Lou is an emerging artist working in an ancient medium using modern materials and techniques.
Hi my name is Louise, I’m an artist who works with glass beads and thread, I’m from Mackay, QLD, Aus.
Hi there, for those who don’t know much about me, my name is Louise and I am a bead weaver. I was born and raised in Mackay, Qld, Australia and it was here where I first learnt to bead. This year I am a guest Ambassador of the International Bead week for the International bead works Guild and am running one of this year’s International art projects. Hopefully, I will also one day make and break several world records and make as much beautiful and unique beadwork as possible.
It took me a few years before I really got into beading though as I wasn’t aware of the modern beadwork that was happening around the world. Not until I came across a photo of a beadwork ball that sparked my real interest.
My first attempt at 3d beadwork was what you would expect a first attempt to be, a little wonky and not the best, but it was basically a ball. I was working full-time out at the mine camps at this stage and it took me another few years to really get into my stride. Then in 2020 I decided to get a job casual in town so that I could spend more time working on my beadwork. It has been a bit stressful money-wise and I did have to change job’s a few times until I found the right one, but it was also the best decision I’ve made.
Earlier this year I moved house hopefully for the last time in a long while and I now have a proper studio space which has been amazing. I cannot tell you how much of a difference it makes to have a decent sized space just for work.
and well here we are. You can follow my journey on my blog, or through my socials. Thanks for dropping by.
Beading, Beadweaving, Beadsmith
I bead
and bead
and bead
and bead some more…
Growing Up
We use to live in a house on the highway, about half way between town and Bakers Creek where my friend Zoe lived. We didn’t actually spend that much time at home because we would be out at Zoe’s or Grandma’s, up in the mountains, on holiday at Orlando’s Beach or down to Brisbane. My mum is a nurse and has been for 40 years and my dad has done a few things from being a farm hand, to owning his own business. Mostly I remember him working for M.E.B which became Ergon. And I have a younger brother Michael.
I spent a lot of time wandering around mountain farms either following dad around with the men or off by my self exploring and looking for bones and rocks. My nick name was Chook because dad said I scratched around in the dirt like a chook. That or I’d be running around with Zoe and the Bakers Creek kids Zoe was looking after. My parents don’t know where I got my creative streak from and seem kinda baffled by it but really I got it from them.
My mum would make us clothes as kids and I had a little sewing machine when I was younger, she also made crochet coat hangers and did cross stitch (mine always got hideously tangled at the back) and other crafty things. While dad built a car porch with corrugated iron and light poles. He made a swing for us that went around from another light pole and some harnesses which all the kids loved. He also built us several cubby houses over the years and brought home dinning car from a train and sat it on the pig sty as another cubby house. Michael and I would play office up there with a view of the green turf farm behind our house.
We would make Christmas decorations for the tree and at school our hallway in grade three was done up as an amazon forest. In Brisbane we would go to GOMA where I was inspired by some of the art there, and unimpressed by the rest of it. Yayoi Kusama was a huge inspiration growing up. But I never really suck with anything art wise even though I knew I wanted to be a writer and an artist. My parents did try to discourage me from becoming an artist believing that they would be saving me from a tough life.
However mum took me to a bracelet making work shop when I was a teen and I sort of kind of got interested in beading but it was a while before I came across a photo of a 3d beaded sphere and thought hey I could do that. Two a tempts later and my first 3d sphere was made from looking at a photo. It wasn’t the best attempt ever but it was good enough. Over the next few years I would improve my technique, changing the way I made the spheres and eventually getting rid of the larger beads which were hard to get and never looked good for long. I came up with my own way to fill in the gaps that made them look seamless unlike the jarring change in direction other beadweavers were doing.
The first few years were a bit slow as I tried to make jewellery but it wasn’t for me, and also I spent a while embroidering beadwork on to dolls clothes. During this time I was working as a day cleaner to start and then I was out at the mine camps. Eventually as I learn more stitches and techniques I moved more into my stand alone 3d work. Currently I am working in town as a cleaner as I work towards becoming a full time artist and getting my art out there into the world.
Thanks so much for stopping by, if it wasn’t for the amazing people who interact with me on the internet my bead weaving would still be just an odd hobby.
All the best Louise.
delicatebylou 