‘Art in everything’
From delicate beadwork to pantyhose flowers, Davis creates art out of ordinary items
When Connie Davis visits the local store in Cartwright, N.L. to buy the kind of wire often used to catch rabbits, her plans don’t include heading out to set a few snares.
Rather, she uses the wire to make beautiful beaded flowers and bouquets.
Connie’s interest in beadwork dates back decades. She learned how to make beaded earrings in Grade 9, she said. By that time, she’d already learned other crafts as well.
Connie recalls, as a child, her Saturday nights would be spent watching the hockey game on television with her grandmother, Una Davis, who would be busy knitting socks.
“She’d have big bags of wool and she’d get me to untangle it for her. One day, she asked me if I wanted to try knitting. I was seven or eight years old then,” Connie said.
From knitting to crocheting, coat making to quilting, paper flower making to creating Christmas tree ornaments from seashells, Connie has completed numerous handicrafts over the years.
She’s made beaded purses, mittens and earrings. Her slippers are made from animal hide and beaded on the front with images of everything including polar bears to Labrador inukshuk and salmon. Her aunt, Jacqueline Dyson, taught her how to make the slippers, she said.
When it comes to creativity, Connie’s work can often be found on stage. Her designs have been worn by students performing in the Labrador Creative Arts Festival have won several awards for best costume.
Connie has three children and five grandchildren. When her children were young, she said, she never bought any Halloween costumes; rather, she made them herself.
She has also found ways to give back to her community over the years. She enjoys volunteering with youth and has instructed numerous craft classes for young and old alike.
BEAUTIFUL BEADWORK FLOWERS
Connie doesn’t follow a pattern when making her creations – something she believes has likely added to her creativity over the years. The imagination and thought put into every creation make her final products unique and eyecatching.
“If something pops into my head that I think I would like to do, I’ll just work at it and work at it until I can figure it out,” she said.
Connie’s instructions on how to create a flower bouquet out of beads and wire make it sound like an easy task.
“You put your beads on the wire first. You use a bead spinner to do that,” she says, matter-of-factly.
Where did Connie buy her bead spinner?
“I didn’t buy one. I made one with a fidget spinner. I glued a base to it and a bowl to the top of it, so it turns.”
It’s not unusual for Connie to make other tools she needs for her craftwork.
“If there’s something that I need that I cannot find or that’s too expensive to buy, I will figure out a way to make it.”
SUPPORTING COMMUNITY
Cartwright resident Lindsey Lethbridge describes Connie as a great sewer who can replace zippers in clothing, make costumes and mend other garments.
“Connie has saved me from buying new snowsuits. One year, she replaced the knee in my son’s snowsuit, and we couldn’t even see where it was replaced. She is definitely a go-to here in Cartwright for crafts and sewing jobs. And she does it more as a favour than making money,” Lethbridge said.
The children who attend the local family resource centre often come home with a homemade craft on special occasions thanks to Connie, she added.
“Connie usually has a table at our local flea markets and it’s always a pleasure to stop by and see what crafts she has been making and now selling,” Lethbridge added.
A MOTHER'S PERSPECTIVE
Connie’s mother, Phoebe Davis, recognized her daughter’s artistic talent when Connie was a child.
“I was a single working mom when Connie was a little girl. She spent a lot of time with my mom,” Phoebe recalled.
Her mother made everything from socks for the children to parkas and other clothing.
“Mom taught me to knit when I was six years old. She was very patient.”
When her daughter was about the same age, Phoebe’s mother patiently taught Connie how to knit.
Phoebe said Connie had difficulty with reading and writing when she started school. However, she found other ways to learn.
“She remembered everything. So, she didn’t have to write as much. She also began spending time drawing and making little crafts.”
Her daughter’s crafts were very detailed and well done for a child her age, Phoebe said.
“She saw art in everything. She would pick up a piece of coloured paper or leftover scraps of cloth and turn them into a work of art in minutes.”
Mother and daughter remain very close and both reside in the same community. Phoebe recalls a special gift her daughter made for her last year.
“She came to the house and I had some scraps of material on the table. She asked me where the little box was that I had a little mug come in. Ten minutes later, she presented me with a beautiful gift box.”