describe your work, Beverly?
Experimental, free-form, full of color, movement and texture. I tire easily of rigid forms and patterns.

What is your creative process like?
I live within the creative process – am driven by the designs, ideas and possibilities that fill my head and thrive on the fact that they are always changing and evolving. Once my pieces are nearly completed and I see how they are going to look, I start to loose interest and am ready to move to the next idea. I have to force …read more

Dulcey Heller
I looked back and noticed that we have quite a few amazing seed bead artists that have done profiles for us over the past few years. I don’t want them to get lost in the shuffle during February Seed Bead Mania! If you missed any of them, here they are:
Susan Shaw
Denise Perreault
Dulcey Heller
Amy Clarke Moore
Jama Watts

Artist: Lorena Angulo
Website:
Lorena Angulo
Lorena, when did you become interested in art?
I was born in Mexico, and due to my father’s job in public works we had to frequently move from state to state, what gave me the unique opportunity to grasp the various cultural and artistic expressions of the different regions of Mexico and our Spanish and Indian heritage. That unique experience help me develop my deep love for Art, and to see all the various types of art created by different artisans was amazing. Mostly for me the traditional jewelry wore by the native Indians in …read more