"OKLAHOMA" (a Choctaw word meaning " red people" )
Jewelry has been a lifelong fascination. As a little girl, grandmother’s cast offs and necklaces made of uncooked pasta were my “diamonds and pearls”. At seventeen, my first real job was as a salesclerk in a department store in the jewelry and accessories department. After 40 years, I still remember the joy I felt when my supervisor asked me to accessorize the mannequins in the store window. In 2008, my best friend/adopted sister , Moninya Mulder, urged me to try designing and making jewelry -- as therapy for my Parkinson’s. To my surprise, the creative process gave me those same feelings of joy I had those years many ago. The feel of the stones, the shapes, the colors, have a calming effect on me. Tremors go away or somehow I manage to work around them as I string my beads. I consider myself a “bead stringer“. I take the work of others, beads, gemstones, silverwork, and create designs. The inspiration for design comes from my culture and heritage.
I was born and raised in the state of Oklahoma ( a Choctaw word meaning “Red People”). Like many from Oklahoma, whose family were immigrants from various European countries and settled in what was Indian Territory before 1900, I am of mixed race. I am proud of my heritage; American Indian (Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokee), German, Scotch, Irish, and French. Using traditional materials and colors in combinations with the non-traditional I hope to reflect that pride.
Here is a few pictures of Glenda's work that is for sale... to see more please visit http://www.rocksrevealed.com
