About Us

About Me

My name is Barbara Ehren (aka Libby) and before embarking on a serious creative endeavor I was a university professor in the field of language and literacy. 

                  

I am still an active professional in this field, but no longer encumbered by full time employment, enabling me to devote more time to creating. 

When I create, Libby comes out to play.  No, I don’t have a split personality!  It’s just that Barbara Ehren is the name associated with language and literacy and Libby is my creative persona. 

                                                           

Libby is a nickname that I was given in high school, stemming from my family name, Libonati. 

                         

I love using it in my artistic pursuits, because it honors my very creative Italian family.

 

About Brezza Marina Designs (BMD)

I live in a small town on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico where a gentle sea breeze nourishes our spirit. 

                                      

I created Brezza Marina Designs (sea breeze in Italian) as a nod to my heritage and this beautiful place. 

As a little girl I loved to make things, all kinds of things.  I never outgrew my love for creating, although in the past it had to take a back seat to my professional career.  In creating jewelry I work with different materials – e.g. glass, wood, ceramic, clay, wire, fiber, metal, shells, whatever speaks to me.  I especially like working with beads, combining them in interesting ways in unique designs.  My love of beads is long standing, learned watching my beloved and gifted godmother Zi’Beta work her magic on a crochet beading frame.  

About the Rest of the BMD Family

BMD is a family affair.  I am fortunate to have so many generous and talented family members who contribute to this endeavor:

• Tom Ehren, my main squeeze, who is the photographer, business manager and steadfast supporter.  

                                                                            

• Amanda Brook, my beautiful granddaughter who happens to be a graphic artist, among her many talents.  She designed the BMD logo and assists with the website and other creative aspects.

                 

• Jessie Ehren, my wonderful daughter-in-law, who is a professional in marketing and advises us in that sphere.

                                                                      

• The EGT (Estro Gin and Tonic) Sistuhs -Vera, Honey Girl, Hulita, Patrice  - my sisters from different mothers, who are the official cheerleaders and frequent collaborators in creativity.

               

• Puntino and Bellona, my fur babies who have special places in my studio from which to supervise production.  Well, that’s really true of Tino who hangs out in my studio; Bellona mostly wants to provide creative distraction by giving me her ball. 

                                                            

How I Create

Designers go about their art in different ways. I purchase or make beautiful components that strike my fancy and organize them to be able to locate them in my studio.   For example, I fabricate a variety of kumihimo braids with fiber and colors that interest me without knowing what will become of the braid.   On a given day I might start out with one of those braids, beads, or a pendant that calls out to me as wanting attention.   Some of these components can be very insistent!  I love incorporating the work of other creators into my pieces; for example, the artisans from Soul of Somanya who make the Krobo beads I use in my African-inspired pieces.

I then gather other materials of complementary colors, textures, shapes and composition.   I let it all sit on my creation station until I start forming an image in my mind of the general shape a piece might take.  Sometimes components speak right up as to what they wish to become and sometimes they percolate for a few days.  I don’t sketch anything on paper.  I form visual images that evolve in an organic process of becoming the final product as I work.  When I am in that creative zone, the sea breeze wafts through my studio and all the world’s craziness falls away.