Hello Art Bead Peeps!
Sorry for the delay in getting this recap up and running...April is a tough month for me with my daughter's dance recital showcase week including a jewelry fundraiser that I do for them. Yesterday was the opening of the show, but early (far too early, if you ask me!) I transported several dancers (including my own Tiny Dancer) down to UW-Madison to participate in a university panel discussion on the benefits of dance education. Then back for the opening of the show. Whirlwind!
This month's inspiration is Gauguin. His tropical color palette shimmers with movement and life. I swear I can feel the heat on my shoulders and the breeze rustling the leaves of the jungle. For our part we picked up on the florals, the birds and the hot summery palette. Let's see what you created!
Now it is your turn... if you wrote a post about your project or process we would like to know! Link below for a chance to win some great prizes!
Showing posts with label April Monthly Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label April Monthly Challenge. Show all posts
Saturday, April 29, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Perfect Pairings :: Michelle McEnroe + Ceramic Beads Art
This is a fun and funky design that features a beautiful ceramic bird pendant that captures my imagination. I like making designs like this because it is a great way to use up all those leftover bits you have lying around, and the colors work with a lot of different parts of any wardrobe. The way the brilliant blue dagger beads undulate reminds me of the way the colors in Gauguin's painting seem to shimmer and move, as they would through the haze of a hot summer day.
Featured Designer :: Michelle McEnroe
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Featured Bead Artist :: Ceramic Beads Art
We are now using Pinterest!
You can find more details in this post about the exciting new changes,
including a board devoted to art beads inspired by the monthly challenge!
(Ooh! Look! More pretty beads to lust after!)
including a board devoted to art beads inspired by the monthly challenge!
(Ooh! Look! More pretty beads to lust after!)
Pretty please make sure that you post a link in your Pinterest description
so that I have someplace to attribute the picture!
so that I have someplace to attribute the picture!
And don't forget to tell us about those art beads - providing links to bead makers is appreciated!
Deadline April 26th to get your pictures posted to the Pinterest boards for the creation of the Monthly Challenge Recap post for April 28th.
TIP: If you upload your photo rather than pin it from your blog or shop, edit the pin (the little pencil button) and add your link as the source. Save your edits. This will allow us to click directly on your photo and go to your blog or shop to read more about your entry. If you don't, I might not be able to access the photo to share it.
Monday, April 10, 2017
Art Bead Evolutions :: Gauguin's Palette
“Everything in the landscape blinded me, dazzled me. Coming from Europe I was constantly uncertain of some color [and kept] beating about the bush: and yet it was so simple to put naturally onto my canvas a red and a blue. In the brooks, forms of gold enchanted me. Why did I hesitate to pour that gold and all the rejoicing of the sunshine on to my canvas?” ~ Paul Gauguin
The painting for this month is a riot of color. There is a liveliness in the palette, as if each hue were dancing around in the humid air at sunset. I have to admit that at first glance, I actually didn't see all the details...like the trees, the people, the house and the peacocks. I only saw the swaths of color.
So I decided that whatever I made I would concentrate on the color and keep the forms simple. I decided to tackle making actual beads. One of the reasons that I don't usually make many beads is that I find it hard to be consistent. I recently bought several different tools that could help me with that problem: a bead rack for my oven as well as some bead rollers. Knowing that I could make more evenly shaped and sized beads meant that I could focus on the surface treatment.
These colors swirling around reminded me of that heap of scrap clay that I had sitting there. Lots of ends of creative bursts and projects gone wrong. With polymer clay there is never a need to throw it out. Scraps are my specialty, I just never know what they will become, but it is usually much better than the thing I was trying to make! What to do with all that colorful clay?
So I started chopping. I chopped all the paint colors that Gaugin used in his iconic imagery from the South Pacific.... Prussian blue cobalt blue, emerald green, viridian, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, red ochre, cobalt violet, and lead or zinc white. Chop. Chop. Chop.
Next I twisted and rolled. Twisted and rolled.
I made a square log and cut it in half...and in half again. This presents an interesting pattern inside. The method I am using is called the Inside-Out or Natasha bead technique (ostensibly for the woman who pioneered it). I have used a similar style before with some pendants, but I took it one step further.
I really wanted to use the bead rollers I bought to make beads with this veneer on the outside, but I couldn't quite figure it out. (Gosh, I hope those bead rollers will not be a bust!)
I decided to go smaller and cut cubes. I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I pinched the ends together to make a bicone shape and rolled into a ball. Pinched and prodded. Pinched and prodded. And rolled into balls.
A little rolling magic created a sort of flying saucer shape that I then flattened. I noticed that there appeared some flower and even butterfly like shapes! Fun! This is still a huge work in progress for me. Here is a little graphic that shows a sneak peek of the process that I am using:
Right now I am merely in the experimental phase. I always aim to learn something new each month inspired by the artwork that we host here at Art Bead Scene. I am just not sure if these will be the final manifestation for the Club selection. I don't know if I want to keep making these this flat and large, but I quite like the patterns that are appearing when I do. I am also not quite sure of the finish of these. I want them to have more of the muted quality of Gaugin's palette, thinking there might be more playing around involved that could include paint and stain. I am happy that they do recall the swirling colors that Gaugin painted his scenes. The only thing is that each one will be completely different. With this technique you just can't quite make the same bead twice. But one-of-a-kind is sort of my jam, so I am okay with that.
When I get this little experiment done, something along these lines (different shapes? sizes? finishes?) will be on their way to my beloved Simple Truths Sampler Club participants. And there is always room in the Club if anyone is interested in joining. ;-)
The painting for this month is a riot of color. There is a liveliness in the palette, as if each hue were dancing around in the humid air at sunset. I have to admit that at first glance, I actually didn't see all the details...like the trees, the people, the house and the peacocks. I only saw the swaths of color.
So I decided that whatever I made I would concentrate on the color and keep the forms simple. I decided to tackle making actual beads. One of the reasons that I don't usually make many beads is that I find it hard to be consistent. I recently bought several different tools that could help me with that problem: a bead rack for my oven as well as some bead rollers. Knowing that I could make more evenly shaped and sized beads meant that I could focus on the surface treatment.
These colors swirling around reminded me of that heap of scrap clay that I had sitting there. Lots of ends of creative bursts and projects gone wrong. With polymer clay there is never a need to throw it out. Scraps are my specialty, I just never know what they will become, but it is usually much better than the thing I was trying to make! What to do with all that colorful clay?
So I started chopping. I chopped all the paint colors that Gaugin used in his iconic imagery from the South Pacific.... Prussian blue cobalt blue, emerald green, viridian, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, red ochre, cobalt violet, and lead or zinc white. Chop. Chop. Chop.
Next I twisted and rolled. Twisted and rolled.
I made a square log and cut it in half...and in half again. This presents an interesting pattern inside. The method I am using is called the Inside-Out or Natasha bead technique (ostensibly for the woman who pioneered it). I have used a similar style before with some pendants, but I took it one step further.
I really wanted to use the bead rollers I bought to make beads with this veneer on the outside, but I couldn't quite figure it out. (Gosh, I hope those bead rollers will not be a bust!)
I decided to go smaller and cut cubes. I had no idea what I was going to do with them. I pinched the ends together to make a bicone shape and rolled into a ball. Pinched and prodded. Pinched and prodded. And rolled into balls.
A little rolling magic created a sort of flying saucer shape that I then flattened. I noticed that there appeared some flower and even butterfly like shapes! Fun! This is still a huge work in progress for me. Here is a little graphic that shows a sneak peek of the process that I am using:
Right now I am merely in the experimental phase. I always aim to learn something new each month inspired by the artwork that we host here at Art Bead Scene. I am just not sure if these will be the final manifestation for the Club selection. I don't know if I want to keep making these this flat and large, but I quite like the patterns that are appearing when I do. I am also not quite sure of the finish of these. I want them to have more of the muted quality of Gaugin's palette, thinking there might be more playing around involved that could include paint and stain. I am happy that they do recall the swirling colors that Gaugin painted his scenes. The only thing is that each one will be completely different. With this technique you just can't quite make the same bead twice. But one-of-a-kind is sort of my jam, so I am okay with that.
When I get this little experiment done, something along these lines (different shapes? sizes? finishes?) will be on their way to my beloved Simple Truths Sampler Club participants. And there is always room in the Club if anyone is interested in joining. ;-)
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
April Monthly Challenge
Matamoe or Landscape with Peacocks
Paul Gauguin
1892
Oil On Canvas
About the Art
Gauguin found it constricting to do what other Impressionists did and paint entirely from nature. Instead, he created a new type of Impressionism (Post-Impressionism) by painting with large, outlined blocks of flat, bright color.
One thing that separated Paul Gauguin from other artists at the time was that he used heavy outlines in his paintings. Impressionists blended pieces together to achieve a sense of time in the painting. Gauguin separated out objects with clear outlines instead. Gauguin painted outlines in watered down Prussian blue. Later the blue outlines would be filled in with opaque colors. The idea was for the dark outline to heighten the intensity of the other colors used.
Something begun (or perhaps, revived from Byzantine art) by the post-impressionists like Gauguin was the use of flat areas of bright color. Gauguin used colors such as Prussian blue, cobalt blue, emerald green, viridian, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, red ochre, cobalt violet, and lead or zinc white.
Yet, to say that he never painted from nature would be untrue. Some of his works exhibit distinct Impressionist styles, even in his Tahitian works. The color is natural with shadows instead of large blocks of one color and the outline is less noticeable. In Contes Barbares (Primitive Tales) the flowers in the background are done similar to Monet’s “en plein air” style of painting, despite their outlines.
One thing that separated Paul Gauguin from other artists at the time was that he used heavy outlines in his paintings. Impressionists blended pieces together to achieve a sense of time in the painting. Gauguin separated out objects with clear outlines instead. Gauguin painted outlines in watered down Prussian blue. Later the blue outlines would be filled in with opaque colors. The idea was for the dark outline to heighten the intensity of the other colors used.
Something begun (or perhaps, revived from Byzantine art) by the post-impressionists like Gauguin was the use of flat areas of bright color. Gauguin used colors such as Prussian blue, cobalt blue, emerald green, viridian, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, red ochre, cobalt violet, and lead or zinc white.
Yet, to say that he never painted from nature would be untrue. Some of his works exhibit distinct Impressionist styles, even in his Tahitian works. The color is natural with shadows instead of large blocks of one color and the outline is less noticeable. In Contes Barbares (Primitive Tales) the flowers in the background are done similar to Monet’s “en plein air” style of painting, despite their outlines.
About the Artist
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin 1848-1903, the most exotic of the Post-Impressionists, was born in Paris, France. The son of a French journalist and a Peruvian woman, Gauguin spent his early childhood in Peru, attended a boarding school in France, and was a merchant seaman before becoming a stockbroker's assistant in 1871. An occasional painter at first, Gauguin frequented the Nouvelle Athenes Café where he met Pissarro and the Impressionists, whose works he purchased.
Gauguin had married in 1873, and it was not until 10 years later that he decided to give up the business world and devote himself to art. After a period in Rouen where he stayed with Pissarro, Gauguin went to Copenhagen with his Danish wife, only to leave his family forever a few months later. Gauguin was past age 35 and almost penniless, though a loan from Degas, who approved of his theories on the importance of line, permitted him to go to Pont-Aven. At Pont-Aven Gauguin and Emile Bernard would develop Synthetism, a style in which the expression of ideas and emotions are more important than naturalistic representations, and flat color areas reminiscent of Japanese woodcuts are outlined by heavy black lines in the manner of cloisonné enamels or stained-glass windows.
Gauguin, abandoning his earlier Impressionism, painted in this manner and also made ceramics and wood carvings to earn money. These were decorative, finely conceived Art Nouveau pieces, with a symbolism learned from Puvis de Chavannes, whom he had also admired. In 1887, Gauguin made an unsuccessful trip to Martinique to search for a primitive way of life. He spent 1888, the year of his great Synthetist work "The Yellow Christ", in Arles with Vincent van Gogh. This adventure ended in near tragedy, as Vincent van Gogh exhibited signs of madness. Gauguin returned shortly to Brittany before leaving for Tahiti on his constant quest for the simple life and the peace of mind he would never really find.
Gauguin's style, developed in the South, is a fusion of Oriental influences, personal symbolism, strong design, warm color, and musically rich expression that offers a spiritual image of the creative artist constantly seeking the unattainable. Gauguin remained in Tahiti until 1893, when poor health and lack of funds forced his return to Paris. He remained there until 1895, when he again settled in Tahiti. Gauguin's stay there ended in 1901 when he became seriously ill with syphilis and in trouble with the French authorities. He moved to the Marquesas, seeking an easier and cheaper life. His health, unfortunately, deteriorated further, but he continued to paint until he died on May 8, 1903.
-Gauguin Gallery
Gauguin had married in 1873, and it was not until 10 years later that he decided to give up the business world and devote himself to art. After a period in Rouen where he stayed with Pissarro, Gauguin went to Copenhagen with his Danish wife, only to leave his family forever a few months later. Gauguin was past age 35 and almost penniless, though a loan from Degas, who approved of his theories on the importance of line, permitted him to go to Pont-Aven. At Pont-Aven Gauguin and Emile Bernard would develop Synthetism, a style in which the expression of ideas and emotions are more important than naturalistic representations, and flat color areas reminiscent of Japanese woodcuts are outlined by heavy black lines in the manner of cloisonné enamels or stained-glass windows.
Gauguin, abandoning his earlier Impressionism, painted in this manner and also made ceramics and wood carvings to earn money. These were decorative, finely conceived Art Nouveau pieces, with a symbolism learned from Puvis de Chavannes, whom he had also admired. In 1887, Gauguin made an unsuccessful trip to Martinique to search for a primitive way of life. He spent 1888, the year of his great Synthetist work "The Yellow Christ", in Arles with Vincent van Gogh. This adventure ended in near tragedy, as Vincent van Gogh exhibited signs of madness. Gauguin returned shortly to Brittany before leaving for Tahiti on his constant quest for the simple life and the peace of mind he would never really find.
Gauguin's style, developed in the South, is a fusion of Oriental influences, personal symbolism, strong design, warm color, and musically rich expression that offers a spiritual image of the creative artist constantly seeking the unattainable. Gauguin remained in Tahiti until 1893, when poor health and lack of funds forced his return to Paris. He remained there until 1895, when he again settled in Tahiti. Gauguin's stay there ended in 1901 when he became seriously ill with syphilis and in trouble with the French authorities. He moved to the Marquesas, seeking an easier and cheaper life. His health, unfortunately, deteriorated further, but he continued to paint until he died on May 8, 1903.
-Gauguin Gallery
Our Sponsors
Please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!
How to Enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. You need to have a Pinterest account. Go get one ASAP if you don't have one already. It's easy, fun and inspiring.
2. Email us at absmonthlychallenge@gmail.com to get added to the monthly challenge board.
Subject: Monthly Challenge Board Request
You will be emailed an invite to the board within 48 hours. Accept the invite and you are ready to pin your entries.
3. Two ways to pin your entry to the board:
Pin your photo from the internet (on your blog, Etsy shop, etc.)
Add your photo directly from your computer
Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.
An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
Deadline is April 30th
You may upload two entries per month.
ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board - Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. Two entries per month are allowed.
One entry will be picked by the editors each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 30th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.
Monthly Challenge Recap
• Please post at least one single shot of your creation on the Pinterest Board. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included!
Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Friday, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An Link Up button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 29th.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the Link button at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on February 1st.
Perfect Pairings: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Perfect Pairings focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist.
• Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo on the Pinterest Board. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Friday here on the ABS, so get those entries in soon.
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Friday here on the ABS, so get those entries in soon.
What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.
***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***
Saturday, April 30, 2016
April Challenge Recap
I really gravitated to the soft soothing colors of this month's challenge painting, Jacob's Ladder by Helen Frankenthaler. I had to think about why I liked this so...and I realized that these colors really remind me of my mother, who just celebrated her 70th birthday last week! I got to spend the afternoon with her, bringing her a cake to have for dinner and seeing the flowers we sent.
 |
| Visiting my beautiful mother Gail on her 70th birthday |
If you have a blog post of your own, please add that to the InLinkz below.
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Saturday, April 2, 2016
April Monthly Challenge
"Jacob’s Ladder", 1957
by Helen Frankenthaler
oil on canvas, 9' 5 3/8" x 69 7/8" (287.9 x 177.5 cm)
About the Art
The delicately colored Jacob's Ladder shows compositional echoes ranging back to Cubism and the early abstractions of Vasily Kandinsky, but as a young New York artist in the 1950s, Frankenthaler was most influenced by the Abstract Expressionists. Like Jackson Pollock, she explored working on canvases laid on the floor (rather than mounted on an easel or wall), a technique opening new possibilities in the handling of paint, and therefore in visual appearances. Letting paint fall onto canvas emphasized its physicality, and the physicality of the support too. Frankenthaler also admired the scale of Pollock's work, and she took from him, she said, her "concern with line, fluid line, calligraphy, and . . . experiments with line not as line but as shape."
Frankenthaler departed from Pollock's practice in the way she used areas of color and in her distinctive thinning of paint so that it soaked into her unprimed canvases. Because the image is so plainly embedded in the cloth, its presence as flat pigmented canvas tends to overrule any illusionistic reading of it—a priority in the painting of the time. Nor should the work's title suggest any preplanned illustrational intention. "The picture developed (bit by bit while I was working on it) into shapes symbolic of an exuberant figure and ladder," Frankenthaler said, "therefore Jacob's Ladder." MoMA, New York. Source
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!
Monthly Challenge Recap
Frankenthaler departed from Pollock's practice in the way she used areas of color and in her distinctive thinning of paint so that it soaked into her unprimed canvases. Because the image is so plainly embedded in the cloth, its presence as flat pigmented canvas tends to overrule any illusionistic reading of it—a priority in the painting of the time. Nor should the work's title suggest any preplanned illustrational intention. "The picture developed (bit by bit while I was working on it) into shapes symbolic of an exuberant figure and ladder," Frankenthaler said, "therefore Jacob's Ladder." MoMA, New York. Source
About the Artist
Helen Frankenthaler (December 12, 1928 – December 27, 2011) was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades (early 1950s until 2011), she spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work. Frankenthaler began exhibiting her large-scale abstract expressionist paintings in contemporary museums and galleries in the early 1950s. She was included in the 1964 Post-Painterly Abstraction exhibition curated by Clement Greenberg that introduced a newer generation of abstract painting that came to be known as Color Field. Born in Manhattan, she was influenced by Hans Hofmann, Jackson Pollock's paintings and by Clement Greenberg. Her work has been the subject of several retrospective exhibitions, including a 1989 retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and been exhibited worldwide since the 1950s. In 2001, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Frankenthaler had a home and studio in Darien, Connecticut. MoMA, New York. Source
Our Sponsors
Please visit us Monday to see the prizes!
How to enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. You need to have a Pinterest account. Go get one ASAP if you don't have one already. It's easy, fun and inspiring.
2. Email us at absmonthlychallenge@gmail.com to get added to the monthly challenge board.
Subject: Monthly Challenge Board Request
You will be emailed an invite to the board within 48 hours. Accept the invite and you are ready to pin your entries.
3. Two ways to pin your entry to the board.
Pin your photo from the internet (on your blog, Etsy shop, etc.)
Add your photo directly from your computer
Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.
An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
Deadline is April 30th.
You may upload 2 entries per month.
ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed.
One entry will be picked by the editors each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 30th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.
Monthly Challenge Recap
• Please post at least one single shot of your creation on the Pinterest Board. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included!
Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Wednesdays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 30th.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on April 1st.
Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist.
• Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo on the Pinterest Board. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.
***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***
Thursday, April 30, 2015
April Monthly Recap
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April 2015 Monthly Challenge by Slidely Photo Gallery
Just click the picture above to start. Best viewed in full screen mode.
If that doesn't work, try this link: April 2015 Monthly Challenge Slide.ly
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Perfect Pairings :: Evie & Beth of EB Bead & Metal Works
The mother-daughter duo of Beth and Evie McCord are back at it again with their entry for this month. They create these marvelous hand cut and enameled focal pieces. I have one of these hummingbirds from a few years back. They are substantial and a definite look-at-me piece. The colors shimmer and dance like the real plumage of the hummingbird. And while they are at it, they also know how to whip up a few lampwork beads to coordinate!
Read all about their process on their blog.
Read all about their process on their blog.
Featured Designer + Bead Artist :: EBBeadandMetalWorks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just a friendly reminder... We have a
slightly new format for uploading your pictures for consideration for
the Perfect Pairings each Wednesday, as well as the Monthly Challenge
Recap post.
We are now using Pinterest! You can find more details in this post about the exciting new changes, including a board devoted to art beads inspired by the monthly challenge! (Ooh! Look! More pretty beads to lust after!)
Pretty please make sure that
you post a link in your Pinterest description so that I have someplace
to attribute the picture to! And don't forget to tell us about those art
beads!
Deadline to get your pictures posted to the Pinterest boards for the creation of the Monthly Challenge Recap post is April 28th!
TIP: If you upload your photo
to pin it rather than pin it from your blog or shop, edit the pin (the
little pencil button) and add your link as the source. Save your edits.
This will allow us to click directly on your photo and go to your blog
or shop to read more about your entry.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
When Inspiration Strikes...
You might know that I do a little thing called Simple Truths. And I offer these Simple Truths in a Sampler Club. Over the course of the past few years of doing the Club it evolved into being about the Art Bead Scene. The purpose of the Simple Truths Sampler Club is threefold: (1) I want to push myself to come up with a new design each month; (2) I want to challenge myself to learn new-to-me techniques in polymer clay; and (3) I want use the inspiration artwork for the month to guide my creative endeavors. Basically, the members of the Club on any given month are fans of my work and must love surprises. That is not only a great honor, but a nerve-wracking proposition! I truly don't want to disappoint.
One my greatest disappointments is that I am not usually ready to go with the pieces to send to my Club members in the first week of the month. That has happened on occasion, but often I have to wait to clear my schedule to have a play date and then hope that Inspiration will come to play. Now I do get a bit of a heads up as an Editor to see what is coming... and I print off those inspiration artworks making notes about what I might do or what motifs grab my attention... and I even go about ordering supplies for things I think I might need (I am waaaayyy ahead of the game for October right about now)... I even seek out tutorials or books or online classes that might help me with my quest to learn. But that desire to learn and try new things often means that it takes me longer to fit it into my busy life than I think!
With every installment of the Simple Truths Sampler Club (participants sign up for 3-, 6-, 9- or 12- months at any time (and there is a limit of 20 in the Club at any given time - but I have never come close to filling it up), I send the piece with a full page synopsis of what I made, what inspired me about the artwork challenge, and a little bit of my process. Normally, that is reserved for my Club members, but at the risk of ruining the surprise for what is coming to them this month, I am going to share with you the letter that is on the way with the bead for the month along with some of my in process shots.
Simple Truths Sampler :: April 2015
I have to admit that I didn't know much about Frida Kahlo before this month, just that she was a fiery Mexican artist who painted a lot of self-portraits in a hyper-realistic style. Oh, and she had those eyebrows.
So on Saturday, I finally had a chance to sit down to devour this art. I sat with it. I put it as the background on my computer. I re-read Tari Sasser's post with the back story. I poured over every detail. Truthfully, there was so much going on in this painting that I think I was having a sensory overload!
Layered leaves, transparent dragonflies and butterflies, the monkey, the cat about to pounce, the dead hummingbird dangling from the thorn necklace, the drops of blood, the infinity shaped knot in her hair... where to start?
You know that I love quotes and words. So I turned to the prolific writings of Kahlo, who kept diaries throughout her short, tragic life. A few that stood out to me...
"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly."
"I want to be inside your darkest everything."
"Nothing is absolute. Everything changes, everything moves, everything revolves, everything flies and goes away."
"At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."
(That last one is my favorite.)
But I still wasn't sure how to pull this all together. So I watched the 2002 movie with Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo. (It is a great film, totally transporting, evocative, tender and passionate.) What I kept coming back to was that Kahlo lived life deeply. She tasted every experience with a great hunger for more. She painted not because she needed to, but because she had to. Her body may have been broken, but her spirit soared.
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| Looks like I am ready for the bonfire! ;-) |
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| Hard to see when everything is all in white. Sometimes the details won't even be clear to me until the next step! |
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| Misshapen lumps of clay magically transform with antiquing. Now I can see the details! Time to hand paint each one. |
I created the bead cores and then used the molds to create a multi-layered effect with the clay. Layers of patina, added color and sealed for durability. A true labor of love. Each bead is completely different and has either a hummingbird, butterfly or dragonfly on it along with leaves and flowers and twisted thorns in a soft matte finish. I think that Miss Frida would approve!
I call these beads 'Frida's Triumph', the first in a series of Symbol Beads. Click HERE for a link to purchase your own Limited Edition 'Frida's Triumph' Symbol Bead.
Where is your INSPIRATION leading you today?
Thursday, April 2, 2015
April Monthly Challenge
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Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940
By Frida Kahlo
Oil on Canvas
61.25 cm × 47 cm (24.11 in × 18.5 in)
Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin
About the Art
The divorce prompted Kahlo to paint "Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird". It shows Frida wearing a necklace of thorny twigs with a dead hummingbird for a pendant. In her white dress, she looks like a Christian martyr. A monkey and a cat perch on her shoulders. Small animals and pets often appear in Kahlo's self-portraits as substitutes for the children her broken body would not let her bear. But this is no happy family: The monkey is tugging at the thorns and making her bleed, while the cat is getting ready to pounce.
About the Artist
Frida Kahlo de Rivera; born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón; July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954, was a Mexican painter who is best known for her self-portraits.
Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home known as the Blue House. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
Mexican culture and Amerindian cultural tradition are important in her work, which has been sometimes characterized as naïve art or folk art. Her work has also been described as surrealist, and in 1938 André Breton, principal initiator of the surrealist movement, described Kahlo's art as a "ribbon around a bomb". Frida rejected the "surrealist" label; she believed that her work reflected more of her reality than her dreams.
Kahlo had a volatile marriage with the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. She suffered lifelong health problems, many caused by a traffic accident she survived as a teenager. Recovering from her injuries isolated her from other people, and this isolation influenced her works, many of which are self-portraits of one sort or another. Kahlo suggested, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." She also stated, "I was born a bitch. I was born a painter."
On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus that collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. Also, an iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus, compromising her reproductive capacity.
The accident left her in a great deal of pain, and she spent three months recovering in a full body cast. Although she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she had relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. She had as many as 35 operations as a result of the accident, mainly on her back, her right leg, and her right foot. The medical complications and permanent damage also prevented Kahlo from having a child; though she conceived three times, all of her pregnancies had to be terminated.
After her accident, Kahlo abandoned the study of medicine to begin a painting career. She painted to occupy her time during her temporary immobilization. Her self-portraits were a dominant part of her life when she was immobile for three months after her accident.
Her mother had a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed, and her father lent her his box of oil paints and some brushes. Kahlo spent the time after her accident in bed, where she was able to spend her time painting as a way to entertain herself and express her pain. Her 1926 painting, titled Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress, she is shown with a long and narrow face and neck, reflective of Italian Renaissance ideals.
Kahlo created at least 140 paintings, along with dozens of drawings and studies. Of her paintings, 55 are self-portraits which often incorporate symbolic portrayals of physical and psychological wounds. She insisted, "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."
Diego Rivera had a great influence on Kahlo's painting style. Kahlo had always admired Rivera and his work. She first approached him in the Public Ministry of Education, where he had been working on a mural in 1927. She showed him four of her paintings, and asked whether he considered her gifted. Rivera was impressed and said, "You have got talent." After that, he became a frequent welcomed guest at Kahlo's house. He gave her many insights about her artwork while still leaving her space to explore herself. The positive and encouraging comments made by Rivera strengthened Kahlo's wish to pursue a career as an artist.
Kahlo was also influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which is apparent in her use of bright colors, dramatic symbolism and primitive style. She frequently included the symbolic monkey. In Mexican mythology, monkeys are symbols of lust, but Kahlo portrayed them as tender and protective symbols. Christian and Jewish themes are often depicted in her work. She combined elements of the classic religious Mexican tradition with surrealist renderings.
In 1938, Kahlo had her first and only solo gallery showing in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery. The works were well received and the event was attended by several prominent artists. At the invitation of André Breton, she went to France during 1939 and was featured at an exhibition of her paintings in Paris. The Louvre bought one of her paintings, The Frame, which was displayed at the exhibit. This was the first work by a twentieth-century Mexican artist to be purchased by the renowned museum.
Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, soon after turning 47, and was cremated according to her wishes. A few days before her death, she wrote in her diary: "I hope the exit is joyful — and I hope never to return — Frida". The official cause of death was given as a pulmonary embolism, although some suspected that she died from an overdose that may or may not have been accidental. An autopsy was never performed. She had been very ill throughout the previous year, and her right leg had been amputated at the knee, owing to gangrene. She had had a bout of bronchopneumonia about that time, which had left her quite frail.
In his autobiography, Diego Rivera would write that the day Kahlo died was the most tragic day of his life, adding that, too late, he had realized that the most wonderful part of his life had been his love for her.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Wednesdays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 30th.
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on May 1st.
Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home known as the Blue House. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.
Mexican culture and Amerindian cultural tradition are important in her work, which has been sometimes characterized as naïve art or folk art. Her work has also been described as surrealist, and in 1938 André Breton, principal initiator of the surrealist movement, described Kahlo's art as a "ribbon around a bomb". Frida rejected the "surrealist" label; she believed that her work reflected more of her reality than her dreams.
Kahlo had a volatile marriage with the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. She suffered lifelong health problems, many caused by a traffic accident she survived as a teenager. Recovering from her injuries isolated her from other people, and this isolation influenced her works, many of which are self-portraits of one sort or another. Kahlo suggested, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." She also stated, "I was born a bitch. I was born a painter."
On September 17, 1925, Kahlo was riding in a bus that collided with a trolley car. She suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. Also, an iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus, compromising her reproductive capacity.
The accident left her in a great deal of pain, and she spent three months recovering in a full body cast. Although she recovered from her injuries and eventually regained her ability to walk, she had relapses of extreme pain for the remainder of her life. The pain was intense and often left her confined to a hospital or bedridden for months at a time. She had as many as 35 operations as a result of the accident, mainly on her back, her right leg, and her right foot. The medical complications and permanent damage also prevented Kahlo from having a child; though she conceived three times, all of her pregnancies had to be terminated.
After her accident, Kahlo abandoned the study of medicine to begin a painting career. She painted to occupy her time during her temporary immobilization. Her self-portraits were a dominant part of her life when she was immobile for three months after her accident.
Her mother had a special easel made for her so she could paint in bed, and her father lent her his box of oil paints and some brushes. Kahlo spent the time after her accident in bed, where she was able to spend her time painting as a way to entertain herself and express her pain. Her 1926 painting, titled Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress, she is shown with a long and narrow face and neck, reflective of Italian Renaissance ideals.
Kahlo created at least 140 paintings, along with dozens of drawings and studies. Of her paintings, 55 are self-portraits which often incorporate symbolic portrayals of physical and psychological wounds. She insisted, "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality."
Diego Rivera had a great influence on Kahlo's painting style. Kahlo had always admired Rivera and his work. She first approached him in the Public Ministry of Education, where he had been working on a mural in 1927. She showed him four of her paintings, and asked whether he considered her gifted. Rivera was impressed and said, "You have got talent." After that, he became a frequent welcomed guest at Kahlo's house. He gave her many insights about her artwork while still leaving her space to explore herself. The positive and encouraging comments made by Rivera strengthened Kahlo's wish to pursue a career as an artist.
Kahlo was also influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which is apparent in her use of bright colors, dramatic symbolism and primitive style. She frequently included the symbolic monkey. In Mexican mythology, monkeys are symbols of lust, but Kahlo portrayed them as tender and protective symbols. Christian and Jewish themes are often depicted in her work. She combined elements of the classic religious Mexican tradition with surrealist renderings.
In 1938, Kahlo had her first and only solo gallery showing in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery. The works were well received and the event was attended by several prominent artists. At the invitation of André Breton, she went to France during 1939 and was featured at an exhibition of her paintings in Paris. The Louvre bought one of her paintings, The Frame, which was displayed at the exhibit. This was the first work by a twentieth-century Mexican artist to be purchased by the renowned museum.
Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, soon after turning 47, and was cremated according to her wishes. A few days before her death, she wrote in her diary: "I hope the exit is joyful — and I hope never to return — Frida". The official cause of death was given as a pulmonary embolism, although some suspected that she died from an overdose that may or may not have been accidental. An autopsy was never performed. She had been very ill throughout the previous year, and her right leg had been amputated at the knee, owing to gangrene. She had had a bout of bronchopneumonia about that time, which had left her quite frail.
In his autobiography, Diego Rivera would write that the day Kahlo died was the most tragic day of his life, adding that, too late, he had realized that the most wonderful part of his life had been his love for her.
Our Sponsors
Please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!
How to enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. You need to have a Pinterest account. Go get one ASAP if you don't have one already. It's easy, fun and inspiring.
2. Email us at absmonthlychallenge@gmail.com to get added to the monthly challenge board.
Subject: Monthly Challenge Board Request
You will be emailed an invite to the board within 48 hours. Accept the invite and you are ready to pin your entries.
3. Two ways to pin your entry to the board.
Pin your photo from the internet (on your blog, Etsy shop, etc.)
Add your photo directly from your computer
Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.
An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
Deadline is April 30th.
You may upload 2 entries per month.
ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed.
One entry will be picked by the editors on the 30th of each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 29th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.
ENTRIES for ART BEAD ARTISTS!!
• Beads Makers Pinterest Board-Art beads must be created by you and fit the Art Bead Scene's monthly challenge theme. They can be made for the challenge or ones you have made before. 2 entries per month are allowed.
One entry will be picked by the editors on the 30th of each month for a free month of advertising on the Art Bead Scene. Bead entries have to be pinned by the 29th of the month.
Beads only - do not post jewelry on this board. If a post doesn't fit the challenge it will be deleted.
Monthly Challenge Recap
• Please post at least one single shot of your creation on the Pinterest Board. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included!Your entry must be on Pinterest 2 days BEFORE the recap to be included.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Wednesdays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 30th.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all pictures posted on the Pinterest board.• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on May 1st.
Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist.
• Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo on the Pinterest Board. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
April Monthly Challenge Recap
My daughter just finished up her annual recital and performance group show last weekend. So I have had dancers on the brain all month long! One of the dances this year included about 25 dancers, aged 7-17, all wearing powder pink table-top tutus. It was stunning!
"People call me the painter of dancing girls," Degas told Paris art dealer Ambroise Vollard. "It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes."
“People call me the painter of dancing girls,” Degas later told Paris art dealer Ambroise Vollard. “It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes.”
Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/degas-and-his-dancers-79455990/#FPwHYfKJ7FPGyv7Y.99
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Degas was smitten with the Paris Opera Ballet. He lurked in the hallways and practice rooms. He gained backstage access by pressing for favors from the rich male patrons of the ballet, the abonnés, which allowed him into the private world. He painted the aspiring ballerinas in the most mundane moments, in poses that were more relaxed, from intriguing angles, and less in the spotlight. These are the most enduring images of the 18th century that he left us with all these centuries later. Yet, they feel timeless. And having just come from a full weekend of dance performances, I can tell you that they are spot on.
Your turn!
Click the InLinz Link-up below to add your blog post to the hop!
Please add your exact URL to the blog hop for the
March 2014 Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge Recap.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
April Monthly Challenge Color Palette
As an art major in college, I was required to take three art history survey classes: ancient art to the Renaissance, the Renaissance to modern, and modern art. I, being a little contrary, did them backwards. So, the first art history I ever studied was the Impressionist movement, and it left a big impression (pun totally intended) on me.
I love the Impressionists. I love that they were challenging the idea of what art should be, I love the paint strokes, I love the subject matter. Degas has such a haunting quality to work, and everything he did feels quiet and contemplative to me. And through a crazy random happenstance, because I didn't pick the artwork this month, Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green) is one of my favorite pieces from Degas.
There are so many colors in this piece, but we can separate them down to four: beige, orange, blue, and blue-green. There are touches of other colors in there, too, like green, but those four are the ones used most or are the first seen (like orange).
If you plan to follow the painting faithfully, aim for grayer beiges, both light and dark. You can see these primarily in the floor and the skin tones. For the oranges, focus on the dresses of the background dancers; use light peach and a darker red-orange hue. These are definitely on the red-orange side of things, so aim for those shades instead of a true orange or a yellow-orange. For the blues, stick with the darker shades. There are touches of light blue in the skirts, but the majority of blues are saturated shades ranging from mid to dark blue. And finally, the blue-greens. These are in the mid to light value range, and on the softer, grayer side, so start there.
Your turn: what colors are you loving this month?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
April Monthly Challenge
Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green), 1877-79
by Edgar Degas
Pastel and Gouache on Paper
26" x 14" (66 x 36 cm)
About the Art
Degas was fascinated by the world of ballet; hence, it figured prominently in many of his paintings. Here, the group of dancers is depicted in mid-performance, as viewed from an upper side box. Only one of the girls in green is shown full-length, captured as she executes a swift, complicated turn. The other figures are cropped, leaving the viewer to imagine the rest. In the background, a number of ballerinas dressed in orange stand against the landscape scenery, awaiting their turn. Degas’ use of a cropped, off-centred pictorial space was influenced by photography and by Japanese prints. He felt that the unfinished, transitory nature of reality could only be conveyed using a fragmented technique. Here, the fleeting nature of the movements is captured with rapid pastel strokes, applied with immense skill.
About the Artist
One of the founders of the Impressionist movement, Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was a prominent artist in the last half of the 19th century. Born to wealthy family, he began his schooling with a baccalaureate in literature in 1853. Due to the wishes of his father, who wanted him to go to law school, he enrolled at the University of Paris in 1853 to pursue a law degree, where he made little effort. Degas, who at age 18 had transformed one of the rooms is his house into a studio, and was a registered copyist at the Louvre by 1853, left law school after two years, and a year later traveled to Italy studying the art of the great masters.
His paintings were exhibited at the Paris Salon beginning in 1865, but they attracted little attention, and his subject matte slowly transitioned from history paintings to more contemporary subjects. In 1870, at the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War, he enrolled as a member of the National Guard, but his eyesight, which was found defective during rifle training, was troublesome and so he could not serve. Three years later, in 1873, Degas’ father died, revealing a massive amount of business debt held by his brother, Rene. Degas was forced to sell the family home and many family paintings in order to cover the debt, and for the first time, had to rely on the income from his paintings for survival. It was in 1874 that he began producing his most successful works.
Although he is considered one of the founders of Impressionism, and he indeed worked with impressionist artists, such as Edouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, he rejected the label “Impressionist.” He detested the scandals brought about by their Impressionist Exhibitions, and he mocked them for painting outdoors. His personal life was outwardly uneventful, due to his belief that an artist should live private lives of solitude. He thus lived a life of solitude, and eventually broke with all of his Jewish friends, due to his anti-Semitic beliefs and argumentative nature. He never married, opposed social change and technological innovations, always painted indoors, and ceased painting by 1912, at which he time he was nearly blind. He died wandering the streets of Paris in 1917.
Our Sponsors
Our Sponsors this month are Humblebeads and Eclectic Prairie.
Please visit us tomorrow to see the prizes!
Monthly Challenge Recap
• Please post at least one single shot of your creation in the Flickr pool. This will be used to make a collage for the Monthly Challenge Gallery. Every creation will be added to the collage, regardless of a blog post. So everyone gets included!
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Mondays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 30th.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all pictures posted on the Flickr pool.
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on May 1st.
Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will now focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist. Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo in the Flickr pool. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
• Be sure to share with us the name of the art bead artist in the description of your photo so that if you are selected for the weekly Perfect Pairings on Mondays, both you as the designer and the art bead artist can get the credit you both deserve!
• An InLinkz button will be added to the bottom of the Monthly Challenge Recap post. Here you will be able to link up your blog post if you have one. It is no longer necessary to add your blog post URL to the description unless you want to. Be sure to hop around and see all the great inspiration and leave some comment love!
• The Monthly Challenge Recap with Blog Tour will be posted on April 30th.
Monthly Challenge Winners
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all pictures posted on the Flickr pool.
• One prize winner will be selected at random from all blog posts added to the hop for the Monthly Challenge Recap post. So if you want to be in the pool for the second prize, be sure to use the InLinkz code at the bottom of the post to share your process and inspirations!
• Winners will be randomly chosen from all the qualifying entries on May 1st.
Perfect Pairings :: Designer + Art Bead Artist
• Formerly the Featured Designer of the Week, our new Perfect Pairings will now focus on both the jewelry designer and the art bead artist. Be sure to point out all the art bead artists in your work in the description of the photo in the Flickr pool. Links to their website or shop are appreciated. That way we can all find new art beads to love!
• From all the entries during the month, an editor will pick their favorite design to be featured every Wednesday here on ABS, so get those entries in soon.
How to enter the Monthly Challenge:
1. Create something using an art bead that fits within our monthly theme. We post the art to be used as your inspiration to create. This challenge is open to jewelry-makers, fiber artists, collage artist, etc. The art bead can be created by you or someone else. The challenge is to inspire those who use art beads and to see all the different ways art beads can be incorporated into your handiwork.
An Art Bead must be used in your piece to qualify for the monthly challenge.
***Beads strung on a chain, by themselves and beads simply added to wire or cord will not be accepted.***
2. Upload your photo to our flickr group. Detailed instructions can be found here and click here for a tutorial for sending your picture to the group.
Please add the tag or title APR ABS to your photos. Include a short description, who created the art beads and a link to your blog, if you have one.
Deadline is April 30th. Photos are approved by our moderators, if a photo hasn't followed the guidelines it will not be approved. You may upload 2 photos a day.
What is an Art Bead?
An art bead is a bead, charm, button or finding made by an independent artist. Art beads are the vision and handiwork of an individual artist. You can read more about art beads here.
***A bead that is handmade is not necessarily an art bead. Hill Tribe Silver, Kazuri ceramic beads or lampwork beads made in factories are examples of handmade beads that are not considered art beads.
Beaded beads, stamped metal pendants or wire-wrapped components are not considered art beads for our challenge.***
p.s. If you have a blog, post your entry and a link to the ABS challenge to spread the beady goodness.
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