The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Around the age of 10, a certain percentage of girls goes crazy nuts for horses.

Artist Alison Oman of Clarkston was one of these girls, and her experience was idyllic: she learned to ride in the fields and parks around her home in London, England, just like a character in a book. Adding to her passion for horses was the discovery of drawing, which meant that when she wasn't riding horses, she was drawing them.

Years later, upon moving to the U.S. and becoming a citizen, Oman added a third love to the mix: beads, small tiny ones that she weaves on looms to create amulet necklaces with images of . . . horses on them. It is a challenge combining the three loves, but it is one that Oman very much enjoys.

"I love designing the tiny glass tapestries that form each amulet bag, but getting the image to mean something when reduced to a couple of inches can be a problem," Oman says.

"As an example, I have always loved horses and have beaded many pieces featuring them, but an animal that big reduced to just a few beads must still make a statement – it must show freedom, grace and intelligence!"

Oman does not limit herself to horses in the designs she develops for her intricately beaded artwork, but draws upon ideas from her travels, other animals, even a mental image from the latest book she is reading. Any given piece, which consists of hundreds if not thousands of seed beads (so named because of their tiny size) takes months to complete, as the weaving is just the start of the process. Finishing work, adding the neck piece, and incorporating the fringe all add additional time.

"I bead often, for short periods of time," Oman says, explaining that the close, intricate work quickly tires the eyes. When she isn't beading, she is teaching and interacting with people at the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown, WA, where she maintains her studio.

Through October 5, Wenaha Gallery (219 E. Main, Dayton) is showcasing the beaded artwork of Alison Oman at her month-long Art Event. Oman will also be at the gallery in person Saturday, October 5, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the gallery's Autumn Art Show. She will be joined by western scratchboard artist Sandra Haynes, and Yakima acrylic painter Paul Henderson, who will be featuring his Highway 101 Ocean Coast paintings.

Wenaha Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.