What is Scandinavian Table Art.

Originally it was decorative bead work designs and scenes sewn together as removable table centrepieces decorations or facings on small tables to protect them from claret and similar stains.
Some of these pieces survived and the more interesting or complex items have become extremely valuable collectors items.

The style developed over centuries in the Scandinavian countries with mainly Greenland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway all laying legitimate claim to the style.
They were very time consuming to make competently, fragile and became rare due to the older thread technology holding them together deteriorating and only very very few people with the resources or knowledgeable enough to restore them.
Each piece is so intricate and time consuming to make proficiently, that in the present day you either have to know someone well enough who is willing to make one for you, know how to make them yourself and have the patience and resources to do so, or luck it in that a piece you like comes onto the market.

Although Ann does create traditional Scandinavian "Dug" and similar pattern pieces in the traditional bead size and colours, her preferences now are to use smaller Japanese and Czech beads with a different colour range and matched modern threads to increase the colour vibrancy required for her works. These designs with a smaller bead size have the same if not improved quality of a soft, sensual "silky" feel to them so attractive and compelling in well tensioned Scandinavian bead works.

In the future, there may be included on this site examples available from other artists from the close group Ann belongs to who may wish to place traditional pieces or other artworks on this site.

Beaded Jewellery

Ann uses many differing bead styles in her beaded jewellery, most have roots in the Scandinavian techniques and designs.
Other styles from Europe, North and South America and Africa have been utilized in Ann's works. Bead adornments are so universal and the ingenuity of its exponents over the centuries is truly inspiring. Again Ann uses minute bead sizes of differing styles and textures to create the delicate designs and feel to her jewellery art works.
A word about Artwork Jewellery offered on this site. Ann no longer accepts commissions for jewellery.
The size of each art piece in the gallery is noted. The artwork jewellery is offered as artwork and is sold specifically as that, not as warranted wearable jewellery pieces.
They are durable and tested to be very strong, usable and will look stunningly beautiful on if you wear them, but experience has shown that not everyone treats jewellery with the care required to keep them in good condition(Ask Ann someday about her catwalk experiences with some models hurling jewellery around) so no warranty is offered with them.

The materials

Ann uses only best quality materials. Japanese Miyuki, Czech, and Danish glass beads as well as matching modern bead threads are primarily used in the beadwork with a collection of other artists cabochons, stones and sterling silver work being worked into the designs.
Some designs are similar but each piece is unique, the colours and textures are always different and many of the beads incorporated are no longer able to be found, being from Ann's antique and vintage collections of quality materials.
The difference between most of Ann's Table Art and traditional works is in the finer bead size and thread quality. Traditionally Scandinavian bead works are done in size 9 beads with single colour threads. (probably because that was practical as the most available locally) However the range of size 9 colours is restrictive and a smaller bead, although difficult to develop, provides for some artists a much more extensive colour palette to create pieces from.
Similarly with modern thread technology this artist uses thread strengths and colours designed for exceptionally long life.
Employing an innovative technique of continually changing thread colours as bead colours change and blending thread and bead colours to achieve subtleties of tones and hues in her pieces is an outstanding technique for adding more life to her works. This technique combined with subtlety mixing bead types creates a sensuality to the depth and feel of her works.

Repairs to collectible Scandinavian bead works

Many times a person presents with a treasured Dansk or Grønland perle heirloom beadwork to have ancient threads repaired and lost beads replaced. Some of these are very complex designs and some are the more simpler of the "Dug" styles. All are highly treasured by their owners.
A highly competent and experienced artist can restore them provided they have a sufficient variety of vintage beads and compatible threads to recreate the original design.
Usually though it means re patterning and restoring the entire piece, a very expensive and time consuming task. But the restoration is worthwhile as the piece restored competently with modern threads should last considerably longer than the original threads version, and remain a piece worth handing on to next generations.