[Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel

Wed Dec 7 20:26:42 UTC 2011

I have a totally blind friend who has a successful business selling her
hand-made jewlery. She works with similar stones and for a similar
reason due to the power of certain stones. She works with various stones
and creates various pieces including talisman-like pieces. They are
beautiful, and as I said, she has developed a good following, making a
nice flow of cash from the sell of her creations. She does it all
without vision, relying on alternative techniques including Braille for
labeling and tactile means of creating.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

-----Original Message-----
From: artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda
Lambert
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 10:32 AM
To: An exploration of art by and for blind persons
Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel

Hi Jewel,
I do a medieval style of beadworking - encrusted bead work.  I make 
talismans - I am interested in the spiritual and therapudic traditions
as 
described in the Crystal Bible. All my talismans are designed around a 
particular stone and have ancient meanings. An example would be a recent
one 
I created for my solo show. It is called "Agate Spirit's Magic Shield."
This 
started because I had a large slice of a very beautiful Agate. When I 
researched the stone I found that the Agate was a gemstone used by
ancient 
warriors - an agate would be worked into the warriors shield for
protection 
from the enemy in battle and for victory over the enemy. I used the
Agate 
stone as my centerpiece.  Arround it, I arranged Tiger Eye - and created
a 
shield Talisman. It is quite large, to reflect it's use as a talisman 
protective shield. It was a show stopper.

I could never do such work without the CCTV, Acrobat. The Acrobat allows
me 
to move it around as needed, and to use a remote to focus in and out as 
necessary.  Such work is minute and picky, and takes many weeks to do.

When I work, I try never to have more than three kids of stones, or
Japanese 
seed beads out at any given time. My husband helps me with the colors,
as I 
cannot see them. I put them in little containers and I remember exactly 
where each color is situation so I can work and get exactly what I want,

where I want it.

I have no central vision, and only minimal, peripheral vision that is
like 
walking in clouds, every thing is blurred out for me - I see no details
at 
any time. I have to work by touch mostly, but somenow the Acrobat helps
me 
get my job done and the results are spectacular. But, I know for sure
that 
if I had no vision whatsoever, and no light perception, I could never do

this kind of work. It is done in many, many layers and the beads so
small 
they were hard to even see when I COULD see - that was 4 years ago.

I have created a number of really lovely Russian Spiral pieces, too, but

again, I turn them into Talismans as that is where my interest lies. I
use 
the Russian Sprials for the necklace that attaches to my encrusted 
beadworked pendants.

I have just cleared all my beadwork-in-progress off my dining room
table. I 
am cleaning and getting things ready for Christmas. I won't be doing any

more beadwork till in January.

Lynda River Woman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jewel" <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
To: "An exploration of art by and for blind persons" 
<artists-making-art at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2011 8:34 AM
Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel

> Cool. What kind of beadwork do you do? Have you tried French beaded 
> flowers? My sister did that, and they are awesome and very tactile.
>
> ~Jewel
>
> On 12/4/11, Lynda Lambert <llambert at zoominternet.net> wrote:
>> Hi Jewel
>> I do all my beadwork using the Acrobat cc tv. I use the Acrobat as 
>> the camera is outside and can move anywhere I want it to focus. I can

>> make it SEE outside my windows if I like, or across a room. It is 
>> great for me. I do all my encrusted beadowrking with it and could 
>> never do it non-visually. I
>> do not see much color, but that is not important - I have my husband
and 
>> I
>> ask him to describe the color and since I am a former art professor,
no
>> problem, my mind knows exactly what the color is.
>>
>> Lynda River Woman
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jewel" <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>> To: "An exploration of art by and for blind persons" 
>> <artists-making-art at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 1:45 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
>>
>>
>> Dear Heather,
>> Thank you for sharing how you paint! Maybe wehn I get surgery on my 
>> right eye, I'll be able to do that (They did a test for potential 
>> vision,a nd it's 20/400 in the right eye). Do you ever paint under 
>> CCTV, or have you considered painting under CCTV, or connecting a 
>> CCTV camera to a big TV and painting by looking at the TV screen?
>>
>> My background as a professional artist means that I can still do a 
>> decent drawing. I remember when a bunch of friends were playing 
>> charades, I asked if I could have a go. They all seemed hesitant to 
>> let me tryk, but finally let me...before long, they were arguing over

>> whose team I was on because everytime I drew something, the answer 
>> was guessed in no time flat@ Keep in mind, this is done by a womaqn 
>> with vision no greater than 3/350, so...yea, I can't see what I'm 
>> drawing *at all* even if the glare on the board didn't stop me from 
>> seeing it.
>>
>> Hope you are feeling better, and I hope to hear from you again!
>>
>> ~Jewel
>>
>>
>>
>> On 12/4/11, Heather Kirkwood <hkdawn at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> Jewel, please forgive the slow response. I'm catching up on e-mail. 
>>> I've been traveling, and of course, typical me - got sick on the 
>>> road. I guess it
>>> wouldn't be a trip without drama and adding a new hospital to my
tour of
>>> great American hospitals! Groan!
>>>
>>> Anyway, I'm envious of all the creativity here, and all the really 
>>> interesting and creative ways people are doing art. I love what I 
>>> do, but I
>>> certianly wouldn't mind expanding my horizons and learning new
things! I
>>> already have learned some things I hope to try out when life settles

>>> down
>>> a
>>> bit.
>>>
>>> My mom was an art teacher. When I was a baby, she'd buy these big 
>>> roles
>>> of
>>> newsprint and lay me in the middle with jumbo crayons.
>>>
>>> Growing up, everyone pointed to my artwork to "prove" I wasn't 
>>> really "blind" and didn't really need all of the services that 
>>> entailed. In a strange sort of way, being good at something strictly

>>> "visual" has bitten me
>>> in the butt over the years.
>>>
>>> My vision is 20/400. I have a rare form of albinism called 
>>> Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome. It also involves a lot of other health 
>>> issues etc. For us, perhaps
>>> the best way to explain our vision is that everyone else is looking
at 
>>> the
>>> world through the newest, greatest high definition TV, while we're
using
>>> the
>>> 1950s set (only we do see color.) We don't see details well. Over
the
>>> years,
>>> I've learned to study what I'm going to paint ahead of time. I look
at
>>> photos (or take my own) and use magnification to study them until I 
>>> pretty
>>> much almost have them memorized - but in peices. Then, when I paint,
I 
>>> put
>>> the picture together in my head and put in details that actually if
I 
>>> were
>>> looking at the subject, I very well might not really see. When I
can't 
>>> see
>>> something, I just make up something to put in it's place.
>>>
>>> I love to draw, and am really anxious to try some of the drawing 
>>> boards people have spoken about.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Heather Kirkwood
>>> Director of Outreach, Vice President
>>> Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Network
>>> One South Road
>>> Oyster Bay, NY 11771
>>> 1 (800) 789-9HPS
>>> www.hpsnetwork.org
>>>
>>> Personal blog: www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com
>>>
>>> Search the Web at www.goodsearch.com and choose the HPS Network as 
>>> your charity!
>>>
>>> HPS New York Conference - March 16-18, 2012
>>>
>>> --- On Mon, 11/28/11, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
>>> To: "An exploration of art by and for blind persons" 
>>> <artists-making-art at nfbnet.org>
>>> Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 6:47 PM
>>>
>>>
>>> Heather,
>>> I'm so envious about you doing painting. I don't feel I can do 
>>> painting anymore, because I'm nearly totally blind...besides, what's

>>> the fun of doing art that you can't enjoy yourself? I used to do 
>>> professional painting, though, particuarly medieval illuminations.
>>>
>>> On 11/28/11, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Heather,
>>>>
>>>> Nice to meet you. I always wanted to be able to paint as my uncle, 
>>>> mom and brother have the ability, but I can barely draw a stick 
>>>> figure, smile! My sister is an amazing photographer, but since 
>>>> having a baby and getting married while a senior in high school, 
>>>> she's quit doing it. I've
>>>> been trying to encourage her to get back into it, but she has some 
>>>> crazy
>>>> idea that she has to give up on all her dreams.
>>>>
>>>> We're not terribly far away as I'm about 3, or 4, hours away 
>>>> (depending on how fast you drive) from one another. I'm in Omaha, 
>>>> Nebraska. KC has a huge art community, and so does Omaha, which is 
>>>> not widely known for some reason. No farmers and cornfields in 
>>>> Omaha. We have an annual arts festival each summer in our beautiful

>>>> downtown area along with art exhibits in various locations 
>>>> throughout the year. We also off the Beemis Center, which host 
>>>> artists from around the world supporting the arts as well as 
>>>> providing artists an opportunity to work on their material. We also

>>>> have a huge music and theatre community catering to many, many 
>>>> tastes.
>>>>
>>>> Welcome, and hopefully we can work to build an awesome community 
>>>> here!
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
>>>> Read my blog at: 
>>>> http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
>>>>
>>>> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down." 
>>>> The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org
>>>> [mailto:artists-making-art-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Heather

>>>> Kirkwood
>>>> Sent: Monday, November 28, 2011 12:57 PM
>>>> To: An exploration of art by and for blind persons
>>>> Subject: Re: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello Jewel,
>>>> Glad to meet you. I was also excited to hear about this list. I 
>>>> haven't been able to make it to a national convention in years I'm 
>>>> very sorry to say, so I missed the exhibit.
>>>>
>>>> I live in Kansas City and worked as a journalist for more than a
>>>> decade.
>>>> A few years ago I had to quit working because of various medical 
>>>> issues.
>>>> The up side was it gives me more time to work on my artwork. I do 
>>>> mostly
>>>> acrylic and watercolor painting, although some more crafty things
here
>>>> and there. I have some photos of some of my artwork on facebook.
The
>>>> photos, however, aren't that great. I don't have the equipment to
do
>>>> really nice professional shots.
>>>>
>>>> https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.40809269878.48618.5640648
>>>> 78
>>>>
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.40809269878.48618.564064878&t
>>>> ype=1> &type=1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Heather Kirkwood
>>>> Director of Outreach, Vice President
>>>> Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome Network
>>>> One South Road
>>>> Oyster Bay, NY 11771
>>>> 1 (800) 789-9HPS
>>>> www.hpsnetwork.org <http://www.hpsnetwork.org/>
>>>>
>>>> Personal blog: www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com 
>>>> <http://www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com/>
>>>>
>>>> Search the Web at www.goodsearch.com <http://www.goodsearch.com/> 
>>>> and choose the HPS Network as your charity!
>>>>
>>>> HPS New York Conference - March 16-18, 2012
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --- On Mon, 11/28/11, Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> From: Jewel <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: [Artists-making-art] Introduction from Jewel
>>>> To: artists-making-art at nfbnet.org
>>>> Date: Monday, November 28, 2011, 10:04 AM
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Dear list,
>>>> My name is Jewel. I am 26 years old and live in Raleigh, North 
>>>> Carolina. I am very happy to see this list started and will look 
>>>> forward to the potential startup of an artists' division.
>>>>
>>>> I heard about the possible division at the national convention, 
>>>> where I enjoyed the art exhibit and hands-on fun. (I was the one 
>>>> that made the clay elephant). I very much enjoyed talking to Mrs. 
>>>> Cunningham and the others, and hope that you will all be on this 
>>>> list as well.
>>>>
>>>> Here's to a great list,
>>>> Jewel
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> 0yahoo.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>
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