Phyllis Dintenfass

medium: jewelry

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Cloisonne Felted Bead Fantasy 2007 Jewelry	Floating Sea Anemone Necklace (detail) 2001 Jewelry	Loomed Floral Necklace 2000 Jewelry
Nile Radiance Necklace 2004 Jewelry	3-D Polygon 2007 Jewelry	Sea Whirl Necklace 2006 Jewelry
Tetra Star 2007 Jewelry	Tetra-Phyl Bracelet 2007 Jewelry	Tri-Phyl Pendants 2003 Jewelry
Windswept Lariat Necklace 2005 Jewelry

Contact information
Artist resides in: Appleton, WI
Email Address: phylart@new.rr.com
Web site: www.phylart.com

Artist statement
I am addicted to working with beads; I feel as though I am carrying on a tradition as old as mankind: personal adornment. Designing jewelry that is original, beautiful, comfortable to wear, as well as both challenging and relaxing to create, is what keeps me engaged and motivated to sit down and bead every day. I love letting the beads guide the outcome of an idea and am fortunate to have more than bone, shells and hide to work with. Jewelry has a major advantage, as it is worn and therefore on display to a potentially large audience. As with other art forms, it seems as though there are always new ideas, shapes, designs and structures to attempt to make a reality. As long as I can see the holes in the beads and thread a needle, I know I will continue to explore this medium.

Biography
I have been designing beaded jewelry for over 40 years. My earlier work was with "big beads" and "ethnic" bead stringing. For the past fifteen years, I have focused on exploring the many techniques of bead weaving with the myriad variety of shapes, sizes and colors of seed beads. My work has been in competitions in this country and displayed in Japan.

In addition to designing original pieces, I teach workshops at bead shows around the country, have published patterns in recent books and magazines, was the featured artist in "Step-by-Step Beads" and sell kits and finished work on my Web site and in galleries and museums. Since retiring from a career in education, I am available to teach workshops for individuals and groups.