Gilliland's focal pieces give her the inspiration for the beaded design. In Gilliland's symmetrical designs, the focal piece is the center bead of the necklace where the eye is most attracted to. She uses colorful yet complicated pieces of focal art and accents these with matching beads. "My strength lies in allowing the focal bead to take precedents by adding just the right combination of color and texture to enhance its beauty. I can't make the beads themselves, but I can feature them beautifully in one of my designs, says Gilliland.
One recent necklace Gilliland designed had the focal point of three leaves made of raku pottery. The leaves were created to reflect the colors of autumn in their design. Gilliland had ordered these beads from a mother/daughter partnership located in the western United States. "It's a sad story, Gilliland says. "These artisans had a fire in their studio. Because of their ethnic background, they believed they needed to move on from this business and discontinue the making of the beads after the fire.
Some other unique materials Gilliland uses are recycled glass discs. These glass discs are similar to the first sun-catcher that inspired her art. She has never made two items the same, with the exception of her personalized mother's bracelets. "Everything I make is one of a kind; each piece is beautiful in its own special way, says Gilliland.
[Gilliland's work is currently featured at Framing by CJ gallery, located on the corner of Market and Eighth streets in Bloomsburg.]
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