Wesley Brando was raised by two very artistic people, a dad who was an oil painter/photographer and a mom who was a jeweler/craftswoman. While growing up, she experienced a variety of art forms as her family created art together--making batiks, collages, weavings, jewelry, cards, pottery and more. Her elementary years were spent at a private school with a very advanced art program. In kindergarten, she made her first beads out of magazine pages. In high school her mom taught her how to create Indian-style jewelry out of seed beads. However, it wasn’t long before she became impatient working primarily with tiny beads and began to develop her own “signature” style of jewelry.
Wesley’s artistic life was enriched when, at age 21, she began working as a travel agent. This gave her the chance to experience international travel and to visit diverse cultures, which fueled her passion for native arts. From her years of travel, she has collected amazing art pieces representing many cultures and their history. Wesley’s own artwork reflects and incorporates her rich artistic and travel experiences.
Wesley’s love for culture is as strong as her love for art. Collecting antique, vintage and rare stone beads has become both an adventure and an obsession, fueled by the intrigue of learning about the histories of the beads she has collected. Wesley eventually started a jewelry business, designing one-of-a-kind pieces for her friends and family. In 1993 she began touring Colorado and California selling jewelry at roughly 20-35 art shows and street festivals annually, as well as showing her work at several galleries throughout the United States.
She currently works out of her studio in Woodside, California. Wesley has also started teaching jewelry-making classes, design classes, and hosts birthday parties for those who have an interest in learning to make their own jewelry. Wesley continues to custom-design new jewelry from old glass beads for all who are interested.
If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact her by phone 650-465-5003 or by email, but the very best way to reach her is via the Contact page.