I was born in Fremont California in 1967. After spending time in southern California as an adult I moved to San Francisco in 1987. Shortly thereafter I was inspired by a jewelery box in a boutique. It was so beautiful I thought that I could create something similar. I did! My first piece is called "Inspiration". It is in the Bejeweled Boxes section of this site. From there I would create boxes for friends and family as gifts. I discovered that my work required focused concentration. I am very passionate about my work. I usually work on several bodies of work concurrently. At times I can have up to four works in process at once. It’s exciting to have variety in what I do. I’m never without something to work on. Most recently I discovered the art of mosaic. I was challenged by a mosiaisist by the name of Sharon Von Senden. She encouraged me to step out of my symmetric comfort zone and reach as an artist. After a few attempts I was inspired to create “Hand in the Flame”.
Life inspires my work. Art is all around us if we just open our eyes.
My works have grown in complexity throughout the years. My latest piece “Earl Grey, Hot” is a bugle bead encrusted stainless steel tea pot. It has approximately 10,000 glass bugle beads affixed to it. I was also inspired by a British artist, Damien Hirst. He created a diamond encrusted human skull worth one hundred million dollars. I’m working on something similar and using Swarovski crystals instead of diamonds (see Works In Process).
Michael Staley Designs
