Artist Spotlight: Diane Hawkey

This week's featured artist is Diane Hawkey.  

Diane is a ceramic bead maker, artist and jewelry designer.

I began my love affair with beads and designing  at a young age, taking apart and redesigning my mom's broken costume jewelry.

I was first introduced to clay in the 1980's and began almost immediately exploring the possibilities of ceramic beads and jewelry. I branched out into metal work, glass  and mixed media, but my first love was always ceramics.

I have been a featured artist in BEADWORK magazine and my designs have appeared in STRINGING and other publications.

My work reflects a spiritual connection to the natural world.

 Ceramic Bead by Diane Hawkey
Find these beads and more at Diane's online shops:
www.dianehawkey.com
www.dianehawkey.etsy.com

 Cherry Blossoms by Diane Hawkey as seen in the 
Spring 2011 issue of Stringing Magazine.
On news stands now.

You can find out more about Diane and see more of her jewelry on her blog,
dianehawkey.blogspot.com

We asked Diane a few questions about working with cording and fibers in her jewelry and here's what she had to say!

What's your favorite type of cording or fiber to work with in jewelry?

 

Diane: My favorite cord to use is C LON or  Nylon beading cord. I find this to be the most versatile of stringing materials. It can be used in single strands  for delicate designs, or multiple strands twisted and combined with other materials. 

Why do you like working with cords and fibers in your designs? What quality draws you to these materials?

Diane:While I am attracted to anything  pretty,  working with any fibers has  special interest to me. I had  the good fortune to study weaving and felting with Leslie Heimstadt  in collage before I turned to ceramics.  I love how fiber adds an element of color and texture while being functional in the design, either  as a compliment or a focal point. I enjoy the contrast of softness of fiber against the hard surface of beads and metal.

Thanks so much, Diane!