Karen Holst

I love beginning a piece with hundreds of tiny beads, rocks, fossils, glass, found objects, semi-precious stones, and pearls. Each work is an adventure influenced by my time living in the Mumbles on the western edge of Swansea Bay in Wales. Every bead-embroidered piece evolves as it will, always veering from initial design plans. Working with needle and beading thread, the process in creating each piece requires I let go of preconceived ideas and notice what is in front of me. Importantly, beadwork helps me feel connected both to my mother who sewed all the clothes we wore growing up, and to cultures throughout history that constructed works of art with needle, thread, and beads.