Susan Vachon Designs Artist Statement/Bio

I have been beading for almost 20 years. I love to explore and create. I find the act of beading to be meditative. The art of using beads to create jewelry for adornment is ancient in all cultures..

My inspirations come from color, shape and texture. I feel that one single bead can be responsible for an entire piece of jewelry. I prefer to bead and then edit the process rather than sketch and repeat. However, I do sketch all the designs for the findings and clasps that I use in order to observe mechanical purpose. To date, I have designed several clasps and findings which I use daily and one of which is patented. I prefer a Matt finish bead to one that is shiny, not only because of the color depth, but because of the feeling and texture a finish creates. Clasps are selected carefully in order to maintain balance and functionality within the design.

The finish is as important to the integrity of the work as the selection of the beads themselves. The majority of my works are one of a kind. I adore RAW and cubic geometric beading techniques. Age reflects our sense of color I have found. The grayer I become the more I crave brighter and distinct color choices. The greens of Spring, the softness of whites and coolness of Winter, and the brilliance of Fall leaves often leave me inspired for my next design.

I am “self taught” but many have critiqued my work over the years. It brings me joy when folks see the results differently than myself. I embrace the ideas of others, while maintaining my original concepts. I am honored to have been included in Kate McKinnon’s Volume Two of Geometric Bead work, as well as, many issues of Bead Works magazine.

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