Please join me in welcoming Maria K., a talented, bright, erudite woman who is here today to treat us to some special glimpses into her varied interests and amazing artistry.

Maria, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am originally from Zaporozhye, Ukraine – the home of the Zaporozhye cossacks. Came to the United states on August 31, 1994 as an exchange student. Lived in Rochester, NY for a while – I went to school there (RIT), then moved to Charlotte, NC. I currently live in Hendersonville, NC with my husband Gerry and our five four-legged children (2 dogs and 3 cats). I work as a data analyst and operations forecaster for Bank of America, as well as help my husband run his two businesses, write, translate and a few other things here and there. I think I need a 36-hour long day.

Tell us how you got started making jewelry.

My mom and my paternal grandmother both liked making things. Mom particularly excelled at it – she was a fabulous knitter and seamstress. So, whenever I wanted to learn something, I was always encouraged to just go and try it and see what happens.

One time when I was about nine or ten years old I was digging through mom's craft magazines and stumbled onto a brochure about beading. It included a couple of patterns and had very good step-by-step instructions. I became particularly interested because the brochure said that the patterns were originally found among the Ancient Greek records.

I was very into the ancient history – Greece, Rome, Egypt, Mesopotamia. I also knew by then that jewelry was a very important communication tool in Greece. A lady of sophistication was expected to wear the right jewelry not just for a specific season but also for a specific occasion. Every precious stone had a meaning, and women were expected to know how to use those meanings to communicate their status, their likes and dislikes, their expectations from a party they were attending, etc.

So, I picked one of the patterns and found some black and white beads and made a necklace – my very first piece. I have used that pattern many times since, and created several variations of my own, but I still remember that first one.

Could you describe the crossover to the etchings & illos – is the creative process the same or different, i.e. do you need to access a different ‘headspace’ when translating the inner vision into concrete form?

Every art form I work with came about in its own separate way. Although, I suppose I must have an overall predisposition of some sort, because once I acquire a skill, I find it fairly easy to develop it.

Pyrography – the decorative woodburning/etching – was something I learned at camp as a kid. Our summer camps offered different classes or clubs. Most girls took ballroom dancing, or rudimentary English, or sewing. But by then I've already done the dancing, I spoke pretty decent English and I not only knew how to sew – I have disassembled and reassembled mom's sewing machine several times.

And then there was this class for boys taught by a woodworking artist. So, I joined that class. The tutor purposely gave me a very difficult image to work with – it was a portrait of the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin – hoping I would quit or maybe just to see what I would do. But I finished it. My dad still has it at our apartment in Zaporozhye. When I got home from camp, I told my parents that I did not want any other gifts for New Year's or for my birthday, except for a woodburning tool. So, they got me one and let me have it early. I kept my word and did not ask for any other gifts for that entire year.

I have since done a lot of woodburning pieces – both based on existing images and photographs and some of my own. It is a difficult art, and is, sadly, dying out, because it is very meticulous and requires great patience and control – something that doesn't seem to sit well with the contemporary culture.

Illustration is my most recent pursuit. As a kid, I was told by various drawing instructors to not venture beyond technical drawing. I had a very good sense of perspective and could draw three-dimensional shapes without a ruler, but it was suggested that I should not draw anything else.

 So, that bit lay dormant until I came to the States. I have always been a scribbler – my mind wanders very easily, and keeping my hands occupied helps me stay focused. So, I've always done these little drawings – on napkins, on notepads, on backs of envelopes. And at some point people started asking me if they could have those. And when I asked why, they said they liked the drawings.

Joining Facebook propelled me even further into illustration. Not only was I encouraged to re-publish some of my books and translations with pictures, I have also met authors looking for an artist. I shall be forever grateful to Mandy Ward – my first serious collaborator in the children's literature area – for giving me free reign with her Land Far Away books, and just letting me be as outlandish as I wanted when putting faces on her fantastic creatures.

We do have the first book in that series out – Pika the Phluph and the Gribblebid Tough – and the second one is all laid out and ready to roll this summer. I am also working with another wonderful poet Wayne DePriest. Mandy did a bit of matchmaking there, and I scored another fun illustrating project.

Tell us about the materials used, do you have favorites, are there any particular challenges and why, what are your sources.

When I plan out a piece of jewelry, I do not focus on the physical properties of my materials – at least not from the start. Rather, I open my bead boxes and just start setting things aside, thinking through what I want to communicate with a piece.

Then, once I have the general idea of what I am about to make, I address the more practical side – like the weight of the beads, will the regular jewelry filament be strong enough to hold them or should I use a wire, is magnetic clasp going to be strong enough, or should I go with a lobster or barrel clasp, that sort of thing.

I have used everything – basic glass seed beads, crystals, wood, ceramic, plastic, silver, copper, semi-precious stones. I buy most of my beads from Firemountain Gems and Rashi Jewelry, but I am also always on a lookout for interesting components when going through antique stores.

I also like creating groups of pieces with a theme. For example, “Take Heart” collection is a series of necklaces and brooches that all have a heart-shaped focal element. But they are all different in size and in mood, and all have different names, like “Heart of love” or “Topsy-turvy heart”. One of the pieces from that collection was bought by our mutual friend and writer Gev Sweeney. It was called “Double Trouble Heart”, because the pendant was jasper and was red on one side and chocolate brown on the other.

My other collection – called the Seaside collection – has pendants made of seashells and rocks I found at the beach

Could you pick a favorite piece and tell us what it means to you – what makes that one item stand out?

This piece is from my “Beautiful Glass” collection – a series of pieces with pendants of colored lamp glass. It is listed as “bronze and turquoise” in my store, but I also call it “Burnished waves”, because it reminds me of the way the sun hits the ocean when the light falls just right.

I took some risks with this piece, making the necklace very dainty and delicate against the large bold medallion, while still trying to make sure that the piece had a balance to it. So, I accented it with larger wood beads and added two additional focal points with two large pieces of Baltic amber, framed by wood circles.

I was very pleased with the overall effect of something you can wear very casually, but that can also hold its own paired with a cocktail dress. And besides, I am addicted to the blue and brown color combination in all its varieties – and this fits in very nicely with that very sophisticated and beautiful color scheme.

Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful pieces (and the process behind the art). To find out more visit Maria  HERE.

Soon I shall share some of Maria's work from my personal 'collection'. 

He wasn't always 'Demon Cat'. He used to be J-J, part of a tag team of mischievous kitties who came into our lives nine years ago. A friend who works with the Cat Shack, a rescue group, brought over the entire litter. All solid grey except for JJ with his handsome white fringes. Puffballs, all of them. How to select? I planned on only one. Two ended up in my lap so that was that. 

Wild, feral roughhousers, those two delighted in playing, chasing the laser toy beam up and down the stairs, getting into trouble and making us laugh. Tom was the more athletic, J-J quieter. We wouldn't know until later that he had lung issues, kitty asthma that gave us a fright when his chest rattled and the wheezing came on suddenly, violently.

I accept my position as staff but J-J morphed into a demanding, obstinate taskmaker who consistently, and none too gently, put me in my place. Ergo, I grew to love him as Demon Cat and we tasked each other, quarreled, debated, and grew comfortable in our companionship. 

Demon Cat followed my son, Kevin, like a dog - down to the barn, out into the paddock, ever our protector and arbiter with the wild things that threatened us, mostly small birds and rabbits, the occasional mouse or rat. He and Tom stalked and drove off a fox brazenly coming toward me one night not so long ago.

We had a lop-eared rabbit that we kept in a cage in the garage during harsh winter weather. DC caught a baby bunny and brought it in, alive and unharmed, and set it by the rabbit cage. The message was clear. The baby needed protecting and we were to see to that. 

Of all the images that I could remember him by, that will be the most touching. We don't give our companions nearly enough credit ... for intelligence, for compassion, for understanding.

I think we knew this morning. When the vet asked to keep him for tests, I agreed. Then I drove to a nearby shopping center and sat in the parking lot, waiting for the call. It wasn't long in coming. Dr. Paul explained the options, none of them good. We could take him to Quakertown Vet Clinic and they could try flushing his system for 2-3 days. But she didn't feel he had much chance. I made the decision and drove back to the clinic. They brought him into the exam room but he was barely aware of anything, drifting away in front of my eyes. They left me alone to say my goodbyes. I hope he knew I was there for him, the one holding him. I felt his last breath on the palm of my hand.

He is at peace now. No longer in pain.

We shared a life for nine years. It's not long, not nearly enough, but it was a gift and too precious for me to even begin to express how thankful I am to have had his company, his quiet acceptance, his warmth and soothing purr. 

We lost a family member today and my heart is breaking.

If there is a rainbow bridge, I hope and pray I am worthy to meet with him again. 

To all of you who have expressed your condolences, given me and Demon Cat virtual hugs, laughed with us and shared his life for even a short time ... I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.