The Travels of the little Arizona Bead

My Arizona Beads are busting out!

While at the Art Glass Show in Vegas the bead in the photo (Photos by David Orr) was awarded 3rd place! That's a BIG deal! This was a stiff competition for a little bead up against very talented award winning artists. What an honor!

THEN....This little Arizona Bead and a couple of its counterparts have been accepted into The 2012 BEAD & BUTTON's "Bead Dreams" Competition. They have been shipped off and I am anxious to know how they fare. One of my friends Amy Waldman-Smith has also been accepted and we decided the biggest winner buys dinner! More to come .....

THEN....My Arizona Beads have been accepted into the ISGB's 3x2 Exhibit.

The following is an article about the exhibit: This juried show is a collaborative effort between ISGB and metalsmiths from the Seattle Metals Guild. Glass beadmakers were invited to create three similar focal beads which metalsmiths then incorporated into pendants, ring or brooches. The exhibit celebrates the infinite design possibilities from the intersection of glass and metal artist makers coming together in the traditions and contemporary possibilities of these wonderful art forms. Hosted by the incredible Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery which show cases the work of both national and international jewelry artists, as well as antique and vintage jewelry, this exhibit is an engaging collection of work. Through the interweaving of color, form, texture and materials the pieces are infused with energy and spirit. From the efforts of the artist teams, you'll find incredible works of art!

I will add more info as it comes! Thanks for following along.

Diane Sepanski

Arizona Dreaming & Indelible

I am thrilled to announce, my work, "Arizona Dreaming" has been selected as part of the ISGB's "Indelible" Exhibit. The following is a description of the exhibit:

In eveyone’s lives are moments that stand out, moments that are remembered more clearly than others. What makes these moments unforgettable may vary greatly. Maybe it was doing something for the first time or for the last time. Sometimes, all it can take to transport us back to that moment is a smell, a word, or a sound, and we can play that memory over and over again in our mind’s eye. Done in conjunction with our 20th Anniversary, this exhibition highlights the diversity in one-of-a-kind bead and jewelry design from artists around the world. Indelible artists were asked to pluck out the details from their most memorable or special experiences and to translate them into glass using beads as their brush strokes and jewelry as a canvas to paint a memorable picture.

Fifteen years ago when my family and I came to Arizona to see if this might be the place we want to call home, I looked for a memento to take back with me to keep the memory fresh. To my dismay I was unable to find what I was looking for. A little while latter, we made the move and have now been in Az for 14 years. I now make the memento I was looking for that reminds me of the time when my marriage was new, the boys were young and we all had such bright futures ahead of us.

The Exhibit will begin in Bellvue Washington during the ISGB Gathering. It will then travel to unknown destinations. I will keep you post as the exhibit moves.

Congratulations to all the selected participants, it is an honor to have my work aside yours.

Diane Sepanski

photos by David Orr