I realized that it has been a long time since I updated by blog. Things got crazy-busy at my school this past month, and I let this slip. My apologies.
Although this is a blog about my own beadweaving adventures, I thought I'd do a few entries on Bead Artists who have had a genuine influence over my work, whether they know it or not.
The first person who comes to mind would be Sandra D. Halpenny. Living in Ontario, Canada, her online web presence has reached beaders worldwide. Her for-sale patterns consist primarily of net-weave variants (and oh, what variants they are!), and peyote, but don't be fooled. She has entered many a contest as a beadweaving professional, and it's not just net-weave! She was one of the first Bead Artists I discovered, first through her free patterns. As a beginning beadweaver, I found her instructions extremely clear, both written and in her diagrams. The diagrams were so complete, I hardly looked at the text after a while. It was her designs that really let me enjoy beading and start to treat it as a meditative exercise.
I highly recommend Sandra's patterns for any skill level - I truly believe that whether beginner or advanced, you will find some quiet joy in completing one of her patterns. To let you know I put my money where my mouth is, I have purchased almost all of her e-books available on her site, and they have given me endless hours of beading enjoyment. I have not completed all of the patterns I have purchased, else I wouldn't be experimenting with anything else!
Sandra, thank you for sharing your talent with the rest of us!
