Julie Long Gallegos

"I'm a completely modern woman who loves the past! I embrace this contrast, because it is the place where creativity is born. From Antiquity to Art Deco and the Age of Aquarius, in a variety of techniques, my work becomes your "go-to" piece for an evening out, a special occasion, or a once-in-a-lifetime event such as a wedding. I'm my own customer and only offer what I'm proud to wear myself."

Julie Long Gallegos's first artistic influences were the natural beauty and fascinating history and architecture of the San Francisco Bay Area. Needle and thread have been in her hand for as long as she can remember, and she thanks her grandmothers, mother, and sister for sharing their superb craft skills. Successful beading captures a place and time; it brings color and texture together to evoke a world.

Gallegos's creations are equally inspired by colors and textures. She first selects a palette of beads, metals, and gemstones—materials that give the same visual thrill as the original inspiration. Next, she creates a drawing in colored pencil, often in several views, to fix the design and determine the type of stitch—flat loomwork or peyote stitch, crochet or in-the-round. The final drawing is the precise pattern.

From her earliest years, Gallegos was encouraged in needlework, drawing, and sewing by her extraordinarily gifted family. She never left her craft completely; a corporate career gave her critical mind time to develop. She came to beadwork in 2005 while restoring a beaded 1920s dress. An autodidact in bead weaving, she has expanded her skills into fine jewelry and metalsmithing, to enable full realization of her designs.