An Artist Collective
Susan Kriz
Susan is known throughout the area as “The Bead Lady.” Susan Kriz is a Colorado native and has lived in the Bailey area for 30 years. From an early age, Susan’s mom encouraged her to become a proficient in all types of needlework. It wasn’t until her children were adults that she became interested in bead work. One of her first projects was a beaded shirt for a friends birthday. Each shirt is hand-beaded with its own unique design. The Bead Lady works with her own designs as well as being commissioned for special projects and teaches classes in bead work. Her artwork is in 40 states and abroad including Germany, Holland, Canada, China and Japan. For her daughter’s wedding she created the bouquets for the bride and the attendants, along with the boutonnieres and corsages for the wedding party. In 2004, The Bead Lady won the Bead Challenge at the Rocky Mountain Bead Society with a shirt showing Dolphins splashing out of the water. In 2010, Susan Kriz won first place for a wearable art with a shirt of pansies in the shape of a heart. In 2014 and 2015, Susan Kriz won awards for her gold beaded necklace in the Fiber Show in Fairplay, Colorado.
I enjoy my bead work. It’s relaxing to me. Its very rewarding to see people wearing my shirts.
