Artisan Spotlight

Since the last guild with which I am affiliated has Umpity members I'm taking a break by spotlighting another ArtFire Artisan.

Heather Hertziger of Watertown, WI, a jewelry designer, hot glass artist, and oil painter can be found online in quite a few places as well as ArtFire:

www.squareonebeads.com

www.squareonebeads.blogspot.com
www.heatherspaintsandprettys.arfire.com
www.heatherdesigns.1000markets.com

www.skincarebyheather.blogspot.com

She has been designing jewelry since 2002, began lampworking in 2005, and oil painting in 2008.

Heather started designing jewelry because she has a nickel allergy and can’t wear a lot of the jewelry offered in stores. "People started telling me I should sell my work so I did. One thing led to another and I started making my own beads. All I wanted to do was make a few pretty pieces that I could wear and it just snowballed from there.

I’m still not sure where the oil painting comes in except that one day I found myself at the craft store buying paints, brushes, and a canvas, and now I can’t seem to stop."

Asked how did she learned her craft, she answered, "I learned through trial and error. That’s why my business name is Square One Beads. Every time I messed up I started again from square one."

Heather creates full time and also works as an Aesthetician giving facials and other body treatments, but that is only a part time job to get her out of the house once in a while. "Otherwise, she says, "I’m afraid I would forget how to talk to people face to face and become a total hermit."

Asked, anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? She says, "I would have two things to tell someone who is starting out as a designer or thinking about becoming a designer. The first is don’t be afraid, beads don’t bite. If you don’t like how something turns out, take it apart and do it over. There is nothing saying that your first attempt has to be your final attempt. As long as your piece doesn’t fall apart when you are done with it you have done it correctly. There is no one correct way to do something. The second thing I would tell someone is to use the best materials they can afford right from the start. If you start out using cheap materials you’ll get a reputation for using cheap materials and that will be hard to overcome later when you start using more expensive materials. The thing I love best about jewelry making is that there is no one way to put something together. You can give 30 people a bag of the exact same components and you will get 30 completely different pieces. Jewelry is so subjective that no matter what you create there are going to be those who love it and those who hate it. That makes the whole field of design very exciting for me."

In her studio on ArtFire, you will find lampwork beads, display stands, a wide variety of jewelry styles, and more. Stop by and browse her goddess lampwork, beautiful jewelry, and send a note through her contact button!