| Celia Martin |
I am a native of Walla Walla, Washington State - "The Cradle of Northwest History" according to the brochures. The daughter of an artist and an electrical engineer, I grew up immersed in art & inventiveness (although I didn’t realize it at the time - I thought everyone’s parents were like that!). We weren't poor, but there wasn't a lot of extra money. So sometimes it was "make do with what you have, make it, or do without". This is not all bad in retrospect. My mother has created art in many media, and my father is a great "tinkerer". So I learned to love color and shape, and to put them together in different forms - from fabric arts, to stitchery, to beadwork, to pixel-pushing, to... who knows what's next?
I have been beading for quite a while, and started beading on vessels several years ago. I enjoy taking traditional techniques and designs, then take a "left turn" and see what happens. The inspiration for each piece varies -- some leap out at me when I see a vase or jar, some from seeing some beads & thinking "...now what can I do with that...". Sometimes techniques learned from other crafts can be adapted to beadwork in an interesting way.
I acquire the items I bead from various sources. I especially like to visit glassmakers when I can. My family supports my habit, picking up unusual items for me from all over. I never know what I'm going to find - that's part of the fun. I'm always on the lookout for interesting shapes. Some sit on the shelf & "marinate" until I hit on the right idea. Most don't come from a pattern; using various techniques, I usually make it up as I go along. I feel that sometimes the best creative endeavors come from "I wonder what would happen if I tried this...".
In addition to my bead art, I am continuing to develop my computer graphic skills, and have created graphic art for others. I am a hopeless font addict. I am also an artisan - re-stringing & knotting pearls and other items for a local jeweler.
In the mundane world, I am a secretary for a small insurance agency. But as in many small businesses, one wears different hats. It's the "other duties as assigned" that can be fun, and there's always something different each day. The actual financial rewards may not be the same as working for a bigger firm, but the intangible perqs here are hard to beat.
I share an apartment in a great old house with my husband (Leslie) and three cats (Vladamir, Boris & Bastet). Other interests include avid reading, counted cross-stitch & other crafts, and creating original clothing.
Celia Martin
"The duty of an artist is to continually astonish"
--Oscar Wilde
Take a look at the beautiful beading on Celia's website
And here's the pattern for Celia's modified Potawatomi Weave, the "Diamond" Tennis Bracelet.
