
NANCY KARACAND - #7
Astoria Studio Collective
1010 Duane, upstairs
jewelry, beadwork, card making
email: ncand@q.com
I began making jewelry in 1982 when I got snagged off the travel route in Haines, Alaska to make silver and brass earrings and pendants for a local multi-media artist. Being drawn to the beadwork of local Alaska Native artists, I soon began to experiment with my own designs and have been beading ever since. I relocated to the Astoria area from Juneau, Alaska almost 12 years ago. I was a vendor at the Astoria Sunday Market for several years before showing my work in local galleries. Currently my jewelry is available through my home studio.
In my other life, I have been a psychotherapist for many years. Creating beadwork and fiber art has been a wonderful compliment to my work as a psychotherapist. It provides balance, meditative absorption, and healing.
Artist statement:
I believe a strong connection with the natural world is vital for creating art. Where I create my work is almost as important as what materials I use. I’ve always enjoyed “a room with a view” - to be able to look out at large vistas, to give my eyes and my whole being a resting place in the midst of focusing and concentrating on tiny beads and intricate patterns. Recently I moved into a wonderful lake house that offers rich inspiration for my art.
Most of my beadwork designs are inspired by a particular bead or stone and the other elements seem to arrange themselves around that focal piece. I am drawn to vivid color and unique texture and love being able to combine materials in unusual ways. I enjoy utilizing traditional bead-weaving techniques using more contemporary materials to produce a non-traditional look. I also enjoy creating greeting cards with richly colored and textured papers.
Astoria Studio Collective
1010 Duane, upstairs
jewelry, beadwork, card making
email: ncand@q.com
I began making jewelry in 1982 when I got snagged off the travel route in Haines, Alaska to make silver and brass earrings and pendants for a local multi-media artist. Being drawn to the beadwork of local Alaska Native artists, I soon began to experiment with my own designs and have been beading ever since. I relocated to the Astoria area from Juneau, Alaska almost 12 years ago. I was a vendor at the Astoria Sunday Market for several years before showing my work in local galleries. Currently my jewelry is available through my home studio.
In my other life, I have been a psychotherapist for many years. Creating beadwork and fiber art has been a wonderful compliment to my work as a psychotherapist. It provides balance, meditative absorption, and healing.
Artist statement:
I believe a strong connection with the natural world is vital for creating art. Where I create my work is almost as important as what materials I use. I’ve always enjoyed “a room with a view” - to be able to look out at large vistas, to give my eyes and my whole being a resting place in the midst of focusing and concentrating on tiny beads and intricate patterns. Recently I moved into a wonderful lake house that offers rich inspiration for my art.
Most of my beadwork designs are inspired by a particular bead or stone and the other elements seem to arrange themselves around that focal piece. I am drawn to vivid color and unique texture and love being able to combine materials in unusual ways. I enjoy utilizing traditional bead-weaving techniques using more contemporary materials to produce a non-traditional look. I also enjoy creating greeting cards with richly colored and textured papers.