Beads that Speak

A language for making sense

For Nan Heldenbrand Morrisette, art is as much process as it is “output”. Her process produces art, but even more than that, it is a trail map to life questions and a struggle to find clarity. It invites all of us to join her in an appropriate and well-paced reflection of the monotonies of the internal heart work in which we all should be engaging. But, somehow, she invites us also to something akin to that deep exhalation of contentment you get when you reach the stunning summit of a long journey. 

Open hands, an open and curious mind, and an open heart are the way to engage her work. 

A note from Nan:

One recent morning, my husband and I sat in our study - me in the big chair by the window, Tom, at his worktable reading an article. It was about a gentleman trying to deal with deciding what to do with all the paintings his father had left behind upon his death. After finishing the article, Tom looked at me and said, “We have to begin working on a way to share your legacy with the family and the world.”

     So we hired a good friend and his agency, pivotol.com to do just that. We asked Ben to create a web site that would, initially, describe me and my journey as an artist. To start, we selected five of the larger works, plus a five-piece installation:    

  •      One Suitcase: An Installation About the Global Refugee Crisis

    Dropped on a Beach

    Strands and Symbols

    Trafficking

    Liberty

    A Suitcase

  •      A Shawl of Advice

  •      I Am I - from 71 to 74

  •      The Story Boas:

              Beauty Boa

              Paris to Barcelona

              Ornithology

Now that the foundation of this website has been laid, I will be adding photos and descriptions of many more examples of my art. My goal is to share a significant amount of my designs in order to represent the entire body of my work. This will take some time, as I continue to work in my Maine riverside studio on more pieces. Along the way, you might also find some stories of my personal history.
There will be intricacies such as knitwear, embroidery, needlepoint on canvas or linen, and needlepoint on silk gauze (at least 1,024 stitches per square inch.) Of course, all are my own original designs. Beadwork is my current passion. Over the past 20 or more years I have concentrated on presenting the written word through bead weaving. Hence the name, “Beads that Speak.”
I want to thank Ben, Emily, Danny and the entire pivotol.com team for their listening, photography and writing skills. I’m also very grateful for the help of my granddaughter, Sophie Kastelic.
NOTE: Much of the writing on this website is the result of the Pivotol team’s interviews with me and from time spent with me in my studio. Their words are on the peach-colored and the dark gray backgrounds. My own notes and information are on this turquoise background.

Thanks for visiting. Please come back occasionally. I will be adding lots more of my work.
Nan Morrissette    

How to “Hear” Them Speak

Lifting the edge of one panel of the piece “I Am I,” feel its tremendous weight in your hands. So many tiny beads, seemingly weighing “nothing,” have turned into a very palpable and heavy “something”. It is a literal allegory for the inner work of the mind and the heart. And that is why Nan’s beads speak. Much like her own speaking voice, Nan’s allegory is soft and subtle. We have to slow down and listen.

The best things in this world speak softly, slowly and quietly, like breezes or trees, or rivers or tall grasses. Listen.

Why does the artist bead?