June 1, 2013
Chicago—Sherie Presta is debuting her hand-made and painted ceramic beads at the prestigious 2013 Bead & Button Show at Milwaukee’s Delta Center beginning Thursday, June 6 through Sunday, June 9.
“As a charter member of Bead & Button magazine, I dreamed of one day exhibiting at the show,” Presta says of the world’s largest consumer bead show. “This is a tremendously important show for me. Jewelry artists from all over the world will be there and I have made a wide variety of one-of-a-kind ceramic beads just for them.”
Presta is also introducing the “Presta Blend,” a layered glazing technique she developed after years of trial and error to achieve new look for ceramic. “I wanted a way to get incredibly inviting luminosity and breakthrough color interaction, like I had not see before.”
She explains that her technique can involve up to a dozen combinations of over, under, semi-transparent and opaque glazes to obtain a unique depth of color and luminous quality. “It is a very time-consuming and technically challenging process. You have to love glazing and the surprise it brings when you open the kiln—which I do!”
Her popular Sassy and Carnivale beads will be displayed as well as her new line of Biker Beads designed for women who like to ride the open road in style.
After nearly 30 years as a successful creator director at several major international advertising agencies, Presta—whose jewelry was sold in the 1980s by the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston, and numerous local shops and galleries—had been looking for new channels for her art.
“My hand-made and glazed beads are inspired by the spring-fed waters, flowers, plants, trees and animals around my lake house,” says Presta. “My sense of fashion, though, comes from the global influences of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue where I spent three decades in global advertising. I enjoyed the exposure to the designs of the best clothing and accessories designers from all over the world.”
Ultimately, says Presta, her art comes from her naturally enthusiastic and positive personality. “I want my beads to be full of life. I try to instill this spirit in each bead through the shapes and colors, and most dynamic textures.
“When I find a way to express a feeling, the bead shows it and assumes a personality from sweet to bold to whimsical and everything in between!”
For more information contact Sherie Presta at 312-560-7993 or sherie@sheriepresta.com