Troubleshooting is more fun
than planning.
Bead fearlessly!
In early 2003, I left a 20-year career in corporate communications to make more time in my life for art. I have had dozens of jewelry designs and other beadwork published in leading beadwork magazines. I teach regularly at Fusion Beads in Seattle and at national and international venues.
Using needle and thread with a variety of materials, I create self-supported, three-dimensional forms that evoke movement and energy. I am happiest with slow, contemplative processes that allow – in fact, require – time to examine and think. Each stitch I place by hand informs the next, sometimes long before I am consciously aware of the learning that is taking place.
Until 2007, I worked primarily with beads. In my latest body of work, I hand-stitch a single, continuous piece of hand-dyed, ordinary cotton rope into free-standing forms. The technique I use is self-taught. Regardless of medium, what excites me about working in three dimensions is exploring the relationship between negative and positive space. As with words left unspoken, a tension develops between a hole and the physical material pressing against it. I am compelled to reveal this tension and transform commonplace materials into unexpected shapes.
I have a Master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Washington. In 2007 I earned a Certificate in Fiber Arts from the University of Washington Extension program. I am a member of the Northwest Designer Craftsmen.
e-mail: tina@tinakoyama.com
Photos by Greg Mullin except as noted. All contents copyright© Tina Koyama, 2008.