HANDCRAFTED JEWELRY
CELEBRATING THE DIVINITY OF ALL CREATION
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Katrina Esch, Artist
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Katrina Esch
I began my career in wildlife biology, seeking nothing more than the opportunity to be out in nature and work with animals. After a few seasons, I also became interested in teaching science and then special education. I currently work as a special education paraprofessional in southeast Michigan.
I stumbled into beading one day at the craft store. Attracted by the sparkly beads, colorful roses, and fun animal shapes, I began mentally arranging them into patterns. My first bracelet was a combination of reconstituted stone roses and ceramic round beads with floral patterns. Once I started working with roses, I thought it only natural to embed roses into rosaries. As a recently confirmed Catholic, I thought it would also be helpful to include the words of the rosary prayers in the decades between the roses and chose to use phrases from the Hail Mary.
Now inspired to combine messages of faith with images from nature, I began making message bracelets accented with dragonflies. This led to an expanding variety of uplifting message bracelets and nature-themed pieces that continue to feature the colorful roses and fun animal shapes that first entranced me, along with sparkly angels, crosses, stars, peace signs, and emojis. I like to play with these elements, exploring new patterns and techniques.
Why "Canticles in Beads"?
A canticle is a hymn of praise. Mary sung a canticle to celebrate the coming of Jesus. St. Francis of Assissi composed the "Canticle of the Sun" to celebrate elements of the natural world. As I began forming my rosaries and message bracelets, I found myself increasingly inspired by my faith and the poetic words of scripture and the Catholic liturgy. Even when my messages weren't directly religious, I insisted they be positive. I want my work to make people happy and build them up. Nature itself is life-affirming, inspiring, and a source of joy, becoming a canticle by its mere presence. I seek for every piece I make to bring people joy.
Canticles in Action
As I developed my collections, two major themes emerged.
The first was love of nature, represented by my many floral and animal-themed pieces. Out of this theme arose a series of bracelets with the simple message "UNLESS" from Dr. Seuss' book The Lorax. Dr. Seuss wrote, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." I studied zoology in college and worked for several years to protect threatened and endangered species in the wild, so I knew that had to be part of my message. But, "UNLESS" doesn't mean just talking about it and putting cute animals on fun bracelets. It means actually doing something to help. I decided that all bracelets which feature nature should help animals in the wild. Therefore, 10% of the proceeds from the sale of each animal-themed or floral bracelet as well as the floral necklace/bracelet sets for children (product numbers beginning with A, U, F, or NB) will be donated to a global conservation organization for the protection of wildlife around the world through research, education, and the preservation of habitat.
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The second theme that emerged was my Catholic faith. Like the message "UNLESS", sacred scripture and prayers are not meant merely to be spoken but to be lived. To live as a servant of Christ and increase the impact of the sacred words on my message bracelets and rosaries, 10% of the proceeds from each message bracelet, rosary, emoji bracelet, and simple patterns bracelet (product numbers beginning M, R, E, or SP) will be donated to organizations that help the poor and vulnerable in our communities. I will support a different organization each quarter. April - June, I will support Autism Alliance of Michigan to support families impacted by autism, provide training to help members of the community (such as police officers and health care workers) to work with individuals who have autism, and increase employment of autistic adults by working with both employers and job seekers. July - September, I will support organizations which provide food, because that is when the resources gained by Holiday season food drives tend to run thin. Food banks nationwide connect hungry people with food from private donations, food retailers, farms, and the food service industry. October - March, I will support organizations which help victims of natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. These organizations mobilize volunteers and supplies as early as possible, usually sending resources to communities before the storms hit. Donating to them in the winter helps make funds available for the immediate deployment of resources next summer and fall. I appreciate input from my followers regarding organizations worthy of our contributions in the coming quarters. Click the links below to learn more about each organization and please support them with your purchases. If you have an idea for an organization to support in the future, please send me a message through my Contact page.
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