Sabrina Frey Meet the Designer-Artist
Sabrina Frey grew up in the mountains of Colorado and now lives in the Carson Valley in NV so it makes sense that most of her work is centered on some aspect of nature and the four seasons. She believes that nature is in her blood; her world just “feels right” when she is surrounded by it. Having lived and traveled all over the United States she says that she “celebrates life in my work, acknowledging all aspects of the good and bad seasons that make up our stories.”
Sabrina’s bead work developed over many years of study, research, and experimentation with different artistic mediums. Today her bead mosaics are inspired by nature and its elements to create immersive and tactile mosaic paintings that can be experienced by multiple senses. Her works are representational of life in that we are all made up of tiny particles. Similarly, the beads break down a physical mass into different shapes, sizes, solids, translucencies, and directions, challenging the cohesiveness of “reality.” She sees life as rich with complexity and believes that all of us have a need to both resist and respond to it. Going beyond the two-dimensional surface, she invites the viewer into her art to physically connect to it. The signs posted by her work read “Go ahead and touch me.” They encourage people to experience the emotion, movement, time, strength and fragility of the piece but also the basic essence of life.
Another aspect that makes her technique unique is that she doesn’t try to control all the beads. In the beginning, the work was much more structured, but today she combines various non-linear methods in order to be able to explore more diverse subjects like animals. Laying the beads out with tweezers, then gluing them and letting them set however they please gives her pieces a sparkle that can’t be achieved if all the beads are lined up “like soldiers.” The resulting disorganization lends a life-like depth to her pieces.
Sabrina, was an Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and earned her MFA in Interior Design at Florida State University, with a focus on teaching. She loves sharing her innovative techniques with others through workshops and tutorials and mentoring and encouraging people to pursue their dreams and try new things. Now as a professional artist she has been the featured artist and award winner at many of the top national juried shows around the country as well as being featured on an episode of ArtEffects on PBS Reno. Her extensive resume with show and award details is available.
Where do you live?
Minden, NV – Near South Lake Tahoe
What inspires you as a designer-artist?
I love texture and am a touchy freely person so beads are the perfect medium offering a combination of flexibility and diversity. They are created to be touched and interacted with so my mosaics use that advantage in new and exciting ways. I am constantly pushing myself to see what I can do next and what new beads will be highlighted, how will they play together and what will people react to? My art themes come from everywhere but I really enjoy nature, landscapes, animals and the elements the most.
What medium do you work with mostly?
Only beads – any size or shape on repurposed bases.
Why did you become enchanted with this style of jewelry-making/crafting?
It was an organic experimental process of trial and error and determination to find or create an easier way to make the beads work the way I wanted them to. After a few years of conquering several design challenges with the whole concept I fell in love the beads themselves and all the possibilities. I am continually discovering new beads and figuring out how to use them in new ways.
Do you sell your designs? If yes, please list the URL.
Yes my original works are available in several galleries all over the US and at various Fine Art shows. They can also always be found on my website www.sabrinafreyart.com. Since I have had so much interest in learning my bead mosaic techniques over the years we have created a line of DIY kits that are available at www.beadmosaic.com.
What is the name of the piece you are submitting to be included in your Success Story?
Spark my bald Eagle – 22x21 made entirely out of seed and bugle beads.
What inspired this design? How did it come together? For example, did you plan it out or did it define itself once you began working?
All of my animals are planned out and come together one bead at a time. Spark was my third eagle and I wanted to go large and create a piece representing how majestic they are. Starting with the eyes always gives me a sense of responsibility as if they are watching me closely and making sure I get it right. My landscape works are done very differently as I try not to do much planning and freehand those. I find that they feel and look more natural the less I think about them. They are a good balance to offset the intense concentration I keep up with the animal pieces.