Featured Artist of the Month

                                                        November 2006

Lyle Rayfield

P.O. Box 86015
Tucson, AZ 85754

Telephone: 520-682-8325
Email: bdangled@dakotacom.net

Biography:
My first adventure into creative expression began at the age of eight, when my mother taught me to knit.  There was rarely a time throughout the next 40 years when my hands were not occupied creating something for family or friends.  In 1991 I discovered beads, and a whole new world of artistic expression captured my creative spirit.  Over the next 9 years, I enrolled in many jewelry-related classes and created a jewelry business called BEADANGLED, exhibiting my creations for sale in local art galleries and at local craft fairs. It is the beauty of nature’s creations that energize my creativity and show up in my work.  I strive to have my creations bring joy and appreciation to those who chose to adorn themselves with the spirit of the earth’s bounties.  My success as a jewelry artist increased over time, yet something was still lacking in my creative endeavors.  In early 2000, I was introduced to metal clay and knew instantly that I found the missing link.  Four months later, I became a PMC Certified Artisan and started teaching introductory and specialty classes through the local community college. In my search for continuing education in the world of metal clay, combined with my desire to teach at a higher level, I pursued and received my Sr. Instructor status from Art Clay World in the summer of 2002. I love this medium and I love teaching.  Where my as yet untapped creative energies take me next, only my creative spirit knows.