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Creativity Expressed Through Adornment

Friday, September 14, 2012

Harvest Hues - Eleventh Artist is Joanne Pelletier




Joanne has been an avid beader for over 30 years and started making jewelry after participating in a workshop on quill and seed bead earrings.  This inspired her to learn more about beaded jewelry and, using how-to-bead books, was soon was making necklaces, earrings and bracelets.  The first time she attended BeadExpo in Santa Fe, she was blown away by the sheer volume and variety of gemstone, pearl and designer beads.  She also discovered the benefits of on-line shopping, which makes the high end supplies that she uses in her jewelry readily available.  She has been selling to family, friends and colleagues for the past 25 years and plans on making her hobby a full time job, with retirement coming up in the next few months.  One of the things she enjoys most about designing and making jewelry is the excitement and joy of seeing the pieces come together, resulting in a wearable piece of art. Joanne says her jewelry is for that woman that truly enjoys a lot of bling!!

Harvest Hues - Tenth Artist is D.P. Creations




My name is David Danial Peters and I am the artist behind DP Creations Jewellery and Design. Though Regina born, I now live in Grand Coulee, a mere 10 min west of Regina (towards Moose Jaw). I have been around jewellery for much of my life as my mom led me shopping from one jewellery store to another. As I always say… her hands made Liberace’s look bare! 

Naturally I became just as enamored with jewellery as she was. Over the years I have worked at Birks, Paris Jewellers, and was in management at  Ben Moss Jewellers. Over the years I tired of the cookie cutter designs from “Production” stores and decided I could create unique jewellery! 

I started my jewellery schooling at the Neil Balkwill Centre taking Jewellery Classes 1 and 2 along with Enameling and Casting . As continual learning and education is important to me, I applied and was accepted to the Ashworth College’s Jewellery Design and Repair course, a one year course, which I completed in seven months with honors. After receiving my Certificate from Ashworth, I start creating unique pieces of jewellery for family, friends, and vending at the local Arts and Crafts shows. That was almost three years ago this April and I have been learning, growing and evolving my own unique style of Jewellery ever since.

I would say I make a mixed variety of jewellery kinds and styles. I endeavor to be unique and artistic, but my years in the industry are echoed in my more production-oriented pieces. I work mostly in Sterling Silver, but am not opposed to working in Gold! I also work with Copper and a bit of brass. I love to use gemstones and always try to stay true to the quality of true natural gemstones, yet I do use Lab created (grown crystals) in order to provide my customers with a wide variety of colours and more unique types of stones while still keeping within a reasonable cost.

If asked what inspires me I would have to say everything and nothing all in one. I seem to find some inspiration in nature and how natural things evolve as in my “Melt” pendants but I also love the rigid shapes and mechanical designs of our modernist society. I do treasure historic and antique styles which also echo in my creations.

The thing I most like about designing jewellery is that each person’s perspectives of what jewellery is, or should be like, is different. Therefore I can create jewellery how I see it with hopes of connecting it with a like-minded person. This way I do not limit my designs by pre-existing views!

Harvest Hues - Ninth Artist is Surrayah's Jewels




My name is Elaine Gill and I’ve lived in Moose Jaw all my life. I started making jewellery about 3 years ago when I won a strand of gemstone beads. It was love at first sight and there has been no turning back!
I started simply stringing; learning things as I proceeded, picking up new ideas, techniques and awesome new supplies!
I love working with gemstones in as many ways as I can.…with wire, seed beads and incorporating them into other designs! There is something very special about handling these stones. It is the stones that inspire me.
I have tried a lot of different techniques but there are many more I’d love to try….time permitting!
I’ve been asked many times where the name ‘Surrayah’ came from and the answer to that is that it is a stage name used by me years back when I was Belly Dancing. I loved the name so much that I kept it. At that time I was making costumes with all of the sparkle that is Dance and this love for all things colourful and shiny has spilled over into my jewellery making….a natural progression, I think!
I’d say that my style is very eclectic because I have tried so many things but I find that creating something special with the earth’s gemstones to be very peaceful and calming.

Harvest Hues - Eighth Artist is Teresa Moxley




I have been creating things since I was a teenager when I knit my first sweater. I have done macramé (that’s dating me), pottery, painting in oils, acrylics and water colour, sewing and making teddy bears from old fur coats. I was introduced to silver clay a few years ago and fell in love with the possibilities this venue has to offer. I took a 3-day workshop and began creating my own jewellery. My main focus has been on pendants and earrings, although I have made rings and bracelets.

Teresa Moxley

Harvest Hues - Seventh Artist is EllJay Design




EllJay Design by Laura Steadman

I have been involved in arts and crafts of all sorts for most of my life.  I love working with my hands and have done cross stitch, Hardanger embroidery, crochet, Origami, designed and made teddy bears, painting, and other things too.

Years ago, my step-father took a jewellery class and I was impressed by the things he made.  I wanted to take the class too but put it off for a long long time.  When I finally took the class I was instantly hooked!  I am continually fascinated by the way a piece of metal can be transformed through many different techniques into something beautiful and wearable.  I have spent the last few years setting up my own studio and taking classes.  I work primarily with Sterling silver but will sometimes use copper and semi-precious stones and beads.  I was born and raised in Regina where I will continue to take classes and work on designing and creating new and unique pieces of jewellery.

Harvest Hues - Sixth Artist is Prairie Sky Creations




I love colours and rocks and things that are different! I try to create pieces that bring out the best of the materials I use. I find the prairie sky so inspiring because it can be so colourful and HUGE.

I am an artist who currently specializes handmade jewelry, silverwork, lampwork beads, and other accessories. The materials I use are Sterling silver, copper, my own lampwork glass beads, semi-precious stones, crystals and other metals.

My jewellery can be purchased on-line at www.prairieskycreations.ca and my lampwork beads are available at Beadplus. 

Harvest Hues - Fifth Artist is Roxanne Brown Jewellery





Roxanne Brown was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan and grew up in a family of creative people. Roxanne has been an accomplished seamstress for her adult life with an eye and enthusiasm for tasteful embellishment and accessories. Over the past 6 years Roxanne has also applied her accumulated skill and artistry to creating jewellery. Through artistically combining handcrafted Lampwork glass beads of other independent artists from around the world, semi-precious stones swarovski crystals and other high quality components; Roxanne creates original pieces that surprise and inspire. Roxanne also applies her skills to creating one-of-a-kind accent purses and scarves. Roxanne's creations come together under the label of Roxanne Brown Jewellery. 

Over the past 8 years she has worked as lead seamstress with Dean Renwick Design Studio and coming November 2012 she will be leaving the Design Studio to further her Jewellery business on a full time basis. Roxanne will continue to refine her skills and look for new directions to express her imagination.


Harvest Hues - Fourth Artist is Shauna Mitru




Shauna Mitru is a self taught flamework artist who creates each piece of jewellery by hand herself, from the beads to the silver work. Her work is playful and reflects the joy she feels in applying her trade. She teaches bead-making classes and is the open studio instructor at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre in Regina.  

www.shaunamitru.com

http://www.sccmembershipdirectory.com/type_professional-craftperson/mitru_shauna/mitru_s.htm

Harvest Hues - Third Artist is joni originals




Joan Pederson
Owner, joni originals--Creative Jewellery
Regina, Saskatchewan

I’ve always loved stones and used to collect them as a child.  I started designing jewellery as a therapy a few years ago after my parents had passed away.  Through self-teaching and help from friends I learned more about semi-precious stones and sterling silver.  After I lost my job, I started spending more time on my jewellery, attending Bead Shows for wholesalers in Tucson, Arizona, and looking for opportunities to sell-- beyond my network of friends and relatives! 
I’m always looking for unique stones, different colors and shapes. I also look for other metals as an alternative to sterling silver.  My goal is to make each jewellery piece unique … no two the same.  I may use similar stones but the designs are all different. I look for stones that are not common to Saskatchewan.  Although I use semi-precious stones, I strive to keep my costs down and my prices reasonable so that they are affordable for everyone.


Harvest Hues - Second Artist is Beyond Sight




Summer Hartzfeld - Beyond Sight Custom Jewellery

Summer Hartzfeld has been blind since infancy but that hasn't stopped her from crafting beautiful pieces of jewellery. She lives with her guide-dog, Lake, who helps her get around the city. She joined the Regina Farmer's Market in 1997. Lake and Summer make their way to the market by bus, with Summer carrying all her cases in a back pack. She designed her cases herself and had them made by a local craftsperson.

Summer chooses her pieces by shape and texture, rather than by colour. She prefers to work with natural material such as semi-precious stones, sterling silver, and shells. Summer crafts all her own wire components from sterling silver wire. By touch she is able to make perfect loops and swirls. She can feel the smallest inclusion in a stone and can frequently tell the type of stone by its feel.

“I start playing with the beads, feeling each one, and figuring what shapes it will go with. I choose my stones carefully. My hands are my eyes. For colour I have to rely on the description by my sighted friends. Majority rules when it comes to colour, as everyone seems to have their own way of describing it. I think the stones show how amazing God's Creation is.”

Harvest Hues - First Artist is Myrna's Jewellery




Jewellery Handcrafted by Myrna Allan

Throughout my years of living in Regina, I’ve been a regular attending all the various nearby craft shows and purchasing unique gifts for family and friends.  I never thought I would eventually be someone that would have a table and sell my own wares.

I’ve always enjoyed creating different things with my hands, however, that was put on hold when I was deeply entrenched in work life.  When I retired from the provincial government, I knew that I wanted to do something creative once again.

In 2007, I registered for my first Jewellery class at Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre.  I’ve taken numerous classes and learned many different techniques.  Today I continue to take classes to improve my skills and incorporate many of the learned techniques into my Jewellery.

I really enjoy working with a variety of metals (silver, copper, brass, titanium, and niobium) to make and design my Jewellery.

Throughout the time at the studio I have met many wonderful people.  It’s been a great way to be creative and socialize at the same time. The social aspect of meeting others that are also creating is just what I wanted to fulfill my retirement.

Most of my Jewellery is fairly petite and delicate, with simple lines.  I believe my pieces are unique to themselves and no two are exactly the same, something is always a wee bit different.

 I hope you will enjoy wearing my Jewellery as much as I enjoy making and designing the one of a kind pieces.

Harvest Hues Next Saturday!!

Harvest Hues is only 1 week away! 
Saturday, September 22, 2012
10 am - 5 pm
Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre
2900- 13th Avenue
Regina, SK

Admission is free and there is a free draw to win a lovely creation from one our artists!


Our lineup for this year's show is:

Myrna's Jewellery
Beyond Sight
joni originals
Shauna Mitru
Roxanne Brown Jewellery
Prairie Sky Creations
EllJay Design
Teresa Moxley
Surrayah's Jewels
Rock'n
D.P. Creations
Joanne Pelletier