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Kimberly Fields, The Roost

Technique, medium: Effetre glass, artificial branches, reindeer moss, acrylic paint, copper wire, epoxy glue

Description: I am privileged to witness a wonderful diversity of bird species throughout the year, many in my own backyard. I wanted this project to reflect my love of birds and to challenge my beadmaking skills in an attempt to represent each bird with the greatest level of realism. Each bird in this piece had its own unique set of challenges. For example, the heads, beaks and tail shapes were all different. Some needed special hand-mixed colors and others required special canes to achieve their complex markings. Because the leaves and acorns were so small, they were made on copper wires in order to attach them. Special color mixes were used to create the rocks. The birds represented in this piece are the Red-breasted Nuthatch, Chickadee, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and the Spot-Breasted Oriole.

Height (in): 12.7, Width (in) 14.0, Depth (in): 14.0

Photo Credit: Julie Fernandez

Biography:
Kim Fields attended Michigan State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising. She built a strong career in television, and won three Emmy Awards for her work as a producer and production manager for a Chicago television station. Although her career was rewarding, she needed another means of expressing her life-long passion for the arts. After working with many craft materials as a hobby, Kim took a beginner’s lampworking class in 1999. She was introduced to Cindy Jenkins’ “Making Glass Beads” and with the aid of this hands-on book she taught herself the fundamental skills of beadmaking. She took her first workshop with Sage and Tom Holland, which really helped to advance her techniques. Working with glass became so fulfilling that after twenty years in television she left the corporate world. By 2000, she devoted herself to the art of glass beadmaking and jewelry design full-time. Since then, she has had the privilege of studying with notable artists including Loren Stump, Leah Fairbanks, Kristen Frantzen Orr, Larry Scott, Michael Barley, and Bronwen Heilman. Kim teaches beadmaking at several studios around the country and her work can be seen at shows, galleries, and exhibits, as well as in numerous publications. She lives in Metamora, Michigan with her husband, Stu and their scottish terrier, Rosie, calico cat, Violet, and cockatiel, Halsten.

Artist's statement:
Nature has always informed and inspired my creativity, and it is the primary influence for my beads. Through the colors and textures of each bead design, I strive to capture a small reflection of nature’s beauty. I believe that every detail matters and my goal is to meld all the intricacies of each bead into a cohesive whole. For me, lampworking is an accretive process that often leads me to unexpected places.