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 I’ve wanted to be an artist all my life. At the age of 11, I remember informing my mother that after 5 years of piano lessons, I was quitting because I wanted to study “art” instead. I love music, but at that time I wanted to devote all my energy into drawing and painting. In high school, I enrolled into a concentrated commercial art curriculum and it was then I decided on a career in advertising.
I attended Michigan State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising. After working for a local radio station for a year, my husband and I moved to New York City where I landed a job in television production.
In 1983, we moved to Chicago where I continued my career in television production management. Although it was rewarding, the artist in me still needed another means of expression. In my spare time, I dabbled in all sorts of crafts such as painting, embroidery, designing floral wreaths, decorating goose eggs, and making beaded Christmas ornaments. Using the beads from the ornaments, I began making simple beaded bracelets and eventually moved on to creating more complex necklaces using lampworked beads. It was these beautiful beads that first piqued my curiosity about glass.
In 1999, I took a beginner’s lampworking class, which led me to Cindy Jenkins book, “Making Glass Beads”. So I bought a torch, a few simple tools and began making beads using her book as my guide. Later that year, I took my first workshop with Sage and Tom Holland, which really helped my beadmaking skills. Working with glass was so fulfilling that I dedicated myself to making glass beads and designing jewelry full-time. Since then, I have had the privilege of studying with Loren Stump, Leah Fairbanks, Kristen Frantzen Orr, Larry Scott, Michael Barley, and Bronwen Heilman.
Lampworking has brought me tremendous joy and I am always delighted when people appreciate my beads and jewelry. I am continually exploring new techniques and ways to express myself through glass and jewelry.
I teach beadmaking at several studios around the country and my work can be seen at shows, galleries, and exhibits, as well as in numerous publications. I live in Metamora, Michigan with my husband, Stu and our Scottish terrier, Rosie.
Nature has always informed and inspired my creativity, and it is the primary influence for my beads. Through the colors and textures of each bead design, I strive to capture a small reflection of nature's beauty. I believe that every detail matters, and my goal is to meld all the intricacies of each bead into a cohesive whole. For me, lampworking is an accretive process that often leads me to unexpected places.
It’s All About Beads II, invitational exhibit, Pismo Fine Art Glass, Denver, CO – May 2007
Lampwork Festival, invitational exhibit, Studio Takumi, Nagara, Japan – Dec. 2006
Trajectories, juried exhibit, The Bead Museum, Glendale, AZ - September 2006 - March 2007
It’s All About Beads, invitational exhibit, Pismo Fine Art Glass, Denver, CO – May 2006
Kobe Lampwork Glass Museum, invitational exhibit, Kobe, Japan - July 2005
The Beautiful Bead, invitational exhibit, Symmetry Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY - 2002-2005
Bead of a Different Color, juried exhibit, Glassworks, Louisville, KY - August 2005
Double Rainbow, juried exhibit, Gallery 33, Portland, OR - August 2004
Landscapes in Glass, juried exhibit, Brush Art Gallery & Studios, Lowell, MA - August 2003
The Melting Pot, juried exhibit, Bedazzled, Washington, D.C. - August 2002
Bead Dreams 2002, juried exhibit, Bead & Button Magazine, Milwaukee, WI - June 2002
Bead Dreams 2001, juried exhibit, Bead & Button Magazine, Milwaukee, WI - June 2001
(* Awarded Second Place, Handmade Glass Beads Category)
Fantasies in Glass, juried jewelry exhibit, Art Museum, Loveland, CO - May 2001
Focus on Glass: The Challenge, juried exhibit, Beadwork Magazine, Loveland, CO - May 2001
Terra Firma, juried exhibit, 4th Street Bead, Loveland, CO - May 2001
Great Northern Beadwork, juried exhibit, Community Arts Center, Hancock, MI - Sept. 2000
Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival, juried show, Evanston, IL - June 2000
Bead & Button Show - Milwaukee, WI - 2001-Present
Best Bead Show – Tucson, AZ – 2006-Present
Fire & Ice Bead Bazaar - Traverse City, MI - 2004-Present
Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild - Bead Show - Southfield, MI - 2001-Present
International Society of Glass Beadmakers - Bead Bazaar - 2000-Present
Rocky Mountain Bead Bazaar - Denver, CO – 2005-Present
Ayla's Wonderful World of Beads - Evanston, IL - 2000-2004
Bead Society of Greater Chicago - Bead & Book Sale - Chicago, IL - 2001-2006
Kobe Bead Show – Kobe City, Japan – 2006
Lapidary Journal's Bead Fest - Ft. Washington, PA - 2003-2004
Urban Glass Bead Expo - New York City, NY - 2002-2006
West Michigan Bead Expo - Grand Rapids, MI – 2005
Arts Afire Glass Gallery
102 North Fayette Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 838-9785
www.artsafire.com
Pismo Fine Art Glass
2770 E. 2nd Avenue
Denver, Colorado 80206
(303) 333-2879
www.pismoglass.com
Symmetry Gallery
348 Broadway
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(518) 584-5090
www.symmetrygallery.com
Books:
100 Lampworkers, Japan Lampwork Festival in Nagara, 2006
Trajectories, The Bead Museum/ ISGB Exhibit Catalogue, 2006
1000 Glass Beads, Lark Books, 2004
Beads of Glass, by Cindy Jenkins, Pyro Press, 2003Magazines:
Magazines
Bead Unique, Gallery – Issue # 12 - 2007
The Flow, Glasscraft Emerging Artist Award – Volumne 3, Issue 4 - 2006
Lapidary Journal, “Autumn Leaves” Bead - Part Two - November 2005
Lapidary Journal, “Autumn Leaves” Bead - Part One - October 2005
Step by Step Beads, "Bumble Beads by Kim Fields" - July-August 2005
Bead Unique Magazine, "Lampwork Artist Profile: Kim Fields" - Spring 2005
Bead & Button, Bead Dreams 2002, Premier Issue - June 2003
Bead & Button Magazine, "Bead Dreams 2001" - October 2001
Beadwork Magazine, "Focus on Glass" - August-September 2001
2007
Eugene Glass School – Eugene, OR – Dec. 2007
Flametree Glass – Roswell, GA – Nov. 2007
Bearden’s Stained Glass – Overland Park, KS – Oct. 2007
The Gathering Place – Naperville, IL – Sept. 2007
Bedrock Supplies Ltd – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Aug. 2007
The Mandrel – Redondo Beach, CA – Aug. 2007
Indiana Society of Lampwork and Art Glass Artists – Lafayette, IN - June 2007
Bead & Button Show – Milwaukee, WI - June 2007
Glasscraft – Golden, CO - May 2007
Blue Moon Glass – Austin, TX - Feb. 2007
Carlisle School of Glass – Millville, NJ - Feb. 2007
2006
Kobe Bead Show – Kobe City, Japan – Oct. 2006
Sorella Beads – St. Louis, MO – Sept. 2006
International Society of Glass Beadmakers – Kansas City, MO – July 2006
Bead & Button Show – Milwaukee, WI – June 2006
The Gathering Place - Naperville, IL - Apr. 2006
2005
Flametree Glass - Orlando, FL - Dec. 2005
Arizona Society of Glass Beadmakers - Phoenix, AZ – Oct. 2005
Beadkeepers - Traverse City, MI - May 2005
Timberwolf Studios - Lawrence, MA - May 2005
The Gathering Place - Naperville, IL - Apr. 2005
Heritage Glass - New Braunfels, TX - Feb. 2005
2004
Flametree Glass - Orlando, FL - Dec. 2004
Mid-Atlantic Society of Glass Beadmakers - Columbia, MD - May 2004
Kollectibles by Kathleen - Southfield, MI - Apr. 2004
Beadkeepers - Traverse City, MI - Apr. 2004
The Gathering Place - Naperville, IL - March 2004
International Society of Glass Beadmakers
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