After collecting antique Trade beads for years, I started thinking about other ways to display them, instead of the straight forward jewelry approach. There could be times when you don't want to wear a bracelet or a necklace everyday, but still enjoy the beauty of the artifacts. Keeping things organic and natural is just second nature to me, so when it came to designing wall hangings, I took a walk. Literally. Walking my dogs every morning in the Arizona foothills, provides many earthy materials. A twig here, a stone there, a seed pod or cactus rib, it all works. All of my hangings have a main support of maybe a twig from a native Arizona tree, or cactus skeleton, or perhaps a piece of washed up driftwood collected on vacation. I can't seem to go anywhere without dragging home some treasure. My collecting started as a kid, when I would go out for a walk in the woods with my family and come home with my pockets full of goodies. Great pleasure can be found in nature, if you just open your eyes.
Back to the work bench....twigs, shells, stones, feathers, wine corks, handmade clay beads, beach glass, leather, a bit of wire wrapping, and a the main feature, Trade beads....it all comes together in a one of a kind hanging.
