The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. ~ Pablo Picasso
Our painting for this month is a portrait of Olga, one of the wives of Picasso and a Russian ballerina. She was a definite beauty and it is obvious why Picasso loved her so. However, this painting seems so sad to me. The pale blue of her skin tone, her somber stare, the ochre walls. There is so much detail given to the chair cushion and her dress seems to shrink to the background for me so that you notice the lush florals before her beautiful face.
I read an analysis of this painting on the blog
Every Painter Paints Himself of this painting. Olga in reality is a green-eyed, auburn-haired Russian. But in this painting she looks more Spanish with the dark complexion and midnight tresses. In this blog they share that a portrait like this is as much about the artist as it is about the subject.
"In another illusion Olga's figure is drawn in the round with a rough
shadow falling on the canvas behind her. The chair, though, appears
flat like "a painting" with no shadow. Olga is both model and artist,
Picasso's feminine side holding a palette-like fan. Her other brush-hand
with a prominent index finger recalls Adam's on the Sistine ceiling and
hangs near some paint-marks on "the canvas"....Olga is
fused with the artist's persona and thus "paints" and "creates" her own
portrait."
I find that fascinating! I am not sure what it all means, but it is intriguing.
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Back from a three year hiatus from the Art Bead Scene, we welcome Kate Clawson of Organic Odysseys. I have always loved the way Kate could magically transform organic subjects into her polymer clay creations. Each component to this intriguing design is detailed in her process on her blog.
You should go and read it!
Sometimes the best laid plans go awry. Miss Catherine of
Meadowland Designs tells us that her original plan to make the teal a dominate color wasn't working out. But then she realized that by playing up the golden yellow color the dashes of teal would shine. Well done! These are eye-catching earrings.
Picking up on the Art Nouveau style of the period in which this was painted, Miss Jill of
Palumbo Polymer Jewelry gives us a fantasy in plum. She also created another piece that is doodles in clay on a bib style neckpiece. Amazing! For the cane, she created a woman's visage for the focal inspired by her beloved grandmother. If you have ever wanted to know how a tiny cane with such detail comes to life,
you should go and see her process shots. Quite incredible!
I love the way the light shimmers in these glass 'moonstone petals' that Miss Lisa used in her bracelet. I think that the simplicity of this design that lets the beads speak for themselves is what makes this work so well. See more of her design at
Carefree Jewelry by Lisa.
I love when I take a class and get fired up about the possibilities. But to actually use that knowledge when you go home is the challenge.
Miss Angela learned some tricks to enameling at the recent Bead & Button show in Milwaukee and put them to good use! She sawed out this yellow bloom from copper, etched the petals and then torch fired the enamel colors to mimic the painting. Well done!
See more of her process, including the pretty fold-formed leaf on her blog.
The soft folds of Olga's dress, the golden yellow of the wall, the regal poise that she possessed are all evident in this beautiful necklace from Toltec Jewels. Little touches like the flower bead and the vines on the Humblebeads really reflect this painting.
See more at Toltec Jewels.
The detail on this handmade polymer clay pendant makes the tapestry come alive in this painting. I love the layered effect of the different chains, metal tones, and all the green fibers that make me want to reach out and touch it! A beautiful array of textures!
Read more on A Half-Baked Notion.
The beautiful focal lampwork bead is perfect for the palette for this month's painting with the swirling ochre lines and the deep teal background. Miss Cate of Fulgorine decided to go all Edwardian on us with this dainty choker that makes me think of a precious amulet designed to keep the wearer from harm.
Read more at Fulgorine.
Don't you just love it when you look in your stash and you have the perfect art bead staring back at you?
Miss Sara Jo of SJ Wentling Designs Jewelry spied this darling pendant with a swirling floral motif that reminds me of the chair fabric. I love that little fan shaped bead she included too!
This sweet bracelet by Catherine's Dreams features some lovely teal disk branch beads from Humblebeads paired with twining vintage glass roses. This feels like a garden party for your wrist!
Read more of the inspiration at Catherine's Dreams.
There is something so classic and elegant about a lady's portrait. This pendant started out as a piece of tin, and really captures the spirit of the painting of Olga. The palette is pulled from this image and is a mix of vintage feeling glass as well as some contemporary copper accents.
Read more about Ann's inspiration at her blog Bead Love.
Sometimes there is a serendipity in how things turn out. Like in this simply intriguing necklace by Miss Kashmira of Sadafulee...Always In Bloom. Using this three hole spacer bar in an unexpected way makes for an intriguing design that lets the beads really sing.
Read more about it on her blog.
Make the most of your first impressions as they are the ones that will stick with you! Miss Mary Ellen of
Bee Tree by m.e. did just that. The first thing that drew her artistic eye was the dainty tendrils and the fancy florals on the black background. But in the interest of the hot summer weather, she opted for a cool and breezy yellow ribbon to complete the look. I love the tendrils on the leaves! Such great attention to detail!
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Oops!
Missed a few...
Please go and check out what Melissa of
Bead Recipes has created
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Check back here this week for the August challenge. It is going to be a good one! ;-)
