Check out Califia Hurtado’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Califia Hurtado.

Califia, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Messy. Cluttered. Disaster desk. Most people share their workspaces on Instagram or Facebook because they’re organized and beautiful, but for some reason, I have always found it far easier to create when there is clutter around me. No matter how much I try to keep my workspace (and in truth, my home) organized, I always fall back into a weird sort of comfortable clutter. It’s almost an embarrassment. Despite that, my most time-intensive, intricate, and beautiful pieces have arisen during the most cluttered times in my life.

I have been a creator of art my entire life, and I have dabbled in nearly all art forms. I was encouraged by a marvelous art teacher, Shally Brady, who now lives in San Antonio. Thanks to her unbridled joy, I found a permanent passion for art and experimentation that nobody could take away from me. I have written poetry and lyrics, drawn with graphite and colored pencils, painted with acrylics, worked on artistic collages, and done a touch of sculpting with polymer clay and regular clay. What drew me to wire wrapping, chainmaille, and other forms of physical/textural art expression was the hope that I would get to work with gemstones and rocks. I have admired stone jewelry and art since childhood and had a vast collection of interesting or “useless” rocks at an early age. Now, I collect rare stones and gems and hoard them like a dragon! Oh, and put them in beautiful jewelry. That too.

I was a child of nature and spent nearly 90% of my summers in the creek and the woods around us. I have a vast knowledge of native animals and took a special interest in reptiles and insects at a very young age. While other kids were in splash parks, I was splashing through the creek looking for neat animals to research, and stones to collect. It’s become a part of my artistic journey to use my art as fundraising for causes I believe in. My focus has been native animal conservation, education, and wilderness conservation.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do, why, and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I create chainmaille made of anodized aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and brass. I also create wire-wrapped pendants from glass beads, gemstones, unique “found” objects, or recycled pieces from a customer’s broken jewelry, broken vintage china, or vintage brooches.

Gemstone trees and recycled copper suncatchers are the large projects that bring me the most joy.
I strive to create semi-realistic tree sculptures. When I started, I discovered that finding genuine gemstone chips is a challenge, especially for some of the rarer stones and minerals. My goal is for people to look at my gemstone trees and be inspired and in awe of the amazing colors that nature can show us.
Suncatchers are a passion project. I use recycled copper wire for the framing, and various elements to complete them. I prefer using vintage and vintage replica chandelier crystals for my suncatchers.

I create because I know no other way. My source of inspiration is the entire world. There is too much wonder, whimsy, and beauty in the world to let any one aspect take credit for my creative spurts.

In 2022 I entered the State Fair of Texas creative arts contest and was surprised to win first place in Professional Jewelry and third place in Professional Assemblage. There is something about receiving prizes for your art that makes it feel more “real.” I joked with my husband, “I finally feel like a professional artist because the State Fair of Texas said so.”

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
1) Don’t get frustrated by your mistakes. They are a way to learn.

2) Recycle everything you can! I keep a scrap bin for each kind of metal I use and drop the tidbits in there. I’ll find a way to recycle them into other jewelry or turn in the ones I can as scrap metal when the time comes.

3) Don’t copy. Don’t steal. It’s the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Being inspired by an artist doesn’t mean copying said artist. This goes for all forms of art.

4) Don’t give up just because of a bad day. You’ll regret it. (I did.)

5) Find a mentor. And if someone says they aren’t willing to teach you their techniques, don’t get mad. Often, people ask artists to teach them so that they can learn for free. This is unfair to the artist. Many of us are self-taught and came up with specific techniques for our art. Many artists create beautifully written tutorials of their methods for other artists. These are invaluable and worth the money you will spend on them.

6) If you like someone’s art and it’s out of your price range, it doesn’t matter! Let them know how much you love it! Share it with your friends! Artist to artist, it’s the most wonderful thing to see other artists loving my work as much as I love theirs.

7) Bartering and trading, when done correctly, is a much more legitimate and fun way of conducting business. But beware of the sharks, because they are always out there. Don’t barter and trade yourself out of business!

8) YOU choose what you want to do. You can become a designer, document every step, and make them repeatedly in different colors. Or you can be stubborn and hard-headed like me and refuse to make hundreds of the same thing because you hate being a manufacturer. It’s all up to you and your aspirations. Don’t let people bully you into being something you don’t want to be.

9) If you aren’t good at something, OUTSOURCE! It’s worth it to find people to help you move forward. I currently wear almost all the “hats” of business and homeschool our two daughters. Our family also includes two dogs, three cats, and reptiles. As such, I am overwhelmed often. I admit that wholeheartedly! An example of this is how I tried and tried to design a logo. I did a terrible job every time, so I finally reached out to another Houston resident named Bunnith Thok, and he created a customized logo that I adore!

10) Find your happy sounds. Music and documentaries have been a huge part of my creative process. I was shattered when Anthony Bourdain passed away. He has been a huge part of my art. He showed me humanity at its best and gave me worldly inspiration and insight I wouldn’t have had before. His shows are thought-provoking and beautiful, just like art should be.

11) Enter the contests. Just do it. If you haven’t before, and it’s scary, that’s okay.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
There are a few ways people can find me!

I will be vending with Obscure Houston on October 13th, 2024 https://www.instagram.com/obscure.houston.market

I have a website: TheBeadMuseTx.Com
You can follow me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeadMuseTx/

I can be found on Instagram and TikTok as well, my handle is @TheBeadMuseTx

I’m a huge supporter of local wildlife conservation. We volunteer to transport injured wildlife from our local communities to the appropriate wildlife rehabilitation facilities and volunteers. I also volunteer to relocate snakes from local properties and move them to safe places away from people. However, safe places are dwindling due to development.

The best way to support my art is to share it with others, engage with the content I post on Social Media, and purchase art if you have the funds! Custom orders are always an option, too!

Contact Info:

• Website: TheBeadMuseTx.com
• Email: thebeadmusetx@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeadmusetx/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeadMuseTx/?ref=bookmarks
• Other:

Image Credit:
Main photo: Gabriel Villarrea
Booth photo by Jenn Duncan
All others Califia Hurtado

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