Sue Hammes Knopf, Studio #5

I make jewelry on the Top Floor of the McClaughry Building, also known as the old opera house in Northfield. For over 25 years I have worked in the same spacious studio, #305.  The studio space overlooks Division Street and the Cannon River and has great natural light. In the earlier years my studio was a shared space, a group of women Artists collaborated and formed, Artshare Studio. We gathered and made art.  Over the years lives changed and Artists moved on until it was just me creating art work in #305.

I make original, contemporary hand-woven jewelry. After practicing for years, the bead-weaving techniques are perfected.  I use colorful, glass, tiny beads for bead-weaving. The tool I use most for weaving beads is a long, very thin needle threaded with a fine filament line. I  weave the tiny beads together, one bead at a time. The process of bead-weaving is meditative and as I practice, one idea easily flows to another. The woven elements  I make are featured in the earrings, bracelets and necklaces that I create.  I also may use a mix of materials in my pieces, including bits of fiber, metal, glass and stone.

 I have created a small brand of art jewelry known as Full Bloom Beadwork.  I make all my jewelry, infusing, “maker Magic”, into each piece. I travel regionally and nationally to show and sell my work at visual art events.  I also show my work at a few select art galleries.

 I have met and connected with thousands of visual art Enthusiasts when showing my jewelry.  I’m inspired by this artistic-inclined audience and the choices they make about the jewelry they wear