Off Center Productions

Off Center Productions LLC is a working porcelain studio, Lana Weed focuses on beads and antiquities and Joan Tucker makes faces, baskets and other pendants. Each are inspired by ancient design themes and artifacts. They have established a successful pottery studio, Off Center Productions in Lacey, Washington. All of their work is handmade in their studio and is glazed in their own kilns. They have had many exciting things happen over the last few months.

The most recent is that Andy Smith of Kickapoo Jewelry, a Texas designer, recently used a piece from their "Antiquities" line porcelain which she had photographed by the famous Robert Diamonte. (see first photo)

They have also held a few trunk shows and I thought it would be interesting to see how they go about setting those up. In Joan's words:

We learned about how to do a Trunk Show from Guy and Jam-e from Wild Things who do trunk shows all the time on the way to bead shows.

How are they done? You simply (get up the nerve) to contact a store or shop ... make a date, decide on what percentage you will give them. They advertise. You:

• show up
• set up tables (or they may have tables)
• put out your ware (simple or fancy)
• stay and talk to customers as they buy

We have had the store ring up sales and do tax and we bill the store as though it was a simple wholesale purchase. It is seriously fun and painless way of attracting new customers. Holding a simple class/demo only adds to the fun. We had my daughter do a Kumihimo demo and we sold kits.

Lots of the well known bead folks do trunk shows and they may do something more special but for us we are happy to meet folks, sell some ware and frankly keep the costs down...bead shows are more and more difficult to find.

I personally love talking to customers so I have ball; Lana usually hauls the carts and helps keep it all going smoothly. For those of you who teach, it could be an opportunity to talk about doing some classes.



Also Nora Dalton, using one of Joan Tucker's face pendants, won First Place in this year's Bead Arts 2008 Award Winner contest in the Other or Mixed Media catagory. This contest is in it's sixth year and sponsored by by Step by Step magazine. Here is the link.


Here is the brooch that won was designed by Norma Dalton with Off Center Productions porcelain.





Also exciting is the necklace Joan Tucker created which is featured in the Beading Daily section in November's Step by Step Beads magazine.

Check out OffCenter Productions' Blog because something new and exciting is always happening!

Interview with Diane Winrich of Bead Studio and Art Gallery

Diane Winrick's dream since she was 11 years old was to own and open her own bead shop. June 11th of this year, 2008, her dream came true.


When and how did you fall in love with beads?

I started beading as a child. I must have been around 12 years of age. And of course I was hooked, but didn't have the money back then, so the real bug didn't happen until years later. I became a crafting nut, but the bug bit again, so I threw out or sold all of my different crafts to do just beads. I will work with all beads, anything and everything… stringing, peyote, Dutch spiral, Herringbone, Wire Wrapping, clay beads, lamp work beads… and I know there are a few I am missing.


Your lifelong dream was to open a bead store. Last July that finally happened. Can you share with us how the dream is different than the reality? Is it better? Worse?

It is everything I had ever hoped for plus more. My degree is in engineering and making the switch was like night and day. I feel 100 times better just because I am now doing what I love to do.

Starting a business is always a lot of work, how many hours a week do you find yourself working? Is it worth the effort?

It is worth every moment… We are still new, so I am putting in the seven days 12 hour day scenario.


Do you offer classes in beading? If so, what kinds?

We are still offering the basics, Beginning, wire wrap, Peyote and Dutch Spiral… but soon we will be offering PMC (I am certified in PMC), herringbone and a few interesting creations that I am making into kits.

What is the funniest thing about being a bead shop owner? The pitfalls (if any)?

I don’t know about the funniest things… but One bonus that I hadn’t anticipated… was all the new wonderful Friends I have made.

The pit fall is always waiting for the monies to come in to place another order. I am still building inventories.



What type of artist beads do you find yourself carrying in your shop and how do you find these artists?

At the moment, I have only a lamp work artist here at the shop, besides of course my own work. I would love to see more clay beads. I also have several local artists displaying their jewelry. With in the next few weeks, I will have my clay beads in the store also. I will post pictures for everyone on BOC... it will be my first posting.

What kind of national bead shows do you enjoy attending throughout the year?

I used to live in Waukesha , Wisconsin , so for obvious reason, Bead and Button Show was always my favorite.

Diane's shop is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, but you can visit her bead store on the internet at Bead Elegance. Diane says, "Who says dreams don't come true. Remember you have to have dreams in order for them to come true."

Interview with Marsha Hedrick of Amazing Porcelain

How long have you been making Beads of Clay?

Beads in particular I probably started making them in about 2004 or 2005. But I have made porcelain jewelry since about 1997. I've been doing porcelain dolls, miniatures, etc. since 1986

Do you work exclusively in porcelain? If so, what is it about porcelain that draws you to it?

No not exclusively porcelain but mostly porcelain. I do some stoneware and have recently bought some terracotta for some of my native American projects. But porcelain is my favorite by far. I like it because of the fineness of its texture and its translucency as well as its strength. Also I don't think there is any clay that compare with the beauty of porcelain. It works best for china painting which is one of my primary techniques so that is another reason for using porcelain. Porcelain has an almost sensual quality about it I think.



How do you get your ideas? Do they take a long to flesh themselves out?

Well I get ideas from lots of places. I may see something someone else has done and think of a different way that some of the qualities of that thing could fit into something different. Or I may get inspiration from a picture or photo or from talking to other people. I think brainstorming with someone else is a great way to get things going.

Sometimes they take a long time or evolve over time. Sometimes it takes a long time to get to them I have a lot of things going on at any one time and it is usually not possible to just start a new project. So by the time I get around to an idea it may have changed dramatically from the original idea because life goes on and various things may create input to the original idea and change it. Sometimes an idea will just pop into my head and the end product comes out exactly as I originally envisioned it, but this is pretty rare.




Do you have a favorite tool?

Many. Different favorite tools for different things. I have an x-acto professional swivel knife that I particularly like for detailed carving and cleaning of small pieces. I have an antique drafting pen that I use for applying raised structure to china painted pieces. It really just depends on the task at hand.

What/who inspires you the most?

This is a hard question. I have no idea. Lots of things inspire me and the one that is doing it at the time would be different depending on my state of mind. I'm not really sure that I could pin it down to one or a few individuals or things.


Do you ever get blocked?

Sometimes I suppose but not usually. I generally have plenty of relatively brainless tasks that need to be done that give my mind plenty of time to work out new things to do when I have finished the brainless tasks. Usually my biggest problem when I actually have time to create something new is which one to pick from the long list of things I would really like to do.


What are some of your newest creations?

Most recently I've been working on a collaboration with a PMC artist. I did a bunch of funny faces looking out a window. She is going to put the roofs and doors/shutters on the windows with PMC to make them look like little rustic houses. Then when you open the door you will see the funny face. You can see some of them on my blog, Porcelain Art.

Beads of Clay Etsy Member Stores

I guess you may just want to call me the roving BOC Etsy reporter. It's where I focus most of my time when I'm not creating in the studio. Currently there are over 40 Etsy stores made up of Bead of Clay artists. Their work is fantastic. Here is a current list.




Updated 10-27-08
An Added Touch
Beads By All Means
Blue Spice Creative
Button Bliss
Buttons, Beads -n- Other Things
Captain's Clay
Caroline Sandlin
Celt Craft Designs
Chinook Designs
Cindy Ginter
Cindy Rucker's Trinkets and Baubles
Clay Buttons
Distracted Muse
Earthen Soul Beads
Earthenwood
Enchanted Clay
Every Heart Crafts
Gaea
In The Fold
Jangles
Jessica Sharrah
Joan Miller Porcelain
LadyBrook Designs
Lisa Peters Art
Maku Studio
My Little Chipmunks
Lynn Barnett Pottery
Marlas Mud
Mary Harding Jewelry
Mayfly Designs
Mary's Maiolica
Mystic Spiral
Natalie Gillihan
NKP Beads
Off Center Productions
Pottery God
Raku Buttons
Sea Urchin
Stone Blossom Studio
Shaterra Clay Studio
Shifflett Studios
Shilpart
Virginia Miska
Willow Tree Designs
Yolandas Clay

Many members sell their beads in a variety of ways. This is only one. There are hundreds of Beads of Clay members who currently make up this growing group of artists and sell through their own websites and other online venues. On a small note, if you are a Beads of Clay member and you have an Etsy store, please email me and let me know and I'll edit this list and republish it every few months. Email me at nkp at nkpdesigns dot com with the subject header "BOC Etsy Store".

Australian Beading Magazine

I just heard from Lisa Kan ( fabulous lampwork bead maker and author of Bead Romantique) that her article about me has been published in the magazine Australian Beading. Wow!! She did a wonderful write up. Thanks so much Lisa.