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Creative Hands
Ruby Lane's monthly newsletter celebrating the Arts & Crafts
community
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Welcome to Creative Hands!

IN THIS ISSUE:
o Welcome To Creative Hands 2005!
o Featured Artist: Heather Lambert of FirePearl Artisans
o Share Creative Hands With A Friend

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WELCOME TO CREATIVE HANDS 2005!

As we look forward to another great year, we thought we would
use this issue to look back on some of the highlights of issues
from 2004. Look for new and exciting articles celebrating fine
art and handcrafted items in our February issue. We'll soon be
welcoming new editors of Creative Hands, as well!

Ruby Lane

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FEATURED ARTIST: HEATHER LAMBERT OF FIREPEARL
ARTISANS

The Autumn I turned 16 my mother invited me to travel with her
to Italy. She would be working and I would be free to explore
and shop! We visited Pisa, Rome, Florence, and Venice--a typical
Italian trip. Of course I shopped and explored the museums and
artisan shops that were so very different from anything I had
seen back home. I fell in love with art and artisanship on that
trip, and in a very real way it was the beginning of my path to
becoming an artisan myself.

Time passed and I attended college, majoring first in Interior
Design then switching to Art History. As part of my curriculum I
took a metalsmithing and jewelry design course and began to
experiment with jewelry-making. I had always loved the jewelry
in fashion magazines so I took some advertisements into the
professor and asked for instruction in various techniques. My
first creations were simply attempts to emulate the jewelry I
loved. Then on another trip to Europe I was mesmerized by the
beauty of the glass beads in Venice. The luminosity and bright,
beautiful colors of the glass; the ancient techniques and
generations of artisans creating beautiful, little works of art
truly inspired me. I began to incorporate traditional Venetian
lampwork and mouth blown beads into my own designs. I took more
classes and made more jewelry. While still attending college, I
decided to try to sell some pieces to my favorite boutique. I
thought, ëif I can sell my designs here, I could potentially
sell them anywhere' and those first steps were the beginning of
FirePearl Artisans.

Truth is--like most artists and artisans--I have always been
inspired to express myself through creating. Jewelry through the
ages and nearly all mediums of art are a continual source of
motivation. I travel often and find inspiration in the colors of
the natural and man-made world. I have been fortunate enough to
make buying trips to Venice and Europe a regular part of my
life and as I select the beads and baubles for my designs I
dream of bringing a special little piece of these ancient
cultures to my patrons.

Today, I am engaged to be married in September to a wonderful
man who is also an artisan. We hope to live our lives simply, to
make our art our work, to travel the world, and spend our days
creating. We aspire to make every piece of FirePearl jewelry and
ceramics one of a kind creations, handcrafted with a love for
color and ingenuity.

You can visit Heather at Fire Pearl Artisans.

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SHARE CREATIVE HANDS WITH A FRIEND

Did you enjoy this issue of Creative Hands? Do you know others
who would enjoy receiving it? We invite you to forward this
issue to those you know who also appreciate and enjoy arts &
crafts.