Strawberry Beaded Pin / Brooch by Andrew Thornton

Tomato Beaded Pin / Brooch by Andrew Thornton

Hand-beaded embroidery by Andrew. Signed and dated on back. 

Approximate size: 58mm x 45mm.

From Andrew: 

One of my first jobs, besides working for my family’s landscaping business was at a pick-your-own strawberry farm. It seemed like a fun and easy job. I wanted to save up for college, but my parents weren’t keen on me leaving… even though I eventually got disowned… so I had to keep it a secret. I wasn’t allowed to drive and the bus didn’t run regularly on weekends, so I had to walk five miles each way. Back then, it didn’t seem like a lot. Nowadays, if you said that I had to walk ten miles and be on my feet all day and yell at kids to stop eating everything before it was weighed, I’d say you must be joking! It was so hot! I remember puking in the grass on the way home. I eventually got caught and it wasn’t worth the headache. Plus, I didn’t really fit in. The other people who worked there who were my age went to a different high school and we didn’t click. It was hard enough to balance school and a secret job, but navigating a whole other set of social groups was just too much.

I decided to continue with this series of bead embroidered brooches inspired by anthropomorphic chalkware that used to hang in my grandma’s kitchen. I’d like to make a whole collection of these pieces.