Christi Friesen lives in an exotic place we all want to visit - fanciful imagination. Her world is full of the magical whimsy we remember from the Dr. Seuss books we relished as children. Her art is a dash of Maurice Sendak's Wild Things, a sprinkle of Sesame Street, and a stir of Tim Burton's supernatural. Her creations are vividly colorful and impossibly cute. Come visit a world full of nostalgia and fun!
Remember that book you cuddled with when you were a kid? The one with the shiny Caldecott Medal emblem on the cover? The book that was awarded for the art inside and you could not put it down because it transported you to another universe when you gazed at the pages? You can probably close your eyes, even now, and see the curious creatures and colorful images. That book became a part of you all of those years back. If you miss that playful magic, you need to check out artist and jewelry maker Christi Friesen!
The Wonderful World Of Jewelry Designer And Artist Christi Friesen
Meet Christi Friesen
Christi Friesen has a vivid imagination. She is one of those rare artists that is able to make their daydreams a reality. Her visions of Merlings and Ghoulies are brought to life through her sculpted clay designs. Her SpookySilly dreams of Halloween are made real with vibrant drawings. Her world is full of adorable nightmares and mischievous gremlins. You are sure to fall in love with her creations!
If you would like to experience Christi's fun universe, make sure you visit her website and support her small business. Her enchanting characters are delightful and they are limited in quantity. You can find supplies, books, prints, kits and collections and more. If you would like to learn more about her art and techniques, join her Creative Circle and become Christi's student. Learn her ways and hone your skills.
About Christi Friesen
Christi Friesen is an award-winning artist, who works in mixed media. Her work has been showcased in numerous books, magazines, and exhibits. She is the author of over a dozen how-to books on creating with polymer clay. She teaches throughout the world, using humor and positive energy to encourage students to stretch their creativity, technical skills, and artistic confidence.
Artist Statement
It seems to me that one of the joys in life is to be interested. Interested in what you do, interested in what surrounds you, interested in what you experience. Creating interests me. And I find joy in creating things that are interesting to look at.
Christi Friesen's Links:
Website
Christi's Creative Neighborhood FB Group
Facebook
YouTube
Pinterest
Instagram
Christi's Innovative Uses For Soft Flex Beading Wire
Are you a member of The Great Bead Extravaganza's Facebook group? The group is a great place to catch a Christi creature sighting. We really enjoy seeing her show off new ways to use Soft Flex Beading Wire. Check out how she added some cute little whiskers to her classy kitty cat.
Learn how to make these Spooky Eyes in Christi's latest makealong. You can find her tutorial in her Facebook Group - Christi's Creative Neighborhood or this link - Spooky Eyes. Learn how to give your monsters some sophistication and she shows you how to mold and form the eye and then apply a smoky mascara look, because every monster wants to stay fashionable!
We love watching Christi Friesen turn a formless piece of epoxy clay into a wonderful work of art. She is a wizard with her favorite choice of clay - Apoxie Sculpt. Soft Flex wire gives these playful gremlins an extra dimension. Warts and all, these adorable Ghoulies look so cute with a stray hair here and there!
Oh my goodness, somebody is hungry! Ghoulies don't let a photo op ruin a good meal.
Christi Friesen: Takeover Day At The Great Bead Extravaganza Facebook Group
To view Christi's TGBE video, visit the Facebook TGBE group main page. If you are a member you can click on this link - Shelley - if you do not belong to the group, that link will not work. Join the fun! You will love the community if you enjoy exciting jewelry making demonstrations and creative designers.
The Great Bead Extravaganza is the worlds largest online beading event. It is a collaboration between a diverse collection of bead stores and jewelry designers. When the actual bead show is not in full swing, you can catch special events and fun on the group page. In the lead up to the big show, each company involved gets a chance to 'Takeover' the Facebook group and spend the day spotlighting their store, goods, and demos they think you will love. During one of Christi's Takeovers, she had a themed Shellabration. Our favorite part of this, of course, was a Soft Flex and polymer clay creation named Shelley.
Shelley is such a cutie! This little gal knows how to brighten a room with her beautiful smile. This is the perfect decoration for anybody that needs a pick me up.
Visit Christi Friesen's Colorful Store
There is so much to explore at Christi's fun store! Ghoulie and Merlings, oh my!
On her site, you can find supplies, and so much more. Begin a new beading adventure! If you think beads are just for stringing, allow Christi to show you some fun new ways to explore your creative side.
This Raku-like glass mix is ethereal and amazing. It is perfect for any fantasy creation!
SpookySilly Sketches are perfect for the Halloween lover at your haunted abode. These cute prints are great for monster lovers of all ages.
Christi Friesen's Fabulous Mosaics
Christi's beaded work is not confined to cute creatures. She loves to create mosaics and other beaded art. Her mosaics are stunning! Each work is a celebration of color and a feast for the eyes.
These mosaics are a reminder that beads are GREAT for jewelry but they like to hang out on the wall as well! Want to learn how to use beads with epoxy clay to create jewelry for your home? Start here: Christi Friesen on YouTube
Christi Friesen is a fearless explorer and is never hesitant to try a new artistic medium. Learn how seed beads can add detail to a mosaic or PMC sculpture and learn how to create jewelry with seed beads. She has a ton of project ideas on her YouTube channel, make sure you visit the link above!
The Great Bead Trade With Kristen Fagan And Christi Friesen
We love to inspire each other at the Great Bead Extravaganza. One of the fun things we do is share goodies. During The Great Bead Trade, a kit is created using items from participating exhibitors. The kits are then passed out to the the participants. Each kit is identical, the fun begins when the exhibitors open their kits live and make jewelry with the contents. You get to see how wildly different each designer is using the same supplies. This Great Bead Trade presentation featured Kristen and Christi Friesen. Kristen made a gorgeous necklace and Christi provided some fun and inspiring chat. Christi was on an extended travel trip and could not access her beading kit, so she discussed her ideas and process. Lots of fun!
Check out what Kristen made with her kit. And then what Christi would have made if she had access to hers.
From Christi Friesen:
If you watched Kristen Fagan and I you'll already know that because I extended a visit to see my kids and grandkids, I wasn't home where my bead trade kit was! So I had to improvise... I drew little images of the main components from the kit, so I could demonstrate how I might compose various possibilities. But Kristen and I we're having such an interesting conversation that holding them up to show you all and describing some options seem to be good enough for our hour together! I thought you might like to see the little prep work I did with the lil images and possible sketching ideas. It's just another way to create, isn't it!
Kristen Made A Christi Friesen Pendant And Added It To A Flower Power Necklace
And now for something completely different! Christi Friesen is a wonderful teacher. During a Spring Fling TGBE presentation she created a fun Apoxie Sculpt pendant.
Click here to watch Christi's Bling Bloom Tutorial
Our Free Spirit designer, Kristen, fell in love with the pendant and created her own after listening to Christi's instructions. Don't be afraid to make your own magic with clay. Christi's videos are sure to inspire and educate.
We hope you enjoyed this look into the wonderful world of Christi Friesen! Make sure you visit her site and subscribe to her Creative Circle. You will be a clay master in no time!
The Bling Bloom Kit is still available on Christi's website if you want to get started on your Apoxie Sculpt journey!
This kit was made especially for a free Great Bead Extravaganza online makealong event. You can access the demo here: Christi's Bling Bloom Tutorial
This kit contains:
1/10lb. Black Apoxie Sculpt epoxy clay
An assortment of 4 center focal cabochons - a coin pearl, a dichro glass cab and a stone cab/bead (each kit will have a different assortment)
3 eye pins in assorted metal colors
A small vial of assorted glass tube beads
A small vial of assorted size AB glass crystal rhinestones
Join our Facebook group – VIB. Stay in the know. Stay up to date. From our bead shows to our video shows and sales, you can stay in touch with us. The community is full of artistic and helpful beaders and crafty people. Inspire and be inspired. Share your pictures and get the beading bug from others!
Visit the Soft Flex Company YouTube Channel!
Blog contributor Thomas Soles loves Jazz Age writers and crunchy french fries. His favorite gemstones are Lapis and Pietersite. His favorite hobby is day dreaming. And his favorite mustache is Freddie Mercury's. As you can see, he has a healthy (or possibly unhealthy) sense of humor. You can write to him at Thomas@SoftFlexCompany.com