Artisan Spotlight features Jewelry of Anja Chavez
There will be a two week Artisan spotlight featuring the work of Anja Chavez from July 19-Aug. 1, 2014. The show will be at the Yaquina Art Association Gallery at 789 NW Beach Drive in Newport Oregon and will be open from 10 to 5 pm daily.
Anja says that “Growing up in a family of artists, I was always surrounded by crafty materials and encouraged to experiment. Working with watercolors, acrylics, crayons, yarn, fabric as well as copper enameling were my earliest adventures, until my hands came in contact with beads. I remember my mom pouring all her beads into a bowl and stashing it away in a corner cabinet. Often I would grab the bowl and just let the beads run through my fingers – I was hooked.”
As a young adult, she 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, she 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, her passion for beads has not diminished. There is not a day in her life, where she doesn’t feel excited that she “gets” to bead, sometimes being late into the night that she comes up with new ideas and designs. To this day, her specialty is pieces with long fringes using seed beads and crystals.
Anja says, “My passion, desire and love for beads have shaped my life, and I hope it shows.”
