JOANNE BAST

As a child, I did a lot of number paintings, but I never followed the lines, and embroidery kits, but I never read the instructions. When it came time for college, I believed I must put away childish things and study something serious. After pursuing several scientific degrees, I rediscovered stitchery as an art form. I worked both flat and sculpturally, eventually moving into fiber jewelry. I became enamored with beads first to weight down fiber adornments and eventually as a medium in their own right. I found my background in manipulating sculptural forms in thread translated well into beadwork. I have since also moved into knitting and felting and stitching. Whether working with beads, fabric or wool, my primary artistic focus is color and color shadings as well as shaping sculptural forms.