About the Artist

Nancy Karacand is the designer/owner of Misty River Jewelry. She is a recent transplant to the town of Astoria, Oregon, having lived in Juneau, Alaska for many years. Her jewelry making endeavors began serendipitously in 1982 when she left the East Coast to travel across Canada and around Alaska for the summer. She got snagged off the travel route when Haines artist Tresham Gregg hired and trained her to make silver and brass jewelry for his shops.

Arriving in Juneau in 1984, Nancy began using beads in her jewelry and beading became a passion. After moving to Seattle in 1987, she began selling her work at craft fairs and also furthered her metal- working skills doing silver work for Seattle jewelry artist George Estrella. During this time, she also studied bead weaving techniques with several nationally recognized artists, including Virginia Blakelock and Diane Fitzgerald.

After returning to Juneau in the early 90’s, Nancy joined the Mt. Juneau Artists Co-operative. She served as Gallery president for one year and Treasurer for 3 years. She also began to sell her jewelry through other shops around Alaska. Her love of colorful fibers led her to the creation of coil baskets and woven purses. She creates coil baskets from novelty yarns and metallic threads and embellishes them with glass, stone and metal beads. Her hand woven purses are similarly embellished. She has been a sought after artist at the Alaska-Juneau Public Market for over ten years. Her work has been shown in several juried exhibits, including the Juneau Arts and Humanities Gallery monthly shows and the Alaska statewide “Earth, Fire, and Fibre” exhibit. Most recently her work has been sold through Galligaskins and Shoefly in Juneau.


Shows and Exhibits:

Absolutely Beads 1994: Beyond Beads, Bellevue, Washington, December 1 – 24, 1994
Juried exhibit of work by Northwest bead artists from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska

Juneau Arts and Humanities Wearable Art Show: Juneau, Alaska, February 2002. Beaded dress.

Fabulous Fibers and Beads: Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Gallery, Juneau, Alaska, March 8 – April 2nd, 2002. Three woman show featuring fiber arts.

Beyond Words: Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Gallery, Juneau, Alaska, May 7 – June 1, 2004. Three person show.

New Paintings and Wearable Art: Juneau Arts and Humanities Council Gallery, Juneau, Alaska. July 21 – 29th, 2005. Two woman show.

Earth, Fire and Fibre XXV: Biennial Alaska Juried Craft Exhibition. 2005 Statewide Tour.

Shoefly First Friday Featured Artist: Juneau, Alaska. October 2006

Upcoming show: Juneau Arts and Humanities Gallery, Juneau, Alaska. Two woman show with potter Sandra Mander scheduled for the month of May 2008.



Artist’s Statement:

I believe a strong connection with the natural world is vital for creating art. Where I create my work is almost as important as what materials I use. I’ve always enjoyed “a room with a view” to be able to look out at large vistas, to give my eyes and my whole being a resting place in the midst of focusing and concentrating on tiny beads and intricate patterns. These days I find myself looking out at the Columbia River as the grounding for my work.

In my other life, I have been a psychotherapist for many years. Creating beadwork and fiber art has been a wonderful compliment to my work as a psychotherapist. It provides balance, meditative absorption, and healing.

Most of my designs are inspired by a particular bead or stone and the other elements seem to arrange themselves around that focal piece. I am drawn to vivid color and unique texture and love being able to combine materials in unusual ways. I also enjoy using traditional beading and weaving techniques using more contemporary materials to produce a non-traditional look.