Mary Tafoya AKA Aunt Molly
by Sigrid Wynne-Evans
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Mary Tafoya is a bead artist that should be familiar to many of you. Rightfully so, she is an incredible artist who has gained a lot
of respect and admiration from her peers. She has been featured in publications and exhibits such as The Second International Miuyki Bead Challenge, Belle Armoire, and Beadwork
magazines. I am sure this is not full list of her amazing credits; you have to be fast to keep up with Mary's accomplishments!
Be sure to visit her website. It is full of some terrific information.
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Mary grew up in Kentucky and lived there until she moved to New Mexico. Living in both of these states shaped her views about art and
craft. The first art experiences Mary had involved quilters, whittlers, weavers, potters. Mary's family influences were her grandfather and her mother. Her grandfather was a cabinet
maker. Mary is proud to own a few pieces of his furniture. Mary's mother always stayed up late working with her hands and sewing.
Mary earned a degree in Studio Art, and she also studied Commercial Printing, which is how she ended up working in the art department of a
printing company, which eventually led to a teaching job in graphic arts. Even with her formal training, her family influences stayed with her, and it is the sense of craft that she
loves best.
The formal training that Mary received helped her land a job as a graphic arts instructor at a local community college for many years.
Presently, Mary works in faculty development, teaching teachers how to use technology in the classroom. This job naturally evolved out of her love of teaching and the technology skills
she developed as a graphic arts person.
Mary started beading years ago and found it difficult and frustrating compared to the other art she was doing at the time. She wanted some
peyote stitch earrings and couldn't find them to buy. Determined to learn, Mary learned first with a Mohawk teacher who did a lot of restoration work. She learned the basics, although
she didn't stay with it.
Years later Mary was working in batik and was gradually adding more and more embellishment such as embroidery to her batik items. Mary
attributes learning embroidery to making beadwork much easier when she picked it up again later.
Living in the Southwest, Native American beadwork was an inspiration to Mary to pick up the craft of beadwork once again. Enrolling in bead
classes again, Mary learned from Native American teachers, or from teachers who have learned from Native Americans. Mary says; "This was good for me because I didn't just learn how to
do the projects, I learned a philosophy based on respect, and generosity. One teacher recommending giving away 12 of something before you start selling them. This was really wise
advice, because you get a chance to get good at what you're making, you get to find out about what breaks and what's durable, you get to become efficient and skillful before taking
money for your work. Also, I was taught not to use somebody else's designs without asking first. This advice is still good in today's commercial explosion of bead jewelry, books and
other products."
After learning some basics, Mary worked on her own for a couple of years. Mary felt that "art school had ruined me in some ways and I
wanted to be careful to really work from within myself and not be overly influenced by other people's standards. But I kept seeing all this gorgeous beadwork around town, amulet bags
and awesome split loom necklaces and such, and when I'd ask women where they learned to do that, they pointed to the store where Margo Field was teaching. I have taken several classes
from her over the years. Having a local teacher of her caliber is a real blessing. I use lots and lots of her tricks and techniques in my work today, even though our styles are very
different."
 
Mary started graphing loom work patterns before she ever learned to bead them. Her experience as a graphic designer made designing beadwork
for herself a natural progression. She would imitate Native American patterns and just use graph paper she had at work. That helped her understand how to get certain effects. She loved
the design principles of repetition and variation, and it was fascinating learning to create patterns, especially in peyote stitch, where it can get really interesting and
complicated.
Mary says, "I've really been able to bring diverse skills together at bead-patterns -- my love and knowledge of beadwork, my understanding
of computer technologies and software, and my teaching experience. I combine all these together in my pattern sheets and tutorials. This is very satisfying. I like that so many people
have been able to use my PowerPoint tutorials to go on and make a little money for themselves, to create their own tutorials, get published, teach classes and all that. It makes me feel
good to have something unique and useful to offer."
  
Where do Mary's influences come from? Mary answers, "I study world beadwork. Each culture in various times has their own technology and
their own expressions, and yet there are similarities in pattern and design common to many peoples. I also study Himalayan, Persian, and African art. I look at American folk art and
also early European textiles. I adore the textiles of East India. I don't create commercial patterns based upon these, but I know they influence me in color and design principles, as
well as cultural symbolism. I have also been involved in commercial art and I love typography and book design, and I do see how those influences have come through in
my bead-patterns offerings."
Mary tries to offer designs for sale that aren't already being offered, but will be simple, versatile and useful to beaders. Her favorite
designs are actually the ones that can't be charted. Bead embroidery in her artwork is prevalent.
  
Mary has a workroom that she reluctantly shares with a freezer and ironing board. Mary says "I am currently working in polymer clay, mixed
media, rubber stamping and collage as well as beads, so my studio looks like a flea market most of the time, though I do manage to keep my beads fairly organized. I basically consider
my entire house fair game for art activities. I have a large table in the computer room where I buff polymer clay. I sand and paint clay in the kitchen, bake it on the patio, and I have
a beading chair in one corner of the living room, with a table that pulls over the chair so I can bead comfortably.
 
I usually take small projects with me so I guess you could say the car is a portable studio. So far the bathroom and bedrooms are safe,
though I've been known to read beading books in them."
Mary's future goals are to finish the five or six tutorials in development, as well as a few simple patterns I need to bead into samples
and offer them on bead-patterns.com.
She also wants to continue to grow as a professional artist. To that end, she is working on getting gallery representation, beginning by
offering smaller items at two galleries.
I asked Mary what her own biggest personal challenges and accomplishments were. Mary answered, "Well, personal healing is probably the most
important work I've done in my life, and also the most challenging. Beadwork has actually played an important part in that. When I bead, I'm struck by how ancient and true the craft of
beadwork, and how universal. I can trust my needle and thread, be with it for awhile and take a break from the world. It's calming, a safe little circle where my thoughts and feelings
can do whatever they need to do. And maybe because it's such a slow craft, it allows me to really deepen and change through the work. By the time I'm finished with a 20- or 40- or
80-hour project, I'm not the same person exactly that I was when I started. Creative self-expression is so important to me, not for recognition or commercial success, but because it's a
spiritual connection and outlet. Beadwork provides a really intense focus for all of us, whether we're designers, hobbyists, or whatever, and it is so satisfying to choose materials and
actually make something. Everybody should have something like this in their lives."
I am sure that whatever Mary will come up with next, will be a wonderful inspiration to us all. Her work is filled with a lot of heart and
soul that is reflective of the amazing woman that she is.
Mary's Newest creations:
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