Maria Rypan, bead artist and educator, was born in the USA and currently resides in Canada. Rypan Designs has a strong presence on both sides of the border through teaching and shows.

Designer with a BA in Art; Diploma in Merchandising. Proven track record for initiation and developing private and branded products and programs from concept to market resulted in own line of Rypan Designs kits, patterns and instruction books.

Rypan Designs is an international publisher of beadwork books with world-wide distribution. Kits, patterns and books are sold through mail order, workshops or bead shows in Canada and USA (from AZ to PA, from MI & WI down to TX).

Visit www.rypandesigns.com often. Extensive detailed website catalogs of beadwork products make mail order easy. Listings for both USA and Canada Events are a great resource. In addition to her own Gallery, student’s beadwork variations are included in the Student’s Gallery with descriptions of learned techniques and credits.

Expertise in Ukrainian-style of beadwork:

Maria Rypan has become a recognized expert in Ukrainian-style beadwork. She is continually experimenting with new ways of beading within her cultural tradition. Her specialty is netting, unique beadweaving and loomwork techniques.

Maria developed the methodology for easily loomworking a long Ukrainian-style fringed medallion neckpiece with floating woven segments between connector seed/bugle beads. A long wooden loom makes it easy to weave the entire band and then join in front with a medallion or swag finish. Kits with specially prepared overview and detailed project instructions are available. Hands-on workshops are highly recommended.

“Beadwork in Ukraine: Past, Present and Future” slide presentation based on August research trip to Ukraine was featured to international audience in Fall 2004. It was supplemented with album showing more behind-the-scene beadwork ‘funds’ and adornments on folk costume exhibits.

Evolution of Rypan’s beadwork and teaching:

Learned the netting technique from Oksana Ivanochko, a visiting bead artist from Ukraine, in 1994. Other Ukrainian beadweaving techniques were self-taught based on research. She wanted to share this unique Ukrainian tradition with like-minded cultural enthusiasts as it was virtually unknown in North America.

Rypan developed a series of beadwork classes with her own instructional material and has been teaching internationally since 1995. Unique illustrated step-by-step lessons were developed at a quick rate as students kept asking what they were going to “learn next week”. Progressed from basic netting with seed and bugles to adding a motif or two; then several more intricate patterns; varying widths; toothed and irregular jagged finishes; fringes; then unique beadwoven techniques and finally loomwork.

Terminology evolved to further explain the function of each bead or beadweaving sequence. (i.e., edge point, mesh point, bauble point, edge, swag).

Since 1999 the instructions were available in all-inclusive kits and books. Because they were so clear, it became possible for anyone around the world to sit down and beadweave any choice pattern and technique with an excellent success rate.
Patterns were developed in 2004 with supply lists for those with bead stashes.

Lecture demos on all types of beadweaving, netting variations, beadstringing and loomwork were presented with overhead transparencies and handouts since 2002. Articles on specific projects, as well as reviews of her instruction books and kits, have been published in international publications.

Maria enjoys teaching and showing how adaptable beadweaving is; how total looks can be changed simply by use of different materials or finishes. She shows how complex designs are not so complicated when taken step-by-step and instills confidence to try different variations. The greatest satisfaction is when students “get it” and all of a sudden it’s “easy”.

“Beadwork is a miniature work of wearable art.”

Come, enjoy the Gallery. Attend a beadweaving workshop or show in your community. Check out the beadwork books. Try a new technique with an all-inclusive kit.