Northern Beauties

10.0 x 4.5 x 0.8 cm

moose hide and the barren-land caribou antlers come from the northwest territories, the beaded flower design on moose hide is sewed with 24k gold-plated charlotte cuts for the centre, the dyed porcupine quills are encircled by Czech seed beads to form petals, crystal glass beads add sparkle around the edge with size 13 charlotte beads, and decorative beads are attached to a pin to hold the dangling antler piece which has a flat sparkle gem glued on

All patterns and designs are Nancy's own. She grew up in a northern Dene community and the beading tradition of her people uses floral patterns. It could be because their winters are long. Locally smoke-tanned hides are adorned with beads and quills. Her earrings are carefully thought out and are made of high quality material from the land that is well-crafted, using bead-by-bead, stitch-by-stitch technique, passed down through the generations in her northern community.

Nancy is a retired educator with a passion for creating beautiful jewellery that builds on the natural products of the land, blending traditional and modern materials and learning new techniques of piecing them together.

Nature has always been a part of Nancy's creative process. Guided by teachings of the past and using her own artistic creativity, she incorporates natural products such as quills, birch bark, and moose hair tufting into her jewellery. Her mother was an inspiration to her, and Nancy learned by observing the precise handiwork of sewing traditional wear that her mother created, the beautiful designs adorned with embroidery, beads, and quills. She knows the importance of doing your best work. 

Nancy is actively involved in the band council of her community. For her, beading is joyful, as beading is therapeutic and a way of healing from the stresses of life. She loves to pass on her artistic knowledge, skills, and techniques and is always ready to learn more. 

Nancy has completed an adult education certification program from Aurora College in the Northwest Territories, as well as the Indian Teacher Education Program from University of Saskatchewan, receiving a Teaching Certificate and Bachelor of Education degree. She is featured in the NWT Arts Council artists list.