I am mesmerized by the colors and the feel of beads. I never cease to be amazed at how such small and simple objects can be combined in ways which can only be described as wonderous. Manipulating those beautiful little pieces of glass into works of art is the best meditation I know.

Having no formal training in art or in beadwork, I approach my work in a very organic manner. When I start to work on a new project, I never know how it will turn out. I enjoy letting intuition and chance determine the final outcome. Sometimes I may start out making a bracelet but end up with a necklace if that is where the beads lead me. I am greatly inspired by nature. Living near the Mississippi River in Eastern Iowa, I have some of the most beautiful landscape right outside my door. Anyone who thinks Iowa is flat should visit us here in Dubuque and see for themselves the gently rolling hills, limestone bluffs and sweeping river vistas we enjoy and how the light changes with the passing seasons. I also find inspiration in the forms of Egyptian jewelry, the colors of the Southwest and the beadwork of Native Americans.

I take pride in the fact that every piece of jewelry I make has recycled parts to it. I love to take an old earring and give it new life as the focal point of my next project. I consider any broken necklace a treasure because the beads, the clasp or even bits of chain can always be used again.

I hope you will find some inspiration of your own while visiting my website. I welcome questions or comments - please email me at cindycarawaybeadwork@yahoo.com. My style has changed over the years. I started out making black wire jewelry and although I was quite successful in selling most of my wire pieces, I felt they wanted for more. At the suggestion of a friend, I added beads to my designs and, as they say, the rest is history. I soon dropped the wire and kept the beads. My early designs used lots of big, chunky, ethnic beads and over the years the beads have gotten smaller and smaller. It was a life-changing experience the day I bought "Creative Bead Weaving" by Carol Wilcox Welles and "A Sculptural Peyote Primer" by Jeanette Cook. I now specialize in combining bead embroidery and weaving techniques to create what I think are very unique works of art. My beading "rock stars" are Heidi Kummli, Sherry Serafini, Rebecca Brown and Edda Blume. I love how they combine colors and textures. I enjoy how they all have a distinct style - so much so that one could attribute a piece of work to the correct artist without knowing who designed it. Every artist dreams of developing a signature style and they are, for me, the ultimate inspiration.

Peace,
Cindy Caraway
Dubuque, IA