For some time now I've been big admirer of the work of Dawn Dodson of
La Touchables. If you participate in or follow the monthly ABS challenge, you're likely to have come across her jewellery designs. I know her entries have been featured in a number of
Erin's Perfect Pairings posts. They're like no other I know of: Dawn's pieces have a style that is immediately recognisable and all her own. They have a primitive feel and yet they seem subtly luxurious, in part because they're always loaded with beautiful things, including lots of art beads. She also takes fabulous photos that are brilliantly styled. There are plenty here for you to admire. You'll find more on
her blog and in
her shop. As I find her designs so compelling, I thought I'd see if she fancied telling us something more about her work.
When did you first get interested in beads and beading
and how did it come about?
One night in the late 1960's, playing in the backyard
of our apartment complex with my brother, I took an ugly garden pot in my hand
and held it up in the air stating, "This is a great artifact from the days
of the Egyptians!" Then I hurled it to the ground where it exploded into
shards, each one more beautiful than the next. Blame it on the eerie outdoor
lighting and the marshmallows, an epiphany followed and my brother grew up to
be a ceramicist while a seed was sown in me which lay dormant for decades till
just a few years ago.
I started making necklaces out of pure curiousity. In art school in the 80's I had taken a metalsmithing class, and abandoned that to concentrate on painting. So art history and color had always held me in a stranglehold, manifesting itself in a funky way of dressing, cutting my own hair, or altering my clothes. For years I more or less floated along regarding my creative life, never quite taking myself seriously enough to do anything about it. Then one day the tides changed.
My love of personal adornment began to grow when I
came into the possession of vintage bakelite and multi-part antique metal
buttons, and thought I could make something out of them. At that time I was
working from the diningroom table on my bags and things.
I see from your blog and your Etsy shop that you work
a lot with textiles and also make jewellery using different fabrics. Did this
interest start before your interest in beads? Can you say a bit about how your
work with textiles informs your jewellery designs.
I'd say it was a parallel development. Working with
textiles makes me predisposed to finding other solutions to construction
techniques, which fascinates me because of my love of contrasting hard and
soft. But it's not about a technique shouting. For me, it's about the beads.
You use a lot of art beads in your designs. Who are
your favourite bead makers and what is it in their work that appeals to you?
I look for a singular voice, show of hand, sculptural
organic forms, attention to detail, artistic development and especially
passion.
I've only touched the tip of the iceberg, and forgive
me for leaving anyone out. Happy Fallout first caught my eye with her Tea in the
Sahara ceramic beads. Her layering of glazes and textures is hypnotic. Balela Ceramics
makes magnificent sculptural porcelain
and stoneware beads with subtle glazes and powdery pastels and neutrals.
Edooley seduced me with her translucent color and delicate lampwork forms.
Donna Perlinplim has such a refreshing take on things, from delicate decals to
ancient looking glazes on embossed ceramic. TwoSistersDesigns makes organic
painterly beads and I love her matt effetre lampwork. LaccentNou's pitfired and
gold glazed beads have me swooning. RaggedRobyn robbed my heart with her tribal
handpainted ceramic beads. Calisto makes gorgeous luminous lampwork, and I have
just discovered NuminosityBeads (delicate explosions of natural beauty in her
lampwork) and Something to do Beads (your work is at once modern, fun, and
delicate, and I love how you paint with glaze, leaving raw ceramic edges).
I'm still educating myself about bead artists, trying to better manage my time and budget.
Do you have a favourite medium when it comes to buying
art beads?
Stoneware, porcelain, lampwork, bone, and other
natural materials. I'm open for anything though, and always ready to
experiment.
Do you have a dedicated studio or do you work around
the home? Can you describe your work space?
My studio is in the garden with a view to the garden
house.
I work best in organized chaos, so at the end of the
day I can close the door and leave things sitting around on the table. I don't
have a decent photogenic image. It is what it is, a space I can take my hat off
in.
On occasion I'll work at the diningroom table.
Do you have a favourite piece or pieces?
