In 2017, I started incorporating beading into sculptural works. The resulting series of fishes reflects my personal study of the Mediterranean Sea and Italian lace-making, combined with a long-standing interest in beadwork. Materials are central to this series. Copper was selected for its conductive properties to form the skeleton of each work. Even though the armatures are completely encased in glass beads, the copper structure adds lucidity, buoyancy and energy. There are unique technical aspects to this work in that traditional beading methods were combined with an Italian lacemaking technique called “threading on air” which allowed me to sew the beads onto the copper armature.