Face to Face: Meet Nani O. Pratt

The last Thursday each month is dedicated to the Face to Face interviews with our fellow beaders and designers. The Beadingschool Club is a wonderful community and we’re naturally curious about the members, our beady-friends who’re on the creative journey with us.

If you look for a beader who loves geometric shapes, creates beautifully composed peyote in all its forms and comes with ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas for her own interpretation of the design, this is her!

Meet the Beadingschool Club member, a real beady ‘jack of all trades’,

Nani O. Pratt!

 

Please tell us about yourself a bit! When and how did you start to create? How did you learn to bead?   

I’ve been beading since before I can remember! My mom says that when I was 3 or 4, she would give me a big blunt needle and a box of buttons and I could entertain myself for hours. When I left home to go to boarding high school, one of my prized possessions was a case full of beads, and I would make gifts for my friends. I started with stringing, then loom weaving, but then in high school I learned off loom stitches and I’ve never gone back. I used to mostly learn through books, but nowadays I learn from books, youtube, kits, and of course through BeadingSchool.

 

Is beadwork your hobby or profession? How does your average day look like? When do you have time to create?  .

Professionally, I’m a graphic designer and user experience designer. My wife and I also have a very active toddler, so I don’t bead nearly as much as I would like to! I usually bead for a few hours after Elliott goes to sleep, but I split that time with other hobbies, crafts, TV and video games.

 

Tell us about the piece of jewelry you are the most proud of! 

Oh boy, that’s a tough one. I have so many pieces that I love, and I love to learn new techniques, so I never make the same piece twice. If I had to pick one, I would say it’s this one: The Polyhedral Necklace. It’s a piece that consists of seven beaded beads in a copper, turquoise and purple color scheme. I made this piece in 2015, and it represents a time in my life when I transitioned from making simple pieces to much more complex ones, and at the time it was the most elaborate piece that I had ever made. I was so happy with how it turned out!

 

 

Where do you like to create? Do you have a designated area in your home where you keep your beads? Can you show it to us? 

I have a studio in my basement with a large desk, tools, and several rolling carts full of beads. I like to organize my beads in tiny plastic boxes inside of tackle boxes. However, I often get all the materials for a project and carry them to the living room couch, where I have a folding table and a bright light.

 

What is your favourite stitch? Which colours do you like the most? On the other hand, is there any colour or colour combination you try to avoid? 

I do a lot of peyote stitch, in all kinds of variations: flat, triangle, cellini, freeform, and more! I pride myself on being a jack of all trades, and I also love RAW, CRAW, Herringbone, bead crochet and spiral rope. I am also extremely fond of beaded beads of all kinds. Color is probably the most important part of my work. I love bold, geometric designs, but I also love subtle gradients and ombre effects. I have a particular fondness for purple and turquoise, but there’s almost no color combination I won’t try!

 

 

Do you follow instructions or do you like to develop your own designs? How would you define your style? 

Both. I love learning from other designers, and it’s certainly a lot easier to just pick up a design that’s ready to go! But I also love coming up with my own color combinations and unique takes. I love the mathematical and geometric aspects of beading, so I also do a lot of science-y pieces. For pieces that I sell, I would definitely say that I focus on modern graphic aesthetic, but in my personal work, anything goes.

 

Who are your favorite designers? Why? 

I have a lot of designers that I love. One of them is Gwenbeads, whose design “Slugs in Love” is one that I revisit over and over again. I love the different colors and textures and I can’t get enough of making the ombre effect. Her math-based beading designs (especially her beaded beads) really sparked a revolution in how I thought about beading. I had the opportunity recently to take a class with one of my heroes, Pikapolina. Her pieces are stunning with their sculptural quality and color combinations.

 

 

Do you have a favorite design by Erika? Tell us about it!   

First of all, I think the square stitch bezel is genius, and I use it all the time. It’s so hard to pick a sign design by Erika, but I really love Bleu Aimable! I used it in this floral collar, which was a huge challenge for me in terms of style, color scheme, and engineering.

Which is the bead / component in your stash which you treasure the most? Do you already have plans on how to use it?

I have a beautiful set of lampwork glass beads that my mom gave me one year for Christmas. They are very precious to me, and every once in a while I take them out and try to figure out how to put them into a piece!

 

What are your plans for the future as a beader? Is there something you would really like to learn? 

I’m in the process of learning embroidery now. I really want to learn how to do bead embroidery and also multimedia pieces that incorporate beading as a part of other embroidery techniques. I also have a long standing goal of making a kaleidocycle from Contemporary Geometric Beadwork. 

 

 

Where can we see and buy your designs?

I don’t have a shop, but you can find me @NaniOPratt on Instagram! 

 

Thank you for answering my questions, Nani!

We all are happy you are beading with us and inspire us with style and your jewelry!

 

Nani prepared a GIFT for all the Beadingschool Club members! Her tutorial for peyote triangles perfectly fits the Jardin Majorelle Academy theme and it’s waiting for you in the Files in our Club. Thank you, Nani!

 

Dear beading-friends and beadwork admirers, please, use the comment section if you have more questions you would like to ask, or greet Nani.

Stay tuned for more interviews for Beadingschool.com by Erika Sándor!