December Artist of the Month Denise Bush
Always a serial crafter, I got stuck at jewelry making after leaving the Navy. Being both more portable and containable, it was ideal for a mobile family with little extra living space. The variety of techniques attracted me also, as someone who was known to get bored easily. With jewelry making, there’s always something new to learn, a new bead to find. So, for a while, I explored making. Then, I happened upon a wonderful opportunity to enable and supply other jewelry artists. For eight great years, I taught and sought out the best bead supplies for my own tiny bead shop in Northern Virginia. It was great fun! But life is fun of new directions, it’s always a journey. This time we journeyed to be closer to our family – something active military life didn’t allow us. It was a new blessing – living near grown up kids and growing grandkids. I’ve recaptured my creative voice and enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. A bit of time was spent exploring new techniques, getting reacquainted with being primarily an artist rather than an enabler. I think I’ve come a long way from helping my great grandma Zoa, back when she had me thread those needles. We can say she started it all, that crafting bug, by teaching me to embroider before I could even write.