Featured Artist - Rubina Panjwani

This week's blog post is written by Rubina Panjwani. She is sharing some of her thoughts on creativity. 

Creativity is the essence of any art.  I make jewelry from different shapes of wire, mostly copper, sterling silver and gold fill. The stones I use are gems or semi-precious.  The knowledge I use to create wearable art jewelry comes from the courses I took in college and working alongside other great artists. But my inspiration comes from a variety of places, and I tend to feel a particular connection with nature. The fours seasons and associated colours, folded leaves, a rainbow…all of these can strike a chord within me and I suddenly feel the urge to create.  Inspiration is all around us - all we need is imagination and our resources.  The more we take chances and try something new, the more we can cultivate an expertise in our specific field.

On that same note, creativity plays a significant role in an artist’s life. As a result, we have a drive to socialize, experiment and take risks, and keep up on styles and trends, be around positivity, experiment with different techniques and ideas, visit museums, galleries, shows and exhibitions, bring communities together, challenge ourselves, read, take photos, teach and share our work/ideas. When it comes to creating, I truly believe that there are no rules; rather, the important thing is to put our heart and soul in the task, and always dream big.

'Stay loyal to your creativity because it's a gift'.

- Pharrell

See you all at Richmond Hill Studio Tour Artists Show on Oct 15-16, 2016. I will be at the Oak Ridges Community Centre, Richmond Hill.  My facebook page is: www.facebook.com/Artbywire

Yvette Daou-Yacoub: The Beading Artist

When I started beading 13 years ago, all I wanted is to create jewelry and accessories. I love jewellery, I love fashion. To me, no outfit is complete without accessories. What got me started first and foremost was the fact that I could never find the proper pieces of jewellery or accessories when I went shopping for clothes. Yes, the market is flooded with accessories, but never the proper ones for me. And, when I found a piece that I like, either it was very expensive or not in line with current fashions. At that point, I made me decision: I had to start making and designing my own jewellery.

So, this is how my beading journey got started! I signed up for jewellery making courses, beading workshops and taking gemology courses. My first gemology class was the study of pearts at the Canadian Jewellers Institute. Pearls are the most amazing organic gemstones, and with the technology of today, they are produced in so many forms, shapes and colours, sometimes natural and other times cultivated or even artificially made.

The more I educated myself about beads, the more I fell in love with the trade. I started designing jewellery for myself, then for my sisters, then for my friends, then for neighbours and colleagues, and the circle started getting wider and wider…  I started showing my designs by having jewellery parties and open houses.  All the ladies kept admiring my pieces and complimenting me by saying: “Yvette, you are so talented, your work is a piece of art”, “Yvette, you are such an artist, I love your work. I have been receiving so many compliments on that necklace I bought from you last year”. Suddenly, it dawned on me; beading is a form of Art!

Few years later I started receiving orders for Bridal Parties, it was not just to make jewellery, but it was for centre pieces.  One bride needed crystals drops for her tree as a centre piece.  So I started creating and designing beaded items for decorations, and Holiday themes.  My beading journey took a different turn all of a sudden. I cannot call it just beaded jewellery anymore, I am designing and creating more than just that, I had to change the name to Beaded Art items, so I can include all the other decorative items, such as: Holiday items, Key Chains, Book marks, Sunglass holders, napkin rings, purse enhancers, Tiaras, hair combs, window Sun Catchers…

I am called the Beading Artist now, I am creating items with beads, and I am designing jewellery with all sorts of beads.  My horizon have widened so much, the sky is my limit.

The studio tour is during the weekend of October 15th and 16th. Please mark your calendar and plan on visiting some of our amazing artists.