Wire Artist of the Month July 2016: Marilyn Gardiner

I am obsessed with beads and jewelry creation. This is my new lease on life - I am also a retired teacher, school board computer consultant, and past partner in a graphic design company

I love jewelry, color, pattern, and design. It is thrilling to create something new that others love too. And I truly enjoy breaking down something complex into an easy-to-learn sequence that I can share with others, whether in print or in a classroom.

During the past 10 years I have energetically and enthusiastically developed my beading and chain mail skills and used my teaching background with adults to develop beadwork and chain mail kits with step-by-step instructions that really work.

I regularly teach classes locally in Toronto ON, as well as occasionally in Mississauga, Barrie, Temple TX and San Antonio TX. I have been a vendor at bead shows in Toronto ON, Guelph ON, Montreal QC, Ottawa ON, Calgary AB, Halifax NS, Milwaukee WI, and Tucson AZ - and I teach a full slate of classes at these shows.

A few examples of Marilyn's Work

In 2007 I was "Folk Artist in Residence - Beadwork" at the Joseph Schneider Haus in Kitchener ON. This involved setting up a series of lectures, seminars, and demonstrations throughout the year. There was also a good-sized gallery exhibit of beadwork that featured my work and included the contemporary and historical work of many others. The residency resulted in several articles in the local media. I later completed a beadwork commission for the museum, and some of my work is sold in the museum gift shop.

I have published projects available online at Beading Times, Bead Bugle, All Free Jewelry, and The Beading Gem's Journal. Some of my kits are sold online through Beadfx.

Kalmbach Publishing published my first book, Modern Chain Mail Jewelry, in 2015.

Most of my time at present is directed to creating new chain mail projects.

Marilyn is currently a contributor for WireJewelry.com. You can see all of Marilyn's latest blog posts by CLICKING HERE. Check out Marilyn's website HERE, you can also follow her on Facebook HERE.

About wirejewelry's Wire Artist of the Month Program

Each month, we pick a talented wire jewelry artist and their work to highlight. We know we have some incredibly talented customers, and we seek to encourage and highlight those members of our community by highlighting one wire artist every month.

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