Yaquina Art Association artist Pedestal Show – Anja Chavez Artist, July 27 – Aug 9 2024
Growing up in a family of artists, jewelry designer Anja Chavez was always surrounded by crafty materials and encouraged to experiment. Working with watercolors, acrylics, crayons, yarn, fabric as well as copper enameling were her earliest adventures, until her hands came in contact with beads. She remembers her Mom pouring all her beads into a bowl and stashing it away in a corner cabinet. Often she would grab the bowl and just let the beads run through her fingers – she was hooked.
As a young adult, Anja was drawn to long, dangling earrings with many fringes. However, she could not afford to buy any and so she decided to learn how to make them herself. In the 20 years since then, Anja has taken various classes, learned from books, taught herself, and was inspired as well as encouraged by many beading friends.
Mostly she is attracted to geometric shapes and a large variety of colors. Symmetry plays a big role in her designs. Achieving the impression and the feeling of fluid motion created with beads is her daily challenge. Each piece is made with the intent to be an accent to the person wearing it, and making that person feel special.
Even after 20 years, Anja’s passion for beads has not diminished. “There is not a day in my life, where I don’t feel excited that I “get” to bead. It could be in the middle of the night when I have the greatest designs and ideas in my head”, she says. To this day, her specialty is pieces with long fringes using seed beads and crystals.
“My passion, desire, and love for beads has shaped my life, and I hope it shows.”
The Yaquina Art Association Gallery is located in Nye Beach at 789 NW Beach Drive. Hours of operation are 11 am to 5 pm every day. Interested in becoming a member of the Yaquina Art Association? We offer free classes, too. Please visit our gallery in Nye Beach for more. YAA has been serving over 130 local artists for over 75 years.
