PENDLETON – Beading is Marlene White Owl Lavadour’s day job.

She keeps the Cayuse Gallery on Southeast First Street open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday most weeks unless the family is away at an art show. Displays include her own beadwork as well as that of her husband and children.

Mondays she can be found at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute demonstrating her work for tour groups from cruise ships.

The glass beads she uses were introduced to American Indian beadwork as a trade item from Russia and from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, she said. Prior to that, jewelry was made with beads carved from bone, shells and wood.

She uses both the “old colors” of glass beads from Italy and the newer, pre-strung colors from the Czech Republic. The later colors tend to have more sparkle and shine, she said.

Although her husband’s work is mostly traditional, she said she prefers to work with modern colors and patterns. She gets ideas for colors and designs from fashion magazines and nature walks along the Umatilla River Parkway.

She works at the gallery each day on projects including pouches, baby moccasins, lanyards, eyeglass cases and necklaces.

As part of the team working on the Lewis and Clark commemorative coins, she and her family will make 1,500 coin-size pouches.

“I like to do the smaller items because they’re done in two days and then I’m free to move onto something else,” she said.

Her hummingbird necklaces are three-dimensional. She starts at the top and beads downward with a box stitch doing the body and tail of the pendant. She finishes by adding the wings that extend around the neck.

“I find beading relaxing,” she said. “It’s only stressful when meeting deadlines or trying to build our inventory as much as possible before a show.”

She and her family usually go to at least three “big” art shows each year, Santa Fe, N.M., Phoenix, and the Grand Tetons National Park, Wyo.

Her husband, Maynard, works on larger projects at home. He beads and constructs baby cradle boards, handbags and other items requiring eight weeks or more to complete, she said. He also teaches and does contract work for museums. He demonstrates basket weaving for exhibits and conducts classes in weaving gathering or root baskets.

He also teaches beading from 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays at the gallery. The Wednesday class is full. Each student works at their own level during the class.

Even their children get into the craft by making necklaces and bracelets. Their son prefers to use the larger beads and uses bone and glass beads in a pattern to make longer necklaces. Their daughter likes to string the smallest glass beads on memory wire for necklaces and bracelets.

Marlene’s art will be on display from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Adams Arts and Crafts Show at the Friendship Center.

Pendleton Community editor Sandy Holtz can be reached at 1-800-522-0255 (ext. 1-225 after hours), or by e-mail at sholtz@eastoregonian.com

Lavadour among those at show

ADAMS – The annual Arts and Crafts show is planned for 12:30-6 p.m. Sunday at the Adams Friendship Center.

Homemade lunch items will be available.

Artists scheduled to display their work include leathercrafter Donna Sutton of Stanfield, oil and pastel paintings by Mark Thompson of Pendleton, bead work by Marlene White Owl Lavadour of Pendleton, antler and crystal carvings, barn wood picture frames, carved wooden bowls and leather fashions by Mary Bonifer.

Two spinners from Walla Walla will demonstrate their craft and sell their homespun balls of yarn.

The afternoon’s entertainment schedule includes:

12:30-1:30 p.m., Carolyn Miltenberger of Adams will play piano and a variety of other instruments

1:30-2 p.m., Katie O’Grady of Pendleton and her family will sing

2:30-3 p.m. Rod Bonifer will play guitar and sing country western tunes

3-3:30 p.m., Barbara Beamer of Athena will play piano.

3:30-5 p.m. TBA

5-6 p.m. a violin group from Inland Northwest Musicians will entertain.