Not long ago, my concept of a beader was someone who strung beads on wire to make jewelry: add a pendant to make a necklace; dangle from wire to make an earring. Little did I know that beading is a world all its own, with its own language, culture, and — like many a subculture — rock stars. Kim Leahy is one such rock star, a woman who goes beyond the simple stringing of beads to create complex, three-dimensional jewelry that is both elegant and innovative.

From her studio in Bend, Leahy elevates beading to an art form using a technique known as bead stitching or off-loom weaving.

I met Leahy on Phil’s Trail by chance one day. She’s an avid mountain biker who rides regularly with the Bend Bellas and Bend Area Cycling Enthusiasts. As one often does during bike rides, we chatted about our interests outside of riding.

“I design jewelry,” Leahy said, and left it at that. Curious, I looked up her website, estherbeadwork.com, and realized I was in the presence of an artist. Leahy tests the boundaries of what can and can’t be done with beads, combining stitches such as Peyote, Herringbone and Spiral to interweave beads into tubes, spirals, spheres, and other forms beyond ordinary. Leahy also uses bead embroidery to stitch beads into intricate patterns on fabric and leather.

On further bikes rides, I learned that despite her modest refusal to recognize her own work as extraordinary, Leahy is gaining national attention for her work. Most recently, one of Leahy’s designs was accepted by Bead and Button Magazine, the premier publication for professionals and amateurs who are hopelessly drawn to beading. Leahy’s extraordinary Lizabeth Necklace is featured in a special issue of the 2017 Beader’s Handbook.

“Kim’s design stood out as a very graceful design,” said Bead and Button Magazine editor Julia Gerlach. “One of the things I like is that she’s not afraid to use new beads — and there are lots of new beads. The results are elegant and classic.”

In June of 2017, Gerlach is looking forward to welcoming Leahy as an instructor at their Bead and Button Convention to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Leahy will join a staff of 100 faculty members, teaching how-to classes to bead enthusiasts from around the country. Leahy is thrilled with her acceptance into the magazine and as a member of the Bead and Button faculty.

“It’s a very big deal,” she said.

The recognition brings Leahy neatly full circle. She has always been crafty and had tried her hand at sewing and cross-stitch, but nothing really grabbed her until she started beading. Nearly 10 years ago, she used the instructions in an issue of Bead and Button Magazine to create her first woven bead piece.

“I learned some techniques and was hooked,” Leahy said.

As she developed her technical skills, Leahy began to emulate the styles of other bead artists.

“I’d look at their work and try to figure out how they did it,” she said, noting that she would spend hours at a time trying to understand how each piece was put together. When emulating became easy, Leahy tackled a new challenge: making the leap from beader to designer.

“I spent a year creating work on my own — most of it was awful,” she said. “But in the second year I got it.” Unrelenting persistence is a key element of Leahy’s success. “When I get an idea in my head, I spend an insane amount of time trying to work it out, figuring out how to build it, how to make the beads fit together,” she said.

She spends weeks and months building, tearing apart, and rebuilding until she’s satisfied with the results. The beads most often provide the inspiration. The small, uniformly-shaped seed beads are ideal for bead stitching.

“Ninety-five percent of the time the inspiration comes from a product or color. When I get a new bead, I stop everything,” Leahy said.

In July of this year, Leahy’s fearless approach to using new products attracted the attention of Starman Bead’s TrendSetter project. Leahy submitted samples of her work to a nationwide design team casting call and was thrilled to find she was among 53 artists selected into the prestigious program.

“It is truly a coming together of world-class crafters with a shared passion for beading,” said Starman Inc’s Content Curator Melinda Barta. “Kim is an experienced designer, specializing in the emerging art form of dimensional, two-hole beading.”

“It’s really an honor to be selected,” Leahy said. “I am working with artists I’ve admired for years.”

In addition to being recognized as a world-class bead artist, the one-year position offers Leahy the international marketing and promotional backing of Starman Beads. Her designs will be reviewed each month and those which make the grade will be developed into retail kits, promoted by Starman. In the bead world, this is big time.

When not designing original work, Leahy teaches classes, runs the Central Oregon Beaders Meetup Group, sells beads and other beading materials, and develops retail kits of her own, which are sold online and through her business partner, Edie McGee-Peterkin, who operates out of Delray, Florida.

Leahy creates her magic out of a cozy studio space her husband Brian Leahy, of Brian Leahy Construction, transformed from a cavernous basement into a warm and inviting work area. Sparkling seed beads are neatly filed in bins and tubes. Ropes of pearls, beads, and Czech glass hang in gleaming strands along one wall of the studio, encouraging beaders to make their own creations. Leahy also displays several of her retail kits, which offer intriguing options for beginner through advanced beading enthusiasts. Each contains detailed instructions for the home beader, plus the beads, thread, and needles needed to complete the project. For beaders who prefer to work more independently, Leahy also sells seed beads and other raw materials.

To further encourage budding beaders, Leahy offers project-based classes for groups of four or more. The setting is fun and intimate, with Leahy walking the room, giving individual instruction to struggling newbies.

“I love to teach,” Leahy said. “It’s so cool when a student says ‘Oh, my gosh, I got it.’”

Teaching also helps Leahy find new ideas.

“Sometimes a beginner’s ‘mistake’ works out to be something really exciting,” she said. “And when beginners ask ‘Why can’t I do it this way?’ they sometimes spark a whole new technique.”

Leahy also finds inspiration in the members of the Central Oregon Beaders Meetup Group, which she began in January of 2016. The group attracts beading enthusiasts ranging from beginners to seasoned professionals. In her welcoming studio setting, Leahy guides the group through monthly project challenges. The beaders share their work with one another, offering enthusiastic support when members get stuck with a design or technical challenge. Even the most novice of beaders is made welcome.

Indeed, Leahy’s enthusiasm for all things beads is catching. She comes alive when describing the excitement of finding new ways to combine simple glass beads into things extraordinary. To meet Leahy and her work is to enter a realm of beading possibility most of us will never aspire to, let alone attain. And yet, we can be enchanted by her work and inspired to perhaps add a bit of sparkle of our own to the world. Through artists such as Leahy we can enjoy — and perhaps wear — a bit of something special.