Q & A with Carol Wilcox Wells

Curator of Masters: Beadweaving

Working with renowned beadweaving artist and teacher Carol Wilcox Wells to put together Masters: Beadweaving was one of the most rewarding experiences of my two years at Lark Books. And the work paid off handsomely: The book is simply gorgeous. The Masters series is one of the favorite projects of the group of senior editors here at Lark, marrying fantastic images, commentary, and quotes from the featured artists. I’ve been privileged to develop three books in the series thus far: Masters: Art Quilts, Masters: Beadweaving, and the 2009 release Masters: Gold. I’m also lucky to be working on upcoming titles by artists featured in Masters: Beadweaving, including Diane Fitzgerald’s Shaped Beadwork and Marcia DeCoster’s Right Angle Weave.






Carol Wilcox Wells is a delight, and she really knows her stuff. She’s the author of Creative Bead Weaving: A Contemporary Guide to Classic Off-Loom Stitches and The Art & Elegance of Beadweaving: New Jewelry Designs with Classic Stitches, both from Lark. Carol teaches beginning and advanced beadweaving techniques, and she has created numerous beadwork kits. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in Ornament, Lapidary Journal, Bead & Button, and Beadwork magazines. You can learn more about Carol’s work at schoolofbeadwork.com.

Ray Hemachandra: How and when did you start beadweaving, Carol?

Carol Wilcox Wells: I can remember playing with beads at my grandmother’s house as a child, but they really began to become a part of my life, in the fullest sense, in 1985. In 1991 I took a class at Penland School of Crafts in Penland, North Carolina, and I haven’t stopped beading since.

Ray: In your experience, do beadweavers have some “typical” personality characteristics?

Carol: They are hermits. They love playing with small, shiny things. They are meditative and steadfast.



Ray: Just three dozen beadweavers are included in Masters: Beadweaving — a fantastically diverse group of artists, to be sure, but one that still just scratches the surface of all the great beadweavers out there. What is it about a beadweaver’s body of work that makes it “masterful” to you?

Carol: All of these artists are true craftspeople. They’re able to take their vision and bring it to the surface to take form. They’re not afraid to try something new to achieve their goals, and they’ll experiment again and again to find the perfect balance in what they’re looking for. They brook no compromise.

Ray: How has beadweaving developed as an artistic medium and the beadweaving community changed since you wrote Creative Bead Weaving in 1996?

Carol: Artists are now willing to push the envelope of the medium and use the beads and techniques in new ways. They are not bound by the status quo.

As far as change in the community, there are now many, many good teachers in the field and an abundance of written information available to students. Whenever a beader has a “eureka moment” and passes it along to others, he or she is adding to the beadweaving collective and growing the awareness about beads.

Ray: Masters: Beadweaving is filled with the work of beadwork luminaries, including Diane Fitzgerald, Marcia DeCoster, Valerie Hector, Joyce Scott, Virginia Blakelock, David Chatt, Sherry Serafini, and Laura McCabe. Of the artists in the book, whose body of work most surprised you when you sat down with all the images?

Carol: Now you’re trying to get me into trouble! All of the artists in the book move and humble me with their creativity. But if I have to choose one artist whose body of work really surprised me, I put Ann Tevepaugh Mitchell at the top of my list.

Ann captures the emotional moments of life, whether they are joyous, desperate, or introspective. Wading In is a personal favorite of mine: I can just imagine the whole outing at the beach, smelling the surf, feeling the waves rush up and the surprise and laughter as balance is thrown off. Ann is able to touch viewers in many ways, and this capability really sets her apart.



Ray: What new directions do you see coming from young beadweavers working today? And what excites you most about the future of the medium?

Carol: There you go again – how does “the hermit” answer that question? And I’m not so old! It’s hard to see into the future, but I’ll give it a try.

While working on this book I really noticed how, collectively, the community is using beads in so many different ways. The medium bends to the will of the artists. You can paint with beads like Laura Willits does, use them as metaphors like Sonya Clark does, or recreate nature in detail like Karen Paust does. Joyce Scott creates large installations, and Jeanette Ahlgren makes exquisite loomed structures. The sculptural works seem to have no limit, and I haven’t even touched on wearables. As each artist brings to life her or his creative visions and then shares the pieces with the world, another person is touched and the reach of the beads grows.

Excited? Oh, yes, I’m excited!



Ray Hemachandra is a senior editor for Lark Books. He lives with his wife and son in Asheville, North Carolina.