ARTS
Arts 10
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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | MAY 27, 2020
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Carol Tenwalde’s Boho jewelry gets noticed BY SHEA STANFIELD Foothills Focus Contributing Writer
T
he creative mind knows, “Creation always involves building upon something else. There is no art that doesn’t reuse.” Local artist Carol Tenwalde reuses and repurposes for her line of jewelry. She calls it her Boho necklaces and earrings, and they are guaranteed to bring showers of compliments to their owners. As the oldest child in her family, Tenwalde grew up in a very small Ohio farming community. Her father was a builder and her mom was a banker. Thanks to his building talents, her father could fix or build anything. “Every summer dad would convene a ‘powwow’ of what the family’s Halloween costumes would be,” Tenwalde said. Perhaps her favorite memory was helping create a human-sized bowling ball—dad’s costume—and three bowling pins, otherwise known as mom and the kids. Her creative mother was the local dance club’s president. This translated into the family’s job of transforming the American Legion Hall into a magical wonderland six times a year for dance competitions and parties. So, it’s no small wonder that Tenwalde grew up crafting and creating for herself and others in the community. Tenwalde’s creativity carried into her adult life. Shortly after her husband retired from his computer executive job, he had surgery that damaged nerves in his leg. They were homebound for six months while he learned to walk. During this time, Tenwalde kept busy fashioning jewelry from the beads she had acquired over the years. “I was initially drawn to bead embroidery, which resulted in beautiful pieces but not terribly creative,” Tenwalde said. “In this process, the crafter followed a
Carol Tenwalde recycled Sari necklace in apricot. (Photo courtesy Carol Tenwalde)
Carol Tenwalde at work in her home studio. (Photo courtesy Carol Tenwalde)
preset design, plus it was very time consuming.” So, Tenwalde began looking for other options to give her more creative freedom so she would stand out from the everyday jewelry crafter. To this end, she invented a special twisted wire technique that she calls her “Twisted Sister.” In this method, she makes beautifully colored statement pieces that render her creations “one of a kind.” When Tenwalde was working on her wire creations, a friend of hers was opening a yarn store. Tenwalde was introduced to Sari Ribbon, a product made from recycled Indian Saris. This was a game changer, and her Boho line of necklaces and earrings was born. “I get so much joy from my custom-
ers all over the world when they email me and tell me how people stop them in the streets or at events and want to know where they got that necklace,” she said. Today, Tenwalde is a member of the Sonoran Arts League and displays her work Carol Tenwalde’s necklace of bubbles in pink. (Photo courtesy Carol at its office in Cave Creek and Tenwalde) its gallery in El Pedregal in North Scottsdale. in North Scottsdale. She also participates each year in the league’s Hidden in the Hills Studio Tour Info: blingbeadedbaubles.com the last two weekends in November. Once the public can gather again, TenContact arts columnist walde will offer classes in Sari Ribbon Shea Stanfield at jewelry at the Holland Community Cenflowingquill@yahoo.com. ter and for the Sonoran Art League, both