Art Bead Scene Monthly Chanllenge - April

This month's Art Bead Scene inspiration is

"Finches and Bamboo."

This was quite an interesting challenge for me. 

It resulted in two different pieces of jewelry made for this month.

The necklace I finally settled on I named:

Gypsy.

There were many different components in this piece.

I'm still debating on one of them.

However, this is what I decided to submit for this month's challenge.

Presenting

Gypsy

The mustard color is muted in this piece, and the red jumps out at you.
Actually, when worn, the piece looks very different.
I was surprised when I wore it.

Art Bead Scene March Monthly Chanllenge

This month's challenge from Art Bead Scene Blog is to make a piece of jewelry using
Gaugin's painting Sacred Spring, Sweet Dreams
as our inspiration.

When I looked at the painting, I was struck by the vibrant colors and the unusual contrast of red and pink.
The rest of the painting looked like a story being told to someone who need the brilliance of the colors to see the painting in the way it was intended.
I love the color palette in this painting!
The closer you are to the main subjects in the painting, the more brilliant the colors.
The farther away from the main subjects, the more muted the colors become.

I based my necklace on this painting.


The richness of the colors is reflected in the focal bead that I made.
The muted colors are reflected in the tiles that I did not make.
There is a blending of both the rich and the muted colors in my necklace.
I like it.
I liked the challenge.
Thanks, ABS.

Art Bead Scene February Monthly Chanllenge

The inspiration for the Art Bead Scene February challenge is this painting titled
"Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose" by John Singer Sargent. You can read more about this beautiful work of art by clicking on the word February.

As soon as I saw this painting, I immediately thought of a glass I love that I have been using sparingly because it is no longer made.
The name of the glass is Orange Sherbet. I have hoarded the little bit that I have, but I knew that, for this challenge, I would be using it. Can you guess what objects made me think of Orange Sherbet? If you said, the lanterns, you're right.

The next day I was busy using my precious Orange Sherbet on the torch. I needed a focal, too, and I made one that I never used.
I didn't need to do that. A few days before I saw this print, I had attempted a layered bead that I couldn't complete when I worked on the torch because my bead release broke. The bead looked all right but there was a bit of bead release on the edges of the holes. There were also some spots where I hadn't been able to finish encasing this bead. It looked rather rough. It reminded me of a large nugget you might find in the ground. As I walked by my bead pile, I saw it, and I knew what I would do.

Here's my entry for the ABS February challenge.

I call this piece "Lanterns" because of the lantern shaped beads that I made for it.
The nugget is huge, but it doesn't distract from the piece.
I think I've captured the spirit of the piece.
I did use some of my Orange Sherbet glass.
All in all, it was a very good day.

Skin of My Teeth, but I Think I made it!!!!! Art Bead Scene Monthly Challenge

This photo:
Brown River by Wayne Thiebaud
was the painting selected for the
Art Bead Scene monthly challenge.

From the Art Bead Scene website:

About the Art

"River-delta views from the Sacramento area, cityscapes from San Francisco and beach scenes from Southern California, no matter the subject, these works uniformly attest to the artist’s ability to sensuously manipulate pigment and capture clear light and vibrant color. It is this technical virtuosity, along with the artist’s tongue-in-cheek humor and ability to capture the realities of our place in time, that have helped to make Thiebaud a uniquely American painter."

About the Artist

Wayne Thiebaud (born Mesa, Arizona, November 23, 1920) is an American painter whose most famous works are of cakes, pastries, boots, toilets, toys and lipsticks. His last name is pronounced "Tee-bo." He is associated with the Pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, however, his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work.

His family moved to Long Beach, California when he was six months old. One summer during his high school years he apprenticed at the Walt Disney Studio. He earned a degree from Sacramento State College in 1941. From 1938 to 1949, he worked as a cartoonist and designer in California and New York and served as an artist in the United States Navy.

This month, I seem to be running behind.
Having this nasty cold did not help me.
Now, that my cold is fading, I decided, at the last minute,
to enter the ABS January Challenge.
I loved the colors,
so my entry is based on the colors in the palette.
Here's my entry.
It's simple,
but each bead is unique,
and I made each one.
I used a series of discs and donut shaped beads.
Each is a mini minimalist sculpture in itself.

At last,
ta-da!

I'm thinking, I'll keep it!

REVEAL - ABS Ornament Blog Hop

I love blog hops,

so when ABS (Art Bead Scene Blog) announced an ornament blog hop,
I knew I was in!
Today is the REVEAL!
Are you ready?
Are you sure?
Here it is!
Drum roll, please!


Wait, I have a question for you.
Would you like a quick tutorial to go with this REVEAL?
Well, let me think about it.
All right.
I guess so.
Here's the REVEAL first.


It's actually cuter than the photo.
I made it using lampwork beads.

Here's how you do it.

Supplies

5 lampwork beads of your choice, including one small focal
I used on small spacer on the bottom, two small disc beads,
one ruffled disc bead for the nest,
One small bird to occupy the nest.
3 small (3-4mm crystals)
approximately 8 inches of wire for wire wrapping.
1 purchased wire ornament hanger

What to do:
You will begin at the bottom of the ornament and work your way up.
Make a small spiral on the bottom, about 3 wraps.
Add one of the crystals and wrap the wire around the crystal on the wire leaving a long stem of wire.
Thread your beads in this order:
Spacer, disc bead, disc bead, wavy disc bead, bird.
Add one or two more crystals and wrap the wire around them.
Finish with a loop and wire wrap down to secure that loop.
Add the purchased hangar.

Ta-da

You are finished.

Now, get busy and go blog hopping.

Here's the list:

Art Bead Scene - you are here!

Creative Impressions in Clay

Diva Designs

Elysian Studios

Fab Fibers

For the Love of Beads

Humblebeads

Island Girl's Insights

Jangles

Jeannie's Blog

Lampwork Diva/Cindy Gimbrone

Mary Harding

Michelle Mach

Spirit Rattles

Wondrous Strange Designs

I just entered this

Into the monthly challenge at the Art Bead Scene Blog. Now, assuming I followed the directions correctly, and I think I did this month, I will be entered into a drawing on ABS.

The challenge this month was based on the art of Wassily Kadinsky "Farbstudie Quadrate (Color Study of Squares)." I chose to focus on the shapes in this study. I worked in very muted tones. (Something must be wrong with me!) rofl I love the study of shapes, and this bracelet just seemed to take shape independently of what I wanted to do!

Check out the Art Bead Scene Blog. There's a lot to be seen there!