Lorraine Lara

Lorraine has spent most of her life living in the Willamette Valley, however, as a girl she lived in the Hoopa Valley in Northern California. Her interest in beading began there when she was a child watching her stepmother do bead work. She first started beading jewelry and then applied the techniques to belt buckles, key rings and bottles. Lorraine enjoys the challenge of beading bottles and prefers them to be small and unique. The patterns on the bottles are inspired by the ones found in traditional basket weaving of the Hupa and Yurok tribes in Northern California. Although Lorraine’s patterns stray from tradition, they still reflect the ones found in her Native heritage. Each bottle is beaded using a peyote stitch where the beads are woven together along a piece of thread that wraps around the bottle. After a few rows, the impromptu pattern begins to emerge. The small bottles require glass beads that are quite tiny. The color palate consists of two or three colors that contrast in value. I am lucky enough to have one of these tiny bottles sparkling in a display case at home. They are intricate and well crafted but look as if they were put together effortlessly. Family and friends are always delighted to receive them as gracious gifts. To contact Lorraine about her art, please email her at llara1988@yahoo.com.