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My artwork, though superficially seeming purely joyous in theme, allows me to examine deeper subjects, hinted at by often-ambiguous titles. A cat figure transforming from a tabby to a wild cat reflects different aspects of my personality and is titled "Tigger/Tiger, or Who She Thinks She Is.” A diptych named "Over the Moon" and "Under the Sun," created during the pandemic, echoes my desire for escape and my thoughts of (for good or ill) us all being on this planet together. 

Creating veils of beaded beauty over works taking up to 18 months to complete, allow me an escape route from the real world. Fascinated by the pointillist paintings of Georges Seurat, I began working in glass seed beads during the early 2000s. I adopted off-loom bead-weaving techniques that allow for design flexibility and easy shifts between bead sizes. Peyote stitch, associated with Native American traditions, quickly became a favorite as it facilitates working the beads around undulating forms. Other stitches (square, ladder, netting) have early histories of use in Egypt and Africa. My beadwork often is woven over and encases solid supports ranging from wood to dense-foam cores of the types used by taxidermists (but without any fur!). They variously are inspired by Nature, Science, Science Fiction, or the History of Art. Many works display a surrealistic twist to the designs.

 

Leslie B. Grigsby, a career museum professional living in Wilmington, Delaware, creates sculptures featuring glass seed beads worked in off-loom bead-weaving techniques, often over cores made of carved wood or other materials. Typically taking three to eighteen months to complete, Grigsby's works are inspired by Nature, science fiction, science fact, history, and/or art history. They are included in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), The Kamm Teapot Collection, and private collections in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

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Yaiel Ghaffaar

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Kevin Hetzel