About Kathy
Kathy Koppinger is a native of North Dakota where she started as a public school music teacher. She then attended the University of Michigan and stayed, working with a major pharmaceutical research company. Having lived in Michigan for 19 years she relocated to New Jersey and worked in IT at a financial company in New York City.
The beading bug hit her in 2004 when she was inspired by Julia Pretl's Little Beaded Boxes. Peyote was the start of her beading journey and she has since ventured into most forms of bead weaving. Peyote, right angle weave and netting are her current favorites. Though much of her work is jewelry she has always maintained a great love of three dimensional objects, some of which have been her most complex creations.
As her skills improved, designing became an important form of self-expression. While she has always helped out her beading friends with tips, in 2013 Kathy began formally teaching. She has had classes scheduled for the Bead Society of Greater New York and several New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania bead stores.
Check out the gallery pages for some of Kathy's designs. Any currently scheduled classes are listed on the Teaching Schedule page. Check out Kathy's Flickr link to see more of her work, including pieces by other designers.