I have worked as a lawyer for most of my adult life. But that is not how I identify myself. I am a mother, a lover, a friend, an artist. It took me almost 5 decades to recognize my passion for creating art. And now I enjoy creating with watercolour, acrylic paint, pastel (like finger-painting!), and now jewellery. Not only is it satisfying to discover I have actually created something that looks pretty good when it’s done, it is a wonderful form of therapeutic stress-release. When I am totally focused on my work nothing else is on my mind. To me it is similar to scuba-diving – you are so involved and aware and focused only on what you are experiencing at the moment that there is no possibility for any other thoughts to intervene.
Working with beads satisfies me visually – the colours and variations are wonderful – and I love handling them. Cool and smooth, in every shape and size. The most time-consuming part of making any piece is deciding what beads to use and in what order. I prefer working with natural stones, semiprecious gems and glass beads. I have also found some wonderful clay and wooden beads and I usually mix a variety of beads to bring out the beauty of each one. I’m always on the lookout for something interesting and a little different. Many of my pieces are not symmetrical. Balanced, but not matching. I like to include a little surprise – like one bright yellow bead in a strand of silver and blue.
And I find it very exciting to think that someone else will love one of my creations enough to wear it themselves!
Take a moment to absorb the immense beauty of a sunrise or sunset, the colours of the leaves in the fall, the glint of winter sun on a field of snow, the motion in the surface of the sea.
Joelle
joli bijoux 