About
Cliff Durham takes the art of beadweaving to a new level with his finely detailed interpretations of famous classical paintings, as well as photographs that inspire him. Using seed beads, Cliff expertly fashions them into a colorful tapestry using the Peyote stitch, an off-loom beading technique used as early as in ancient Egypt, and by our Native Americans.
A resident of Santa Rosa, California, Cliff has lived in Sonoma County nearly his whole life, and is inspired by the surrounding beauty. Cliff's interest in this art form was first discovered by him when he saw his aunt bead a dragon, which was a subject matter of particular interest to him at that time. Just graduating high school, Cliff learned how to bead weave, and made as a first piece, some Celtic knots. This experience tied his interest, leading to his first tapestry of 2002, and he never looked back. Since then, Cliff has logged many thousands of hours, honing his art, and has become a master beadweaver.
As you might imagine, this art form is intricate and time consuming. Though he thoroughly enjoys the process, Cliff admits that some folks have called him "crazy," for dedicating so much of his life to his art pieces. Luckily for us, he has been persistent enough to ignore the chiding, and we are fortunate to be able to enjoy the richly colored renditions of classic and contemporary compositions.
The process begins with choosing the composition. Cliff is drawn to the old masters from the Romantic Period, which focus on flowing lines and emotional themes. The colors are vibrant, with highlights that pop and bring the piece to life. It doesn't just stop there, however, when choosing a subject matter, there is much to think about with regard to the values of the piece. Great care has to be taken to be sure that the darks are not too dark, making it difficult to differentiate between the colors, or that the dark places are not too predominant, taking up the majority of the picture. In fact, some beads, whether dark or light, can take on the color of the surrounding beads, and can throw off the color pattern, making the colors blend incorrectly, taking away from the overall effect.
After the composition is selected, and the beads are in order, Cliff begins the process by following a numerical pattern, which is not unlike some secret code to someone with an untrained eye. "I have been doing this for so long," says Cliff, "that I know what color is represented by each of the various numbers." Keep in mind that his compositions have anywhere from 50 to 180 individual colors, with the slightest nuances between some of them. In addition, over the course of weaving his many art pieces, he has used some 800 different colors! That's a lot of remembering!
Cliff plans to keep going. He is currently working on his largest piece ever, roughly 14" wide (the length is more or less revealed with time), 596 bead rows, at 130 per row, which, when all is said and done, with borders, comes to approximately 81,000 beads!
Professionally, Cliff plans to show his work more at local and national shows, as the opportunities arise. He is a newly recognized talent, and is an artist worthy of our close attention.
"Beadweaving relaxes me. As a child I was extremely hyper, yet there is something about focusing on this art form that calms me, and draws out a patience that I never imagined I could possess. It gives me great pleasure to be able to share with people and to inspire them to appreciate the beauty of God's creation."