Conversations with the Artist Lynne Sausele

**All images are courtesy of the artist, please do not use without permission**

Lynne Sausele has spent her career as an artist with a constant passion to create and innovate in whatever medium she is working in. Her art education at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was one that encouraged exploration and the freedom of discovery. That model has stayed with her during a career spanning jewelry design and production, ceramics, printmaking, fine art painting and beaded sculpture and jewelry. You can Find Lynne's work at the Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

“My sister invited me to go on a last-minute trip to Hawaii with her. At that time, I was working in graphic design doing sign lettering, painting the names on boats, and working on a series of paintings that included leftover gold leaf from my sign painting jobs. I decided to make myself some paper earrings and add the gold leaf so I would have some new earrings for the trip. Those earrings began my career in jewelry making. Everyone loved them and I decided to make them available for sale. Suddenly I had a jewelry line. Gradually over time I began to add beads and then more and more until beads became the focus of my line.”

Many years in freelance design work led  to a nationwide jewelry business with a jewelry line of Lynne’s  own design and creation, and she became deeply interested in the fine craft aspect of beads and creating both jewelry and beaded sculptures. This led to an invitation to show her contemporary beaded pieces at the Loot Show at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City. She was privileged to be invited back for a second year to participate in this show. Following this, Lynne was included in Suzanne Golden Presents, a book focusing on unique beadwork from around the world. 

“One day at an art opening I was attending that included my own paintings, a friend showed up for the show wearing a beaded bead necklace by bead artist Axel Russmeyer. My jaw dropped in utter amazement. I was mesmerized and knew I had to learn this technique of beading beads. So, I found a book that taught the technique and began on my own trying to figure it out. It took many failures to get it right, but finally I felt a level of success and began making my first necklaces. I showed them to Mobilia Gallery and they welcomed me and my beaded pieces into their beautiful and inspiring gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since then, I have been in many shows with them, expanding my beading to include bead crochet ropes. At the Loot Show in New York City in which I was a participant I met bead artist Jan Huling and she graciously explained the technique she uses with her remarkable beaded sculptures. […] After the show I went home I tried Jan’s beading technique on a teapot that Mobilia wanted for an upcoming teapot exhibition. Suddenly I was now creating beaded sculptures and loving it.”

Lynne has been a featured artist at Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for many years. Mobilia is a gallery renowned for its exemplary collection of international contemporary fine craft. This partnership has led to participation in shows that  stimulated many new pieces, from jewelry to sculpture. Mobilia has also exhibited Lynne’s paintings in several exhibitions. Being part of a gallery such as Mobilia has provided continual creative stimulation and support for a working artist. 

In 2021, the Museum of Beadwork in Portland, Maine extended a call for their show Wings & Stings, Exploring the World of Beaded Bugs. For this show Lynne created a piece that was given the Judges Choice Award. Being a part of this new museums exhibitions is another exciting avenue for her to create and explore new ideas and potentials in beadwork.

“One bead leads to another, that is the amazing thing about beads,” says Lynne. “They are so diverse, there is so much they offer for those with the creative spirit to explore and the willingness to try and try again to get it right. They are ancient and they are contemporary. When you work with them, you are a part of a long line of beautiful inventive humans taking your special place in the history of beads.”

Thank you Lynne for sharing your incredible work with us and for entering our very own Beadwork Challenge. You can see Lynne's entry at the MOB Sneak Peek Exhibit in Portland, Maine in person or look at her portfolio online at https://lynnesausele.com 

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