July 2010: Teresa Sullivan & Denise Sirchie

Teresa Sullivan is a story teller in beads.  The stories she tells in her beaded tapestries, jewelry and sculpture are about the power of people discovering their abilities; from super heroines of comics and science fiction to the real mentors of her life. The tiny beads are transformed from something delicate to bold dense, self supporting artworks. 

Although she has an idea for a particular piece before she even strings her first bead,  her mode of working allows for discovery throughout the weaving process.  As each work grows she gets insights which allows her to work through the difficult stages and solve the aesthetic and technical problems of making artworks with beads.

To tell her stories she uses a wide variety of stitches from around the world, each stitch giving a different texture and sculptural capabilities to her work. Peyote or gourd stitch allows her to create dense, structurally sound artworks which have intricate details and specific shaping. Hexagons, diamonds and irregular shapes in two and three dimensions are made with netting and other open weaves. Ndbele weave has a distinctive chevron pattern, and like the other stitches she uses is adapted for both two and three dimensional work.  Right angle weave gives her control of the flexibility of the beaded fabric, from very flexible to stiff .