Meet Dottie Hoeschen
Dottie Hoeschen was born in Chattanooga, TN, but grew up in Marietta, GA. Marietta was at this time a rural community and it was while playing in those woods near home that she grew to love the organic shapes and patterns that now figure predominantly in her work. She received her Bachelor of Visual Arts degree from Georgia State University with a major in painting. After graduation she worked independantly in a variety of media (primarily oils and watercolors) and exhibited extensively through the '80s and '90s, showing a strong affinity for landscape, though still life and some portraiture also figured into her subject matter. Her paintings made their way into the collections of Walt Disney World, Coca Cola Company, Cape May County Cultural Heritage Commission, and the Banks Haley Gallery, as well as many private collectors. The birth of two sons called for a change in tactics (she could no longer have long uninterrupted stretches of time in which to work) and eventually a change in media. About nine years ago Dottie began to make small pictoral pins as a way to express her creative side without needing to have those large "blocks" of time. She began to add a few beads dangling from the pins to add interest and movement, and was surprised to find that, gradually, what could be done with the beads became more interesting than what could be done with the pins themselves! An exploration of bead weaving began in earnest about seven years ago and she now teaches classes and has had articles featuring her work in Bead&Button Magazine, Step by Step Beads, and Bead World. She has also been included in several books. Dottie now lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Harold. She has two sons, Josh, who guides and teaches in Alaska, and Ben, who is a Sophomore at Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona. She can be reached at: Dottie@stonebrashcreative.com You can visit her on the web at www.stonebrashcreative.com.