If you love chain maille then you’ll enjoy patterns and classes with Wire-Sculpture Faculty, chain maille artist Lena Bugrimenko!

I was born in the wonderful city of Kharkov, Ukraine. Like any girl, I loved jewelry- not only wearing it, but even holding jewelry made me happy.  (Back then, I had no idea that one day I would make jewelry myself!) I graduated from the Polytechnic University, majoring in chemical engineering, and began working in my field.

In 1999, my life changed a lot! My husband, daughter and I moved to the USA. It was a new start and a new life, so I decided to do something new too.  I began making my own jewelry!

In the beginning, I made jewelry using seed beads; beautiful, yes, but it wasn’t enough. Then I discovered the art of making Chain Maille, and now it is one of my favorite techniques. I love combining this technique with beads, gems, and wire. Sometimes the result is unexpected and very beautiful, and a unique, new design is created!

In 2009 I won the 1st Place Gold Medal award with my piece titled “Glorious Summer Necklace” in FMG’s Swarovski category. In 2010 I took the Bronze Medal award with my piece titled “Wedding Necklace” in FMG’s wirework and chain category. My designs have been used by Fire Mountain Gems both as a back cover advertisement and in their catalogs.

I have been published in a book, Mixed Media Jewelry Techniques, a collaboration with Lana May, Dale “Cougar” Armstrong, and eight other talented jewelry artists.

Lena and her family enjoy living in southern New Hampshire. She can often be found teaching at the JOGS show in Tucson. You can see her latest creations on her website, Sparkling Fantasy.

Born in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, Tracey has also lived in New Zealand and currently resides in Australia. A lover of animals and birds, when I asked Tracey about her creative side she replied, “I have always been artistic and basically grew up with a pencil in my mouth. I would draw, and draw and draw! When I was about 14, I started to make basic jewellery pieces, using beads and elastic. This only lasted a few years.

I got back into drawing first, and started to do portraits of people and pets, on a commission basis. If I wasn’t drawing, or painting I would find myself getting frustrated, as I knew I wanted to make, paint or do something, I just didn’t know what. I realized that I needed to do something that was quick and that had almost instant gratification, as portraits take many, MANY hours to do.

So one day I bought some more beads and then I bought some wire and began playing around with jewellery making. This time I was hooked! I would source the Internet, and magazines on “how to.” Once I got the basics I just wanted to know more. This was about 5 years ago now, and I haven’t looked back.

I love working with wire, and with colour. So now if I’m not drawing or painting, there is no chance of the artistic, internal frustration I previously experienced as I just pick up some wire, grab some beads, and let the creations flow!”

Tracey McKenzie has made Brisbane, Queensland, Australia her home where she, her supportive husband, and their two children enjoy their many family pets, both feathered and furry.

Click here to see other Contributing Guest Artists and Wire Faculty Members.

Raised on a farm in Kentucky, Jill grew up with a talented mom who was an accomplished painter. Although she tried, the fine arts didn’t call to Jill; rather, she enjoyed all types of crafts including crochet, knitting and counted cross-stitch. Several years ago, she began working with wire, making earrings to sell at her church bazaar. Then a best friend (from high school) introduced her to Dale “Cougar” Armstrong and wire took over Jill’s life.

Jill still lives on a farm in Kentucky, with her husband and two adult children, several dogs, cats, and Angus cows. Over the past six years, between gardening, cooking, and church activities she has become a very serious “wire artist.” Jill’s unique wire jewelry has taken awards and she has been the featured artist in several venues. A classic car buff, she named her business after her car, “Blue Malibu Jewelry.”

Jill has a ring design featured in Dale’s book, “Wirework,” and she rarely misses her yoga classes. When asked about her success, Jill says, “I must be true to myself and never forget that God gave me this gift to share with others.”

Click here to see other Wire Faculty Members and Contributing Guest Artists.

Marty is also an active participant in a local Artworks program, having shown and sold many pieces through community oriented events. The inspiration of her childhood home of Port Townsend, Washington often shows in her artwork; with brilliant aspects of the ocean shore and its unique and beautiful variety of sea life having a prominent tone.

After less than two years of working with wire, Marty was able to attend a workshop with Dale “Cougar” Armstrong (Summer, 2010). Here Marty would not only learn from the foremost authority on wire jewelry design, but was also able to share some of her more unique and whimsical works, such as her Sea Turtle and Swivel links.

Marty Blu has always lived in the Pacific Northwest, currently residing in Shoreline, Washington.  She can be contacted via her website: www.martyblu.com/

Question:

Where on the Wire-Sculpture website is the Free Instructional DVD, with Dale Cougar Armstrong?

-Dusty in Pierre, South Dakota

Answer:

Good question! For our beginning wire artists, you can order this sample free DVD by clicking here. You pay only the cost of shipping.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Labradorite is named for the Labrador region of Canada, and it’s a beautiful gem, ranging in color and sheen from brown to purple to gold to blue!
You can find a beautiful collection of Labradorite Cabochons and Labradorite Beads right here on Wire-Sculpture.com!

Although Mint’s journey into wire-jewelry artistry actually began in 2007, she can trace the original source way back! After she met and married her wonderful and supportive husband, Dean in 1977, they visited Mint’s grandson in Italy. While touring Venice, she purchased several Murano pendants, which the locals wore on strands of seed beads twisted into a rope necklace. However none of these were long enough for her neck, and being the crafter that she is, Mint decided to make her own! To pursue this venture she paid a visit to ‘More Than Just Beads’ in Williamsburg to purchase the necessary seed beads.  While there, Mint saw her first piece of wire jewelry; a framed cabochon pendant that was a project taught by the shop owner, Sande Hubbard.

Mint says, “I was fascinated and signed up for her next class. I then attended Bead Fest Wire in Wilmington, Delaware and took every class that Dale “Cougar” Armstrong offered.

“No, I have never finished the necklace for the glass pendants, as wire has consumed my life! And being much too prolific, I have started Mint Spring’s Designs LLC, and I participate in juried Fine Art shows whenever possible. I have been nationally published twice, thanks to my friend and mentor “Cougar.”  Without Sande, “Cougar,” and my beloved husband Dean, none of this would have been possible.”

Mint Schlief and her husband Dean reside in rural Virginia.

Dale "Cougar" Armstrong is the Education Consultant for Wire-Sculpture.com. A die-hard rockhound, lapidary, and wire jewelry designer, instructor and author, Dale credits her mom for spurring the main interest that led to Dale’s chosen career. Her mother was an avid rockhound and many, weekend family adventures involved traipsing through the White Mountains of New Hampshire in search of abandoned pegmatite mines. This is where Dale’s fascination with, and education of rocks and minerals began, some 40 years ago.

Dale/Cougar, has a diverse art background, training in two-dimensional art with Carl Haskins of Vermont, and William Keyworth of New Hampshire. She also spent several years receiving personalized instruction with Karl Drerupe, renowned cloisonné and repossé artist. Dale attended the University of South Florida where she studied fine arts and geology. She worked as a technical, advertising artist for several years, ‘before the age of computers’.

Under her studio name of Cougar’s Creations, Dale displays her works at juried art shows, where she has taken many awards. As a featured artist, Dale has been interviewed on live television and has works for sale in museums and galleries. Dale “Cougar” Armstrong is a regular contributor to Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry magazine and has been published in The Wire Artist Jeweler, Bead Unique and Art Jewelry magazines. She is a frequent instructor at Lapidary Journals’ BeadFest events, and has made a series of instructional DVDs, produced by Jewelry Television. As an instructor, she conducts workshops in her personal studio and by request, travels to teach classes at beadshops and other events nationwide.

Dale’s newest success is her recently published book entitled: Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping.

Sherrie Lingerfelt is a native of the Deep South and a full-time, high school math teacher who has always had her hands in one craft or another. Her interest in jewelry making began more than twenty years ago, by mixing macramé with fossils and stones, which progressed into beading. After discovering the Wire-Sculpture website many years ago, Sherrie’s fascination with wire led her to meet and take classes with Dale ‘Cougar’ Armstrong and her life changed forever.

Sherrie is now a wire jewelry artist who combines her Native American heritage with her love of geometry and nature, to create fabulous wire jewelry designs that have taken many awards. Her inspiration comes from various sources, and she is often seen pulling out an ever present, mini-notebook to sketch lines from architecture as future ‘design fodder’. Sherrie and her husband Larry live on their farm in Fyffe, Alabama.