Westerly Annual Regional Art Show

The Artist Cooperative of Westerly is holding their 29th annual Regional Art Show. The show is open to anyone, and is judged by a juror who does not know our members. Frequently, members submit items and are not selected for the show. People are allowed to enter up to three pieces, and the judge makes a determination on which ones meet their standards for that particular medium. Art is very subjective, and that makes the resulting show very eclectic and interesting. I always enjoy seeing what does and does not get selected.

This year, I'm entering 3 pieces and we'll see what happens. The first piece to the left is made completely of polymer pinched-petal canes, with some rolled polymer beads to lie flat behind the neck. The pieces below show: A hand-formed, hand painted porcelain focal, with a PMC fine silver bail, on a beadwoven necklace (all made by me). The last photos are of a polymer pendant with a beadwoven center, and a buna cord with adjustable closure.

They are all rather different, and I'm interested to see what the judge thinks.

Mokume Gane & Beads

Every once in a while, I like to blend beading and polymer.  They are two of my favorite art forms, and I think they go well together in jewelry.  Recently,  I made a mokume gane stack and then worked some beading into a few pendants.  I forgot to take photos before I put the pendants for sale in the Westerly gallery.  The result is I only have one piece left - which must mean the combination of polymer and beads appealed to others.  To the right is the remaining piece.  I used seedbeads to weave a bail for the top and strung strands of seedbeads and pearls to hang below the pendant.  I also made a few pairs of earrings, and enhanced the polymer pieces with crystals, glass beads and metal components.
The third photo shows a grouping of earrings and a pendant from the same mokume gane stack. One of the things I love about the mokume gane process is the way in which colors blend and sometimes hide. I haven't decided yet what to do with this particular pendant.  A beadweaving idea is in the back of my mind.....

Lanterns

I promised color, remember? Well, here's some color along with a great 3-D concept I really like. I didn't invent this form - saw something a while back, and decided to give it a try.
These beads take time. First, I had to make canes for the fans or blades of the lantern. These are cut and baked separately. Then a core is made, and the fans are carefully placed around the core, opposites at the same time to help keep things stabilized. After a second baking, end pieces can be added, then all is baked again. The hole through the center can be created when the core is made, or drilled later.

Here is a lantern bead with beadweaving embellishment. The fringe has crystals and seed beads, while the "cord" is made of a light twist of various colored ribbons and string. Other cording could be used, I just liked the way the colors corresponded to the cane colors in the bead.


And of course, I had to make a pair of earrings. Can you guess the color?.....

It's August - and I'm back!

I'm back! Of course, you probably weren't aware I was away. My husband and I just finished cycling - that's right, pedaling with our own legs - up several mountain passes in the Rockies of Colorado. Amazing views, and tough climbs - especially on a tandem. Really beautiful country.

Now we're home, and I'm busy with beads and clay. I'm working up the samples for the various workshops I'll be teaching this fall. I've got the first bracelet made. This is the class I'll be teaching at Nature's Art in September. More photos of other samples will be forthcoming - as soon as I get off the computer and get back to beads and clay! Keep checking back, and take a look at the workshops and classes page for more info.

I also have a loose bead show at the end of the month, so am working away on my polymer. Here's a sample of the first set I completed. I love chrissy canes, and had to try this experiment. I'm really quite pleased with the results. :)

Beadweaving ~ Chevron Stitch Flowers

More beadweaving! Just a quick note to show you the project for June at Nature's Art. It may not look like it, but both bracelet bands are made from the same stitch. A small change in edging, and the use of different color beads really changes the look. This is one of the things I love about beadweaving. Everyone chooses different colors and contrasts, and the end results are always unique and individual. I'm a bit more partialy to the red and white piece, though the shimmer of the gold and green is really lovely....Your choice?

Shells as Cabochons

Just finished a sample of the project I'm teaching at Nature's Art in May. Beaded cabochons typically use a specially prepared and cut stone as the centerpiece. For this project, participants may choose items which have thicker sides than usual - items such as shells, uncut stones, or agate slices. The stitch even creates a piece which is reversible! Here's a preview of both sides of a small cream abalone shell. More info on the class page.

What a Difference Materials Make!

My husband and I are just back from a 12 day trip to Michigan. We spent a week of that time bicycling 45 - 65 miles per day along the east side of Lake Michigan from Montague all the way to Mackinaw City. Lovely country, some beautiful views, and hills!! .... all of which my legs are still feeling...

However, cycling wasn't the hardest part. The most difficult was being away from our three Aussies, "the girls." They are a huge part of our lives, and we miss them when we travel. The other piece that was hard for me was being away from my clays and beads. I had lots of ideas which I sketched at evening time, but I really missed the actual hands-on "doing."

So, when we got home, I finished up a sample bracelet for one of the beadweaving workshops I'm doing. I wanted folks to see how very different the same piece looks made out of different materials. These examples, I think, show it quite clearly. This particular stitch looks very elegant and classy when made up in Swarovski crystals. On the other hand, it has a more subtle effect when made out of natural stones. Here are side-by-side photos - what do you think?

Photos and cabinets and clay folk - Oh, my!

Hello! Just some "bits" I wanted to share:

First, the clay folk ~ On Saturday, I attended the monthly meeting of the Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild. They're a great group - fun, creative, interested in each other, and interesting in and of themselves. They are planning a special polymer clay conference called the Clay Connection in early August. If you're at all interested in Polymer Clay, be sure to check out the Conference information at: http://www.scpcg.org/clayconnection.htm. It promises to be a great event - and it's being held at Conn College, so it's really close for those of us in Eastern CT.

Second, cabinets ~ You know you're in trouble when assembling a storage unit makes you excited. Undoubtedly like many of you, the dining room table has been serving as my "workspace." (You can substitute another room in the house, but you know what I mean.) As he walked by the other day, my husband asked if I could recall what the table was made of - wood, perhaps, or glass?.... Well, soon I'll be shifting location and the dining room will be for people and eating once again.

The move is possible because I finally decided to purchase a mini stackable unit from BEST Craft Organizer. Don't let the "mini" fool you. This unit is 39" x 41" and has twelve 3.5"drawers, twenty-one 2" drawers, and twelve 1" drawers. I can't wait to start shifting all my supplies, projects, and materials into the unit. Organization heaven. Why did I wait this long??

Finally, photos ~ I have a little unit for photo taking, but haven't really set it up. Today, in the flurry of excitement about everything else, I decided to give it a try. My favorite shot is of the bracelet attendees will be making at the first beadweavingworkshop at Nature's Art, September 11th. Here's a sneak peek:

Take care, all

~Kristie