Cynthia Masterson

Cynthia Masterson was born in Oklahoma Indian Territory.  Following her Comanche nomadic urges she now lives and beads in Šilšul Territory, Seattle.  Cynthia owns Blue Dot Beadwork where she sparks creativity with beads at events, retreats, & schools.  She shares the beading traditions of her Comanche culture to help people tap into their creative mind & explore their own heritage through beads. Her love of beads fuels her jewelry designs and art.  She tells stories through assemblages combining household objects with beadwork.   Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions, and she has received many grants to support her art. Cynthia also launched the Little Bead Library – a small but growing movement of community curated bead sharing hubs.

The Women Who Came From Ladybugs

Medium: Glass Beads

3.25"h x 2.25'w x .5"d

$8000

These women emerged from a ladybug that a cricket saw. Cricket rearranged their dots, and they became women. Or, as it actually happened, I showed a ladybug pattern to my cousin, Cricket Karty, over Zoom. She immediately saw them as women and instructed me to erase their antennae and add braids down their backs. Once the women appeared my appreciation of others I’d seen on baskets and on skirts deepened. I felt a special kinship was bestowed. I didn’t know I’d been waiting for a visit from the women that came from ladybugs. My usual method of centering the pattern didn’t work this time. Once these women were in place, they would not be moved making this piece irritatingly askew. Had I begun with the women, the piece would be true to my vision. Next time, I will start with women.