Meet Angel Mcllwain, a self-taught beadwork artist and owner of
“Painted Tree Studio” since 2010, an Etsy shop specializing in jewelry from the heart.
Angel,
a former art director for TIME magazine in New York City, left the
hustle and bustle of city life and moved to the middle of nowhere in the
Appalachian region of Ohio. The beauty and serenity of her natural
surroundings are part of the inspiration for her jewelry designs.
She
initially sold paper goods, but began beading in 2011 during her
treatments for a devastating cancer diagnosis. Angel, who has a
background in painting and is an avid bead collector, did not have the
energy to paint in her studio (which sits in the front of her 5 acre
yard) during her cancer treatments. She did, however, have an
appreciation for the beauty of nature, a need to express her creativity
and a message to share.
Featured in Angel's Shop!
The outside of Angel's gorgeous studio
The
story behind your “Heart and Hope of Courage Brooches” touched my
heart. I’m very sorry you have to experience this terrible disease. How
has beading helped you mentally or spiritually in your fight against
Breast Cancer?
I started
beading because of cancer. Creative types have a difficult time being
still. I didn’t have the energy for my studio but I was itching to
create (sitting and resting is so dreadfully boring) that I took up
beading. I have had a passion for beads all of my life and I have lugged
four large boxes of beads that I collected when I was a child with me
to everyplace I’ve lived including college. I made the hearts because I
don’t much care for the Korman group and because I hate the word
survivor, I won’t survive this disease and many of my friends have
already died. I like the idea of wearing a heart instead. It represent
love, and love surpasses death.
Heart of Courage Brooch
How are you able to juggle maintaining your Etsy Shop and the demands of your personal life?
Not
so well, during the school year I substitute teach and tutor. Things
get a little hairy sometimes. My 14 year old boy has track and he
practices every day. I also tutor after school. I want to devote myself
to working on my Etsy shops and blogs. I’m hoping to do my creative
work full-time. It’s a difficult transition made harder by cancer and
single parenthood, but
every day is a fresh chance and here I am making my start at moving forward.
Many of your pieces have beautiful earthy tones, what inspires the color palettes you use, and what materials do you favor?
I
live in the woods and the fresh air of the outdoors inspire me. When
the weather warms, we all but move outside. We have beautiful flower
gardens and lovely shade trees. We also have a large 10x20 canopy with
tables and chairs under it. I like to mix up my materials but I love to
use beads that have a patina on them, or unusual objects.
A new bracelet full of texture
How would you describe the type of jewelry you make and are you currently working on a new piece?
My
friend says that my mom and I make pretty jewelry. I can’t say that I
have developed a particular style other than to say that I love nature
and I’m fascinated by patterns. I acquired some beautiful pieces of sea
polished abalone this summer that I am excited to get to work on, also I
love making rings because I love to wear rings.
A monochromatic bracelet with a
beautiful earthy tone
How did you come up with the name “Painted Tree Studio” for your Etsy shop?
I have two shops at the moment, PaintedTreeStudio and BlueSkiesandBirdSong.
The
latter is clearly inspired by my home. The former is inspired by a
house post I found in an old cabin painted white. They used a tree with a
natural v shape as a support for a low ceiling. I use it as an outdoor
shelf in front of my studio. The photo of my studio was taken before my
find.
Angel texturized this ring with a
double beading technique!
What has been the most rewarding thing about starting a handmade business, and what has been the most difficult?
I
simply like to produce things of beauty but I am terrible at marketing.
I’m reading several books at an attempt to correct the error of my
ways. If I can conquer that issue, there will be no stopping me.
Angel played with different bead sizes
