Keith Pearson

Turquoise Garden
Meet the Designer-Artist


Where do you live?
Mount Vernon, Illinois

What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I find inspiration in Southwest Native American design and mineral gemstones.

What medium do you work with mostly?
I am a bead artist. My passion is loomwork, but I also enjoy working with mineral gemstones to create unique pieces of beadwork to enhance the stone. I work with all sizes of beads.

Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making?
In 2002, my wife and I purchased a splitloom necklace by Frieda Bates in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The beadwork looked like something I would enjoy doing. I contacted Frieda and she recommended two books, which I read and I determined I could do bead looming. I ordered an inexpensive loom from eBay and made a key chain. I was hooked on loom beading. From there I expanded my bead skills to various types of beadwork.

What is the name of the piece you submitted with your success story?
Turquoise Garden

What inspired this design?
The three larger turquoise cabochons.

How did it come together?
I have a basic idea of what I want to make, but I tend to make it up as I go along. I let the stones guide my design.