Frieda Bates began beading at the age of 12 after receiving a cash gift of ten dollars for her birthday.
That ten dollars started her lifelong passion for beading. Over the course of the next 62 years, Bates watched as the colors of beads went from a few basic choices to countless options in a multitude of colors.
Learning to weave hat bands on a loom from a Navajo woman, Bates in turn taught her how to crochet, thus enhancing Bates’ passion for beading and bringing it to a whole new level of talent. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and practice to create the masterpieces that can be found in Bates’ home and at the Artist Gallery.
Bates has been a member of the Artist Gallery for 18 years, and her work can only be found at the gallery. Inside her beautiful home on the river, her workroom consists of a showcase for her work and space for multiple projects to be going simultaneously. She has four diamond paintings in progress, and numerous necklace projects in various stages of completion at the moment. Bates remarked that there are not enough hours in the day for all the projects she aspires to complete, even though sleep eludes her, and she spends many hours working on her craft while others sleep. Necklaces can take up to four weeks to make while some of the tapestries/diamond paintings can take up to two months or more.
“The possibilities with beading are vast, it’s so much more than just stringing beads,” Bates shared. “Beads are so magical; you can make anything with them.”
Take some time to stroll through the Artist Gallery and see a sampling of Bates’ work which includes framed diamond paintings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and intricately beaded ornaments.
Article written by Michele Robertson and originally published in Focus on Carlsbad 2023 Spring edition.
