My name is Agnieszka Watts and I live in Illinois. My native country is Poland but I am also of Scandinavian origin. I am passionate about beading, creating designs and patterns, and most importantly, about inspiring, educating motivating and helping people finding their love for creativity. I use many techniques in my artwork like bead stitching, bead weaving, wirework, bead embroidery on beautiful fabric like silk and velvet, & macramé. I am very skilled at teaching with exacting detail even difficult designs with simplified easily understood verbal and written instructions combined. BeadWork magazine editors have been influenced by my color combinations and wrote an 'editor's note' calling me a color expert. I work with colors up thru the 6th level of colors. I earned a professional fashion design school degree in Krakow prior to my professional beading career starting in 2011. I was a BeadWork Magazine Designer of the Year 2017, and have had my work displayed in 3 of Japan's Toho Bead Museum Galleries from 2018 - 2022. I have had my designs published since Dec. 2013 in Bead & Button, BeadWork Magazine, and in UK, Australia, & Europe. Since 2013, I have also taught my design creations and patterns in many states across the U.S. I was awarded as an "Illinois Artisan" in 2014 (nominated by Illinois State Museum which showcased my work in 3 of its state locations). I won Grand Prize Award in seed beads medium in 2022 & 2013 Fire Mountain Gems and Beads competition, 2013 Bronze Medal winner in Fire Mountain Gems and Beads contest in Swarovski crystals, and a 2013 finalist in Fire Mountain Gems and Beads contest in Swarovski crystals. My artwork was featured in “Beaders!”, the online book in June 2016 by Toho Beads, showing and highlighting 48 world class bead designers to celebrate their company's 65 yrs & 3 generations of company history. I had only known the 2 brother owners of Toho Seed Beads for 1 year when they awarded me with being shown in their 65 years as a company online book. What a thrill for me! I have been honored also to meet, know, and enter the Toho Seed Bead Challenge since 2015 with creations that are very personal to me and take literally hundreds of hours to compose and create as a unique One Of A Kind. For the past few years, yearly, I celebrate the Toho Presidents' birthday by writing out "Happy Birthday" with my creations I have made with Toho seed beads during the few previous months on my office floor, stand above it on a chair, snap a photo, and send it to him. It is a very fun to see his surprise for each piece. It's a lot of fun and I look forward to the joy. You can view images of my Toho Challenge entries on my "competition" page along with other Competition entries where I received notice and awards. Happy Beading! |
Publications
Dec/Jan 2014 Bead&Button Magazine “Shining Star”
Feb 2014 BeadMe Magazine “Catching the Stars”
March 2014 BeadMe Magazine “Nordic Star”
June/July 2014 Beadwork Magazine “Evening Stars”necklace
Oct 2014 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Evening Stars”earrings
Oct 2014 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Stellar Earrings”
Oct 2014 Bead&Button Extra Edition “Arabesque Suite”
Dec/Jan 2014 Beadwork Magazine “Dancing Birch”
March 2015 Digital Beading Australia “Seashore Bracelet”
Spring 2015 Issue 65, Bead & Jewellery Magazine “Oriental Bracelet”
Oct 2015 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Belle Epoque”
Oct 2015 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Sweet Pea”
July 2015 Beading Polska “Barbara Radziwillowna”
June 2016 “Favorite Bead Stitches” Beadwork Special Edition “Evening Stars”necklace
June 2016 Bead & Jewellery Magazine “Cassiopeia Pendant”
June/July 2016 Bead&Button Magazine “Feathered Edge”
June/July 2016 Beadwork Magazine “Mercury Drop”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Two in One”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Sea Foam”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Berry Burst”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Honeysuckle Vines”
Beadwork Magazine Designer of the Year 2017
Feb/March 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Desert Rose"
April/May 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Mountain Lily Cuff"
June/July 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Forest Whisper"
August/Sept 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Aral Sea"
Oct/Nov 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Autumn Sage Necklace"
Oct 2017 "Quick and Easy" Beadwork Special Edition "Lentil Links"
Dec/Jan 2018 Beadwork Magazine "Gardens of Eden"
Feb 2014 BeadMe Magazine “Catching the Stars”
March 2014 BeadMe Magazine “Nordic Star”
June/July 2014 Beadwork Magazine “Evening Stars”necklace
Oct 2014 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Evening Stars”earrings
Oct 2014 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Stellar Earrings”
Oct 2014 Bead&Button Extra Edition “Arabesque Suite”
Dec/Jan 2014 Beadwork Magazine “Dancing Birch”
March 2015 Digital Beading Australia “Seashore Bracelet”
Spring 2015 Issue 65, Bead & Jewellery Magazine “Oriental Bracelet”
Oct 2015 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Belle Epoque”
Oct 2015 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Sweet Pea”
July 2015 Beading Polska “Barbara Radziwillowna”
June 2016 “Favorite Bead Stitches” Beadwork Special Edition “Evening Stars”necklace
June 2016 Bead & Jewellery Magazine “Cassiopeia Pendant”
June/July 2016 Bead&Button Magazine “Feathered Edge”
June/July 2016 Beadwork Magazine “Mercury Drop”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Two in One”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Sea Foam”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Berry Burst”
Oct 2016 “Quick and Easy” Beadwork Special Edition “Honeysuckle Vines”
Beadwork Magazine Designer of the Year 2017
Feb/March 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Desert Rose"
April/May 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Mountain Lily Cuff"
June/July 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Forest Whisper"
August/Sept 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Aral Sea"
Oct/Nov 2017 Beadwork Magazine "Autumn Sage Necklace"
Oct 2017 "Quick and Easy" Beadwork Special Edition "Lentil Links"
Dec/Jan 2018 Beadwork Magazine "Gardens of Eden"