One of the things that I most enjoy about being a beadwork artist, and being an artist in general, is the seemingly endless supply of inspiration that surrounds me. Once I was able to tap into that part of my mind that I refer to as my "artist brain", I found it easy to find inspiration for beadwork in pretty much anything that I see.

The bracelet and earring set in this photo is a recent creation of mine, inspired by one of my many sessions perusing the online catalogs for the big auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's. Many of the jewelry collections include works by well-known jewelers as well as wonderful folk and antique jewelry. The challenge in using these pieces as inspiration for my own beaded creations comes when I see a piece of jewelry that makes me think, "How can I recreate that using just seed beads?"

My favorite source, which I don't get to tap into too often, are museums and art galleries. While I love living in the mountains, my distance from major art museums and collections means that a visit is something that happens only once or twice a year. But when I'm there, I've got my camera, sketchbook and colored pencils handy. I've found ideas for beadwork in the illuminated manuscripts of a 14th-century European family at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles as well as the baroque style furniture on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. An exhibit of ancient glass from Greece and Rome at the Getty Villa in Malibu, California still inspires me when I am at my lampwork torch as well as when I am looking for a new beading project.

Of course, one of the greatest inspirations for my work is the view out my studio window. There is nothing quite like a mountain range through the four seasons to provide me with ideas for color, shape and texture as I watch the sun rise and set, the trees turn green and then lose their leaves, and the snowstorms and spring rains that come over the ridge. These colors, shapes and textures weave their way into my little beads and result in some surprising and beautiful beaded art.

Where do you find inspiration? Is it in a particular style of jewelry? An era in history? Nature? A color? Share your ideas here!

Ever since I started learning the art of making glass beads, there are a few lampwork artists whose work has fascinated me. Ofilia Cinta is one of those lampwork artists, and this past summer, I got to meet her and purchase one of her incredible glass fish beads.

Ofilia's glasswork is inspired by her rich heritage and her memories of childhood trips to Mexico and Texas. When you look at her richly colored hollow glass fish, her signature creation, you find unexpected depth in the layers of glass and light. Sometimes she includes small patches of dichroic glass or copper mesh to give texture and sparkle. Each fish is one-of-a-kind, and in choosing one for myself, I had to look at them closely to figure out their unique personalities.

You can see more of Ofilia's work and read her complete bio on her website, Ofilia Art Glass.

Some great weekend reading for you in the world of beads and blogs:

Tapestry Beads - Jill Wiseman is gearing up for her last show of a very busy year.

Beadazzled of Oregon - Dini Alves shows off some incredible new beaded chevrons.

Beadedbear's Nonsense and Complete Waste of Time - Sig Wynne-Evans has a day off from her day job and gets ready for BABE.

Etsy Beadweaver's Team - the November challenge entries are in and are open for voting. Some beautiful work based on the theme "Beauty of the Flower".

Ramblings on Jewelry Making and Life - Jean Campbell talks about reinforcing your beadwork to make beautiful pieces that will stand the test of time.

Contemporary Beadwork by Kerrie Slade - Kerrie shows us some gorgeous new pieces that placed second in the British Bead Awards.

MAD Designs - Marcia DeCoster talks about her upcoming book signing and shares some of her current knitting projects.

Artisan Clay - Kristie Roeder has a fantastic giveaway going on to celebrate her 300th sale on Etsy and has just listed some very cool assorted packs of ceramic beads.

SandFibers - Carol Dean Sharpe shares some of the gorgeous treasuries on Etsy that include her work, as well as the work of some other very talented Etsy beadweavers.

A Word From Claudia - Claudia Chase of Mirrix Looms talks about using color in beadwork. This is a wonderful post that explores many aspects of using color, from the obvious to the subconscious and is a real treat to read.

I'll return next week with some more posts about my favorite fabulous focals and some thoughts on finding inspiration for your beadwork. Until then, happy reading and beading!

While I was at Bead Fest Philadelphia this past summer, I treated myself to a number of beautiful focal artist beads, something that I haven't done since I went to the first Bead Fest in 2003. For the next few days, I will be featuring each of the artists from whom I bought a focal bead with a little information about the artist and links to where you can buy your own miniature work of art.

Kristie Roeder of Artisan Clay creates beautiful, one of a kind hand-thrown ceramic beads, pendants and donuts. At Bead Fest, I bought two of her glass and stoneware cabochons and a smoke-fired donut.

Imagine my delight when I saw on the Artisan Clay Etsy shop that she had started creating ceramic donuts in one of my favorite colors - copper luster!

Kristie is now having a giveaway to help celebrate the 300th sale in her Etsy store. In addition to getting a free copper luster bead for every item you purchase from her store, she is also offering a chance to win a smoke, copper or sagger colored bead or donut from her current inventory. You can find all the details on the Artisan Clay blog.