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By Vandy Leigh
Posted Dec 23, 2018 at 3:15 AM
Recently, a friend and I drove to Newmarket to attend the Wrong Brain
Holidaze Bizaare. This is an art show featuring art and gifts that are unusual. We
were disappointed to discover that Newmarket was packed (Go Newmarket!)
there was no place to park despite our circling around and around.
Lucky for us, it is the art and craft show time of year. A quick search on my
smart phone revealed that North Hampton had the Seacoast Artisans’ Fine Arts
and Crafts Show happening in the old Staples building. We found many items
fitting the “craft” category, but as luck would have it, I happened upon the booth
of Madbury artist Kim Zielinski. In the dark, cavernous space, Zielinski’s work
shown bright. The word that immediately described it for me was “elegant.”
Zielinski, whose artistic business is called Mill Hill Arts, creates beaded
embroidery.
“The history of beading is as old as man,” says Zielinski. “There are Native
American influences and Asian influences, beaded embroidery is a very modern
interpretation.”
Zielinski always loved working with her hands but was a singer until 12 years
ago when she was diagnosed with meningitis. Her nervous system was affected,
and she was no longer able to sing.
“Now most of the right side of my body is affected, I have muscle contracture. It
affects my hands, I needed something I could do to move my hands. With this
(beaded embroidery), I can relax and meditate and create in a calm way,” she says.
Area Arts: Artist Kim Zielinski creates elegant
beaded embroidery

Life for Zielinski is full. She is living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
(CRPS) from her past meningitis infection which requires ongoing treatment
that includes lengthy infusions (one takes six hours four times a month) and
medications. She has a 15 and a 17-year-old, “I’m trying to get everyone driving,”
she says. Her husband works “crazy hours” and she has a flock of chickens and
guineas. She has her hands full, but still makes time to create and go to some
shows.
“I’m restricted by my health consequences,” Zielinski explains, “I am sensitive to
noise, it is difficult to be in big groups, I need to spend time alone, this gives me
time to create. I come from a background of creativity. I am from a long line of
singers, painters and artists. My great-grandfather was a furniture carver. People
on my mother’s side of the family never say, ‘You can’t do that, you can’t make a
living.’ They know you can or at least will enjoy trying. In my family creativity is
highly valued.”
Zielinski started making beaded embroidery fiveyears ago. She is self-taught
from YouTube videos and some books. “There are not many of us doing this,”
she explains. “There are some famous men and women out there but there are no
big manufacturers catering to us.”
There was a problem with the felt foundation that the beading is sewn to, it was
too heavy. So, Nicole Campanella, who does beading herself, began making
thinner felt. “If people doing this find a problem, they solve it and then sell it (the
solution) to the rest of us,” says Zielinski. “I stay in touch with other artists by
reading blog posts, online articles, Instagram, and I am planning to attend a bead
retreat in Ogunquit this coming May. The retreat is run by SocialBedia and
features some great bead embroidery teachers from across the country.”
Although Zielinski began doing beaded embroidery as a therapy for her hands,
she now does it for the satisfaction. “Some pieces come together quickly. Then
sometimes I find a cabochon (a polished precious stone) from a lapidary artist
that is intriguing, but I don’t have a plan for it. I will let it sit on the window sill
of my studio. Then one day I know exactly what to do with it. I had a pendant
that came together but then I pulled multiple strands apart multiple times until I
liked it. I am more interested in the final product than how much time I spend
on it. I rarely do copies; all of my pieces are one of a kind. Mainly I make pieces
to please myself. There are so many jewelers at shows you need something
unique and compelling. I try to satisfy my own creative urges so that something
sings. I try to work with size and scale versus design. I scale to what I think
people would want to wear. I create what I have the urge to create.”
Zielinski who says she doesn’t have much of a reputation yet, has begun shooting
to get into high-end shows, and that is exactly where her work belongs. Last
year, she received third place in the Western New York Corn Hill Arts Festival
in a pool of 70 jewelers. The year before she placed second in a pool of 65. She
says, “This medium is awesome because it is highly portable. I can plan a piece
out and can make it at a show; I can get work done and people can see the
process.”
As I interview artists, I am often in awe of how they confront obstacles. They use
their creativity to climb over them, go around them, go under them, go through
them and, in Zielinski’s case, incorporate them. The beauty of her work doesn’t
even hint at the struggles of the artist. Her work is definitely fine art and it is
elegant. She says, “Beaded embroidery is not popular yet, but it will be.” I believe
it will be with her help.
Vandy Leigh is a teaching artist and storyteller. She can be reached by email:
AreaArts@yahoo.com
Kim Zielinski
For a show schedule and online store, visit MillHillArts.com
For more information, email MillHillArts@gmail.com