Art Bead Evolutions :: Tropicalico

There are sooooo many possibilities with this month's inspiration art..... stormy sky.... blowing leaves... waving grasses.... tiger stripes..... and of course with so many choices it is really hard to choose! Also, since I am full-on in the midst of creating kits for the two classes that I am teaching at the upcoming Adornments Retreat (time is running out but there is still space in classes and we would LOVE to see you!), and Sunday night we celebrated my husband's 49th birthday with dinner out and a Phil Vassar concert (Ended up in the FRONT ROW, which was awesome, until mid way through the concert they didn't hold back the people who just bought general admission so then we couldn't see a thing for the drunk hoards that careened in front of us )...so, needless to say, I was very short on time. 

We were so close to Phil that it was like we were practically best friends. Soooo good!
In addition to his own songs - and he has written so many great songs that other artists have made famous -
he did an amazing rendition of Come, Sail Away and Piano Man that had has all singing.
Hey! I just noticed how awesome his background looks and works so well with this month's palette!

I toyed around with the idea to make a sort of modified tiger stripe cane, but I also know how hard it is to create a beautiful cane (which is why I will gladly buy any beautiful caned work from my favorite polymer clay artists!), so I knew that was not going to make sense for me even if I had the time, because I clearly lack the patience. So I settled on focusing on the color palette and a very simple stylized leaf shape, since the jungle foliage dominates the entire scene.

I started by mixing all my own colors. That is something that I spent a lot of time on in the Julie Picarello class at the Bead & Button show. Sure, right out of the package there are a vast variety of greens along with gold and yellow and russet red and flame orange, but Julie really instilled in me that you need to take it just another step to make it great. These colors are all very earthy and while bright they are a bit more subdued in hue. I think they play well together.

Next I spent some time cutting out strips in varying widths and laid them on the diagonal on a backing sheet of black.

Finally, I cut them into an inverted teardrop shape for a mod leaf, slightly off center, adding texture to various parts.

And.....that is where I left off.

I am actually not sure what will happen next! Perhaps some more distressing.... definitely some patina.... not really sure where I am going with this. I am baking some up right now to experiment with some options. With any luck, I will have some to share at the Adornments Retreat! ;-)

Art Bead Evolutions :: Bead & Button Show Recap

So last week I buzzed down to Milwaukee to commune with my bead peeps, so instead of a post about what I am making for the challenge, I thought I would share with you some of my experiences at the Bead & Button show.

I missed the Bead & Button show last year so I think I was making up for it (in a BIG way!). Starting Tuesday, I took four day-long classes and then spent the rest of the week shopping and sharing and otherwise soaking up the presence of a lot of my favorite people....like Loralee + Martha, Andrew + William, Sarajo + Eric, Michelle + Diane, Marsha + Vlad.....

Me and my Beady Bestie, Heather Powers of Humblebeads. I love this girl so much! Notice how sparse the trays were...she brought 130 birds and sold at least 90 by the end of the show! So glad I snatched some goodies up to add to my collection of Humblebeads bowls and platters. Woot!

Tuesday I took class with Gail Crosman Moore. Sometimes I take classes with instructors I just want to be around, and this was one of those cases. I adore the unique materials that she manipulates and the way that she adds detail. She is also a color addict, like me, so I knew that we would hit it off. We spent the day making molds of various items and then worked with paper clay. I had never worked with that before and it is a really interesting medium. I must have been so engrossed in the process because I don't have a single picture of anything I made. You will have to trust me that it was way cool. I anticipate that I will be playing around more with this, maybe even for this month's Simple Truths Sampler, so stay tuned!

Next up I took a class with Julie Picarello of Yellow House Designs. Her work is so very recognizable. I can spot it a mile away! Her chosen technique is mokume gane. I have my own variations of this technique, but it was so nice to learn how she does it. I loved the color mixing that she taught, as that has always flummoxed me. Julie really broke that down and now I get it! She shared all her imprint tools and that prompted me to take a quick road trip to the American Science & Surplus to look for oddball things. Found some interesting stuff! I will need to find a way to make this more of my own look, but since I have done this before, I think that should be no problem. What I most loved about the class was really at the very end of the day, when she shared her finishing techniques. Her work feels like the softest satin, which makes it even more beautiful. Now I know what I need to do for some of my pieces that will really take them to the next level. I treated myself to her book and a pair of her earrings. More to come on this technique!

On Thursday I had a half-day class with Irina Miech of Eclectica. She is a wizard with precious metal clay (PMC). I have taken two other classes over the years in PMC, mostly ending in failure. You would think that with my years of experience with other clays that this would come easy. Not so much. But Miss Irina was such a wonderful teacher. We worked with molds again, this time with some more natural materials like leaves and twigs, and even set tiny CZ stones in our work. I plan to trek back to her store in Brookfield (west of Milwaukee) to take another class with her in the fall, because I really want to see if I can master this medium, or at least make it consistently in my own style. I am excited about that! Now I dearly want to try the bronze and copper clay versions.

Nature's Elements in Silver PMC with Irina Miech

Finally, I took Kitchen Table Soldering with Francesca Watson of the Makery. I have always adored her work so learning from her was a definite highlight. She is larger than life. Her laugh is booming, and her taste in music is fabulous! Her first words were that she was going to work us hard. And boy, did she ever. I barely had time to catch my breath! In the end, I am pretty happy with how my pendant turned out, and it makes me appreciate even more those that do this all the time. Amazing what you can do when you start with just a piece of silver wire and a stone. I don't know if I will be setting stones in the future, and her set up is a LOT more robust than what I could have at my kitchen table, but I have always wanted to make my own bezels for my clay creations, and I can take a lot of what I learned here and apply it to my own vision.

Kitchen Table Soldering with Francesca Watson

At the end of the week, I finally got to spend a little more time with my best friend Heather Powers. We were even able to have a wonderfully relaxing celebratory dinner complete with cocktails, just the two of us, to catch up and recharge. That was one of the best times all week! I told her that I wasn't really going to shop at the show...HA! Famous last words! Old habits die hard! I found myself going to my very favorite booths.... for stones, pearls, beads, components and of course, art beads. Now I need to get to the making! Here's a little tour of the goodies I found....without really looking...some of which would work well for this month's inspiration, don't you think?

Clockwise from top left: Beads Direct faceted rondelle gemstones (diamond blue silverite, AB peach moonstone, AB labradorite, AB blue fluorite, AB ruby moonstone, AB dendrite opal); hematite strands; glass hexagons, faceted drop bezels, fossilized orthoceras, carved mother of pearl; metal spacers, pearls.

Clockwise from left: buttery soft leather tassels; Vintaj blanks and new pewter bezels; bone and wood carved feathers, copper etched pendants, copper patina charms, beetle wings

Clockwise from top left: Green Girl Studios + Allegory Gallery; Humblebeads; Diane Hawkey + Firefly Design Studio; Anna Bronze + Aja Vaz of Wandering Spirit Designs; Bob Burkett from Tiger Tiger; Golem Design Studio.

Since I didn't get a chance to create my own art bead interpretation for the challenge yet (but these classes are pointing me in a direction!), I will share with you the necklace I made for the Halcraft Pretty Palettes challenge for May. I started that challenge over there as part of my years on the Halcraft Dream Team, and now that my time there has ended, I have passed the baton to Molly Schaller. She is continuing this great monthly challenge. The colors for May were brilliant greens and to that I added some light blue, deep raspberry and golden hematite nuggets. I had a pendant from our own Ashley Bonney of Summer Wind Art that was perfect for this month's painting, with the watercolor splashes and the touch of gold leave. I call this Meanderings.

What have you been up to so far this month? Are you working on something for the challenge? Can't wait to see how you interpret this month's painting!

Art Bead Evolutions :: Stratum

I won’t lie to you….this was a hard challenge for me. I know that this painting is called Bowl of Fruit, Violin and Bottle, but I truly did not see that at all! If I have trouble with a painting, I will print it out and turn it upside down to give myself a different perspective.

When I did that, what I saw were layers. To me it is a lot of layers of paper, as if you dropped all your bills and letters and junk mail on a table and made an artful everyday still life.

All those different textures peeking out intrigued me. So I set out to teach myself how to make veneers by various methods. I focused on the white and black speckled texture, the black and tan mottled texture and the pink, blue, orange and teal colors from the painting.

First I made the orange veneer (I don't have a picture of that, you will just have to trust me). I have never had much luck with canes, preferring instead to use the clay as my canvas and coloring it with various inks, stains and paints. But a bullseye cane is one of the simplest there is and layered on a pumpkin colored clay they really pop!

Next I decided to make something speckled. I decided that it would be too easy to just paint or ink those dots. So I devised a way to create Swiss cheese holes in the top white layer for depth. Manipulating it a bit through the pasta machine made the holes more shallow than I wanted, but I like the pockmarked effect, and I enhanced some of them after they were on the bead. The pink veneers were from an older project that I happened to have lying around, and worked in perfectly with this oddball mix.

Every month I try to teach myself something new in addition to exploring the art as inspiration. The remaining veneers were things that I learned from my favorite polymer clay guru, Debbie Crothers. I have taken several online classes from this lovely Aussie instructor through CraftArtEdu so when I saw that she was releasing her new series Explorations in Swellegant to create rusty and crusty veneers, I didn’t even hesitate a minute to hit the buy button. That was in January. And as is usual for me, I buy something, or sign up for a class without really having any intention of following through in that instant. So when I saw these paper scraps as layers - a slice of a life, if you will -  I remembered her class. And I am so glad I did! Miss Debbie is such a marvelous instructor. I told her that I felt like she was a friend who just popped over for a bit of clay play. She is thorough and engaging and so giving with her knowledge. Take anything with her and you will be wildly inspired!

I wrapped each large bead in a variety of the six different veneers I made so that no two are exactly alike. To make them my own, I added "faux bead caps" by dipping the ends in embossing powder for a metallic antiqued brass hammered texture that seems to work harmoniously with the Swellegant I used to make them look like bits of crusty old metal.

Since these beads are all quite large (about 3/4"), I wanted to make a statement necklace. I originally wanted to use a set of three (which is what my Simple Truths Sampler Club members received). But I couldn't make it work. Instead, I picked one as a focus.

I recently received these new wire frame components from Nunn Design and thought it would make an interesting sort of frame to set that bead apart. I had to stretch it a bit to fit the large bead but I quite like the sort of faceted shape. I was cleaning up (but hardly making a dent!) in my studio and was wrangling the fibers that I have collected. (Four bins of them!) I thought that the frame would look great to pull together different fibers - yarn, string, silks, sari ribbon - into a tassel wrapped with bronze wire and golden charlotte beads. For the rest of the necklace I just dove into my stash to make a long-ish slip-on necklace with a melange of beads ranging from carved bone, irregular ceramic, various stones and agates in many shapes and finishes. This is definitely a statement - not for the faint of heart! I am wearing it today with dark indigo jeans and a pale blush pink tunic. I think I might wear this next week at Bead & Button in Milwaukee in my new black maxi dress!

I have also been playing around with the same idea but in different shapes, including smaller rounds for earrings and some olive shaped beads as well. Thinking about making a layered patterned shield shaped pendant as well. So many possibilities!

Stratum means a layer or a series of layers, specifically of rock in the ground. These layered beads - and this necklace - have that stratified look of fantasy rock comprised of patterns and textures scattered across my desk or counter, and it is that layer and texture and pattern and color that I love!

Check back tomorrow for our monthly challenge recap!

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. ;-)

Art Bead Evolutions :: Nesting Instinct

There is something so hopeful about a bird's nest.

The urge to nest is common to many different animals, from squirrels, mice, pigs, birds - even fish! - and of course, humans. It makes sense. Shelter is of the utmost importance to survival. So it should come as no surprise that setting up a special spot for the new arrivals is so necessary.

I imagine that the birds building this formidable fortress want to protect their little ones and keep foes from intruding. But I also imagine that the interior is soft and warm and cozy, unlike the thorny exterior.

I love the sweet yellow buds and the distant blue mountains. What a beautiful view to be born into!

I decided on making a clasp for this month's Sampler. I have never worked with an extruder before, but I had bought one a few months ago and this seemed like the perfect project to test it out on. It reminds me of the spritz cookie press that I inherited from my mother. You put the dough...er...clay inside the tube and then squeeze it out the other end through a plate that shapes the clay, in this case, I used one with little holes. I ended up with a lot of brown/tan/grey spaghetti that I then fashioned into a wee little nest. I can see that these other discs will be fun to experiment with for the future!

Then I mixed up some granite and turquoise clay to make the tiniest eggs to nestle in there. I am not sure what color eggs that these birds in the picture lay, but nothing says SPRING to me than little eggs in a nest!

So I whipped up a little bracelet last night to show off the Nesting Instinct clasp that I call "Spring Awakening." A bisque birdie I have been hoarding from Summers Studio (missing you Miss LeAnn!), a branch bead from Humblebeads, some wood chips and turquoise chips as well as some oddball fire agate in a mottled golden yellow and snow white round it out. Up in that branch there looks to be a feather, so I added one to the bracelet to complete the look.





Hurry up, Spring!

Each month for my Simple Truths Sampler Club I come up with a bead, pendant or component that is inspired by the monthly challenge here on the Art Bead Scene. I challenge myself to come up with something new, but also teach myself new techniques and tricks. I write a little note with each monthly package that details my thought process and inspirations, my trial and errors. These pieces are offered to the Club members first, but then offered up for sale to the public on a limited basis. You can find out more at www.TesoriTrovati.com.

Art Bead Evolutions :: January - Growing Free

I am not quite sure exactly how long I have been doing it. But it is likely since about 2011. 

That was the year after I started making my Simple Truths components in polymer clay. I thought it would be fun to offer my followers a way to ensure that they got the newest pieces that I was creating, and it would also allow me to keep coming up with something new, while also using it as an excuse to teach myself new techniques. The idea was that I would make a limited edition pendant or component in a little surprise package delivered each month to members who select 3-, 6-, 9- or 12- month subscriptions. I called it the Simple Truths Sampler Club. 

For about a year or so I was just making something that spoke to me. Possibly seasonal or thematic. But I found that to be a hard thing for me to sustain because it seemed....lacking something special. 

Don't get me wrong... I love each little creation I make (I totally forgot about the Queen Bee Rules!), and looking through these old pictures is like visiting with old friends (friends that I often wonder where they traveled to or what they became?). Some of them I even still make today because they have never gone out of style.

This is one of the few Sampler pendants that I made (April 2014) that I still take custom orders for today.

If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely have to have a meaningful message behind what I create. Often my creations have words, poems or song lyrics woven into them. Sometimes the image is enough.

And then it hit me....each month I was writing and creating for the Art Bead Scene with the awesome art challenges and I truly loved those inspirations. They were the sole reason I started using art beads in the first place, and the way that I got into making my own. Why not use the monthly art as my Sampler Muse? Absolutely, an aha moment!

In addition to the component, I started sending out a little letter to the members detailing the monthly challenge inspiration...my response to the inspiration...anything new that I learned along the way...and my process for creating something inspired by it. I have heard that they love these little letters. So I have decided that I will share this monthly missive with all of you so you can be privy to how I interpret the challenge theme each month. Welcome to my new series: Art Bead Evolutions.

The pieces that I make are created first and foremost for the Club members. If there are more created in a limited run, or if I decide to offer them as a custom made-to-order piece, then they will be available in my shop. 

Art Bead Evolutions

Simple Truths Sampler :: January 2017

With the bleak landscape of winter around here it is easy to get stuck in a rut of doing neutrals or dark and moody monochromatic color schemes. At least it is for me. That is why I was so happy to see that the artwork for January was bright and full of vibrant colors! Maybe these colors are more typical for end of August or early September, but that is why I love them all the more for January.

The painting by Egon Schiele is a departure from his most famous works which typically include figures and nudes. This Field of Flowers is just bursting forth with a liveliness that January desperately needs. There is a child-like exuberance in this painting with the simple brush strokes for each petal. I love the tapestry quality of this mass of flowers. The petals almost look as if they could be stitched. (Wouldn't this make a gorgeous quilt?) I can almost feel the heat on the back of my neck and the bees buzzing lazily around the blooms.

There are a lot of colors to work with in this painting. The varying shades of burgundy to pumpkin to ocher to cream is complemented by the various shades of green in the stems and the leaves. You can stay with the analogous warm tones and then add in the complementary color of green from the other side of the wheel. And if orange is your nemesis (as it was mine a few years ago), this is the perfect time to give it a shot! Make it the star! That is the only way that I know to make it my own. Adding little pops of lighter or darker values allows texture to play an important role in whatever you create.

For this month's component I decided to turn my focus to the flower shapes. Last month I started working again in micro mosaics for a new gallery exhibit. Using up all those bits and pieces I have amassed has given me a new focus and helped me breathe new life into all of my work, not just jewelry. I knew this would be the perfect technique to use.

While not necessarily a new-to-me technique, usually I make micro-mosaics very flat. This one I wanted to be dimensional. So that in itself was the challenge.

I had sold kits for a bracelet design I did that was in a magazine a few years back and ended up with a lot of these bright marquise shaped epoxy resin components left over. I realized they would make the perfect daisy petals. So I came up with a design that would allow me to use them in different color combinations for a charming little pendant that is practically bursting with life. This posy is sure to make you smile!

wild·flow·er

ˈwīldˌflou(ə)r/

noun

1. a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.

It seemed to me that this field of flowers that Egon came upon was likely just a bunch of wildflowers. I like the idea of wildflowers as "growing freely". That means they are hardy and sturdy and able to withstand the elements. If I learned only one thing from this past year it is that we all need to be hardy and sturdy and able to withstand the elements. We are stronger together and all our colors blend for a more beautiful vista. I want to be just like this wildflower. So I named these pendants Growing Free. 

And something else I want to do in the new year... as well as creating the components, I want to make sure that I save one for myself to make something. More often than not I give them all away! I made mine just a bit more bling-y with a different center to the flower. To complement the colors of the bloom, I did a color-block sort of pattern with dyed gaspeite magnesite, carnelian, resin flower rounds and dyed buri seed tubes. I call this necklace Like a Weed.

I am looking forward to seeing your Field of Flowers inspired by this painting!