Purple Cactus Studios was started by Amber Edison and
Laurence Abensour. Both currently reside in Charlotte, but the
two have roots from far away.
Edison grew up in Kentucky, and Abensour is originally from France.
The two have always been involved in the arts from childhood and
began their careers together with painting murals, illustrations,
and decorative furniture.
With degrees in fine arts, they have built a successful career
from their combined passions for art. Today, Purple Cactus Studios
has grown to include making polymer clay jewelry. Edison creates
the beads, while Abensour incorporates them into jewelry.
Their combined passion for art and love of color shines through
the colorful pieces they create. They have great fun creating
from start to finish. The process of designing the beads, creating
the jewelry and finding new and inventive ways to package them
has been an exciting and imaginative business.
They gather inspiration from everything around them: nature, people,
interior design, and current trends. They both love color and
unique creations. They chose polymer clay as their primary medium
because it is very versatile; it can become anything and the color
palette is endless. They use polymer clay beads as the primary
medium, while also incorporating glass and vintage beads. They
also use both silver and copper wire in their pieces.
Over the years, their beads have gone through many stylistic changes.
They are becoming more layered and much more complex. They are
also starting to work with metallic powders and stamps for texture.
Although jewelry is their newest product, their main focus has
been faux finishes and murals. Amber Edison is also an accomplished
graphic designer.
Purple Cactus Studios’ work is located on ArtWalk’s
main level. With three and a half floors and more than 300 local,
regional and national artists, ArtWalk is located at 611 W. King
St. (across from Mast General Store) Boone, N.C. 28607. Though
ArtWalk is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m, customers may shop all the time at
the gallery’s new online store. ArtWalk continually welcomes
new artists of all media and ages to inquire about individual
gallery booths for rent. For more information, call (828) 264-9998,
email artwalkboone@yahoo.com or visit www.artwalkboone.com.
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