Bead Arts

Neither Here Nor There

Artist: Melissa Earley
Location: Spartanburg, SC, USA

Website:
Melissa Earley


4-Eyes

I learned your bead pieces start out as paintings, Melissa, which is so different from most people’s approach. How do you describe your work?
I call my bead pieces “bead paintings.” Then, when people look at me like they have no clue what I’m talking about, I tell them that my bead paintings look like tiny little mosaics, or stained glass. I always frame the work between two pieces of clear glass so that light can come through, so they do often resemble stained glass in that way.

What is your creative process like?
My creative process is generally a solitary venture, especially at the initial drawing and painting stages. I listen to loud, preferably angry, chick music to get my blood pumping and my neurons firing, and while taking time out to play air guitar and sing into my pens and paintbrushes, I do a lot of sketching first. Once I find an image or idea I like, I paint it. Then if the painting has beading potential, I’ll create a template and start choosing my colors. This is the most frustrating part because although I use Delica seedbeads and they come in a lot of great and sometimes subtle colors, they can’t match the nuances of all the millions of possible paint combinations.

Once the beading begins I have to turn the music off because I can’t listen without singing, and if I’m singing I can’t pay attention to the weaving. So I gather all my stuff together and plant myself in front of the TV, which is easy to ignore but gives me some background noise to keep me entertained. When I’m lucky, my husband will provide the entertainment instead, either by talking with me or by way of recording music in the next room, which is usually good to bead by. And Petey, my dog, is usually at my feet during the entire process, sighing loudly to signal his displeasure that I’m not paying more attention to him. Once the weaving begins I work constantly, although since I have a full time job, I can usually only bead in the evenings. I might work 10 to 14 hours on weaving during my days off, which is what I prefer—just pushing straight through.


Self Portrait Blue

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
Well, I still feel like a hobbyist most of the time, because shows and sales are few and far between, but I have a BA in studio art, and I’ve worked in several “fine craft” galleries, which have inspired me in numerous ways. They gave me opportunities to see a lot of fresh, original work: glass, wood, metal, clay, jewelry, fiber, paper, you name it. There are a multitude of innovative and amazingly creative people working in the US right now, and being exposed to their work, seeing their careers progress, and occasionally getting to meet them, has been a huge motivation for me to continue my own work. My husband is an amazing and prolific artist, and a musician, and he’s always working on something which of course keeps me going, too. And my brother and a lot of my friends are creative types: musicians, writers, quilters, designers, puppeteers, and other types of artists, so being surrounded by that level of creativity, obviously everybody kind of feeds of each other’s momentum and creative excitement.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
I would be nothing without my pliers. And I can’t do any beading without Thread Heaven.


The making of Neither Here Nor There

What inspires you to create?
I’ve always loved art and I’ve always drawn, from as far back as I can remember, and honestly, creating art is a great ways to exorcise my demons. Whatever life throws at me can be tamed, at least in part, by using that emotion, whether it’s anger, grief, sorrow (and even joy), to create something tangible. There are times when I can physically feel the emotion run down my arm and out through the pencil or brush. It’s very cathartic.

As far as influences, I love 20th century art, especially the Expressionists, Surrealists, Dadaists, and the Fauves. My favorite painter at the moment is Leonora Carrington, and my favorite bead artist is Jimoh Buraimoh. I also love ancient mosaics, African sculpture, and contemporary craft.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
Well, I’m used to the fact that there will be “dry spells” where I just won’t feel like being creative, but I also know they’ll pass. In the end, I just can’t not do it. It’s not really a choice. And as long as I’m creating the work because it’s an image I want to make, rather than thinking, “Oh, I bet that would sell”, then it will be good. You have to satisfy yourself first and foremost.


Self Portrait in Purple

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
In the real world I’m a librarian, so that takes up a big hunk of time but also provides me with health insurance, which, as any starving artist will tell you, is pretty nice to have. It’s also good for keeping me intellectually stimulated, which is always important when it comes to creative endeavors. And, I get to select all our library’s art books, which is kind of a dream job for an artist—they give me a budget of thousands of dollars a year to buy art books with. That’s a nice way to spend my work time.

Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite authors at the moment are Lionel Shriver and Leonora Carrington. Shriver wrote We Need to Talk About Kevin, which is so powerful and just blew me away, really affected me in a manner unlike anything else I’d ever read. It is very insightful and I appreciate the raw openness and sobering honesty of her characters as well as the style of her prose. I also read The Hearing Trumpet by Carrington recently, which is very much like a narrative of one of her paintings: surreal, magical, feminist, funny, and surprising. And despite, or perhaps because of, the weirdness of the story, it’s also very touching and human.


Abstract Green Swirls

Note: Another interview with Melissa can be found in the April 2006 edition of Upstate Visual Arts.

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