A life-long love of beads, jewelry and expressing myself in various artistic mediums provided me a natural path to making and designing my own jewelry.  While I dabbled with creating jewelry “back in the day”, it wasn’t until retirement and moving to Florence, Oregon in 2002 that I was able to dedicate myself to pursuing this art form.   Surrounded by nature’s beauty, and with its amazing artist community, Florence has been an ideal location to pursue beading and jewelry design.   It is a pursuit I anticipate enjoying the remainder of my life.

My work has been influenced by my mentors Kelly Angeley, Lily Madera Hursh, and Lori Monson.  For several years, I have been an active member of the Florence Area Beaders, who provide support, creative stimulus, and a network of talented local glass artist.  My work incorporates a diversity of techniques including stringing, bead weaving, bead embroidery, wire work, and fiber arts.

Inspiration comes from many different directions.  Sometimes, it is as simple as the color, texture, translucency, or history of a particular bead.   Often times, my love of collecting antique or vintage jewelry and ephemera will provide a “repurposed” component that inspires a piece of art.  However, the two strongest inspirations to my work are the organic elements of earth and the rich, lengthy history of trade beads.  Local sea shores and forest floors, as well as distant canyons and deserts, provide me with both creative ideas and materials, as reflected in my Ebbtide and Canyon Lands collections.   For thousands of years, man has used earth’s materials, in their raw form and transformed by fire into glass, to make beads a trade commodity valued by civilizations throughout time.  My Trade Routes collection reflects the ancient history of beads. 

I hope you’ll take time to stop by the Wren’s Nest and see my current work on display for sale.  Much thanks to you, Wren, for the opportunity to once again share my art with those living and visiting in Florence.

Deborah Peterson
March 2011