I'm Andrea Adams, a Seattle area artisan working primarily in beads and leather. Over the years I've explored many creative paths, but I always come back to seed beads and leather. They each offer an incredible range of color, texture and possibility.

Beadwork: I am primarily self taught. During the 1980's I fell in love with gemstones and antique beads, which I used to create beaded cabochon jewelry. Many years later I found Ornament magazine, where I learned about bead artists like Joyce Scott, Don Pierce, Virginia Blakelock and Marcus Amerman. These artists pushed the envelope in exciting ways, which inspired me to expand my skills and to think outside of the jewelry box.

Masks: I began making masks around 1991. These early masks were decorative wallhangings with elaborate featherwork designs. Around 1996, it occured to me that I could sculpt leather to create wearable masks. I have continued to hone my leatherworking skills since then, and I enjoy blending bead and featherwork techniques into my mask designs.

Despite working with these materials for so long, I'm still deeply intrigued by them. There is always some project in my mind's eye that is just beyond the scope of my skills -- a new technique to learn, or a design challenge to solve. This creative process helps me to find my center, and it represents something positive that I'd like to add to the world. So many things around us are plastic, disposable and lacking in spirit. I hope that on some level, my creative work helps to counter balance that.