Charmaine Parker graduated from The Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida in 1982 with a B.F.A. She worked in the graphics field for 17 years. In 1993 she began taking classes in jewelry metalsmithing, learning to fabricate jewelry in silver and gold. Magazines like Ornament and American Craft exposed her to contemporary bead artists and sparked her interest in beadweaving. Learning how to make lampworked glass beads to accompany the beadwork followed, along with fusing glass into works of art. Charmaine exhibits in some of the best and most prestigious fine arts and craft shows in the state of Florida. She has won numerous awards for her pieces, and was selected for one of the first traveling bead exhibits, "The Beaded Object" shown by the Southern Highland Craft Guild based in Asheville, NC. Recently Charmaine has been focusing on individual bead creations and is expanding her business into the internet, and E-Bay.

Awards

2002 Osceola Art Festival- Merit Award

2002 18th Annual Melbourne Art Festival- Third Place Jewelry

2001 Havana Bead and Jewelry- Best of Show

2001 17th Annual Melbourne Art Festival- Pam Phillip Memorial Judges Award

2000 Images: A Festival of the Arts- Award of Distinction

2000 Images: A Festival of the Arts- Award of Merit

1998 Anna Maria Winterfest- Best of Show

Publications & Exhibitions

1997 January- February, Art Papers

2001 June, Bead and Button

1996-1997, "The Beaded Object", Southern Highland Craft Guild

Workshops Attended

Carol Wilcox, Bead Weaving

Joyce Scott, Beaded Sculpture

Loren Stump, Glass Sculpting & Murrini Cane

Linda Darty, Color on Metal, Enamels