November 2017 Challenge Winner Interview
Congratulations to Kris Empting-Oberland of KrisDesignFSP! Kris' "ASTRA" statement necklace won both the public and team vote for the November 2017 Challenge: "Symbols of Life". This spectacular necklace is available for purchase in Kris' online shop.
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The "ASTRA" necklace
Interview with November 2017 Challenge Winner: Kris Empting-Obenland
Kris's Facebook Page
PT: Who do you see wearing this necklace, how is she dressed and what is the occasion?
KEO: I don't think I could name a specific type of person or occasion to wear this necklace, nor do I usually make a piece for a certain purpose. But funny, this time while working on it I had a vision of a fluffy light grey sweater I would like to wear with it - so I knitted one right away! :-)
PT: How many times did you rework the piece before deciding on the final design?
KEO: I'm not a "designer" in the sense that I do sketches and lots of planning first. My pieces usually evolve during the working process. When I had successfully developed my first star I wondered how it would look in different sizes, so I started a little production. Every finished star got pinned to my dress form, the arrangement varied a couple times and when I liked the overall proportions of the future necklace I started assembling it. PT: Did you employ a different design process for the challenge? No. The above described way is what I feel comfortable with, so it has become my usual procedure. It's also about letting the beads or elements speak and tell me what to do. I know that many of us know this feeling. PT: How has this challenge helped you to grow as a beadwork artist? KEO: Normally I would have problems answering this question... LOL But in this case I'm actually able to mention one point: although Diane Fitzgerald told me that she has made a 5-pointed star before I did (but of course I didn't know about it!), I'm still quite proud of the fact that I developed it all by myself from her instruction for a 3-pointed Celtic Knot. PT: What words of encouragement can you offer team members who struggle with the process of creating a challenge piece? KEO: First: relax! :-) Don't get stressed by the fact that you have to make a "challenge piece"! I for one consider this task as kind of a game and I think that's the best approach - well, at least for me it always works best. Playing around, "listening" to the beads, watching the behavior of shapes... that's great fun for me! Even the embroiderers among us can do that: trust your inner eye, it will tell you where to draw the lines...etc. So, generally it's this: trust your intuition and be authentic! Many people are so busy trying to achieve something special... It doesn't work that way. Instead go play! :-)
Kris, thank you for sharing your creative process and your interpretation of the challenge theme.
Patrice T.