RAW

Right-angle weave is a little confusing when one adds the second row. But it's fun! I like it better than the spiral stitch, probably because the spiral didn't seem suited to sculptural work to me, and RAW is right up my alley- I can see it covering a vessel. Back at it...

Fives

Fives meme from Sarah, over at The Beaded Lily:

What are your 5 favorite art works? Have you seen them in person? Do you have plans to?

• One of Monet's big Waterlily paintings was at the museum where I went to school for awhile. I would get out of class and sit in front of it by the hour, rapt. Rewarding both close inspection and distant gazing, it remains one of the most true utterances of the paintbrush that I have ever seen.
  
• American Beauty by the Grateful Dead. I have loved it from the moment I first heard it when it was new. I played it every single day of my pregnancy so that there would be music in utero for Owen (who also perforce loves it). I never heard them play, but was at Jerry Garcia's wake in Golden Gate Park which was the absolute center of the universe that day.
  
• The Bridge to Middle-Earth, more prosaically known as the St. Johns Bridge. Yes, I go out of my way to drive over it whenever possible.
  
• Athanor by Anselm Kiefer. Yes, it caught me unawares and made me weep.
  
• Ursula K. Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea. I have had the privilege of meeting Ms. Le Guin a number of times, and one of my dearest possessions is an autographed copy of the book.

What are 5 crafts you couldn't live without? Have you done them? Any good?

• Cooking. Yes. Yes.
  
• Beading. Yes. Getting there.
  
• Lampworking. Yes. Not yet.
  
• Drawing. Yes. Not so good as I'd like to be.
  
• Embroidery. Yes. I was, but I haven't picked up a needle without beads on it in years.

What are 5 crafts you'd like to learn? Have you ever tried them? Will you?

• Polymer clay. No. Maybe.
  
• Shoemaking. No. Probably not.
  
• Marzipan animals & vegetables. No. Maybe.
  
• Macramé. No. Not unless I start smoking weed.
  
• Celtic knotwork done with pen & ink. No. See above.

What are 5 arts and crafts you've tried that weren't for you?

• Sewing with a machine. OMG I am so bad at this! I would sew for about an inch and then everything would stop and there'd be this huge tangled ball of thread and then there were bobbins off the track and it was awful.
  
• Crocheting. I did make a single chain about a million yards long when I was in junior high. I vaguely recall some lumpy scarves, too.
  
• Knitting. Totally beyond me. I stabbed myself in the eye. Okay, not really, but it was close.
  
• Scrapbooking.
  
• Anything that involves ribbon.

What are 5 things you aim for with your art/craft?

• Artistry
  
• Truth
  
• Organic feel
  
• Integrity
  
• Craftsmanship

Garage Sale Score

I found two gallon-sized ziplock bags at a garage sale today. One full of seed beads, Mill Hill, Toho, Blue Moon and lots decanted into little plastic tubs, t'other full of sterling silver and silver plated findings & jump rings & chain maille instructions. What's a poor girl to do, I ask you? I was powerless, of course.

Go Ducks!

Go Ducks!
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Awaiting final fitting & clasps, here are the commissioned bracelets I've been working on. I had a dentist appointment the other day, and was working on one of these in the office. My dentist is an Oregon Duck, and liked the bracelets so well he thought he'd better have one too. So I'm starting another! Yay for custom orders!

Custom Orders

I'm about halfway through the 2 bracelet custom order I've been working on. They are turning out pretty cute- metallic dark green base with a bright yellow UO logo O on them. And I'm thinking about the next EBW challenge, the Art Deco theme. I'm not happy with either of the starts I made- the one was just a rev-up king of thing, and the second turned out to have more of an Aztec than a Deco feel. And I have a bottle I really want to get back to. And there's the whole spiral stitch which I learned and never did anything with. And I have this other idea for a free-standing free-form sculptural piece. And... oh yeah, there's lots going on in my head.

Grumbling

I'm just home from the local art fair, and I'm more annoyed than anything. There were some lovely things in the booths, and a lot of treats for the eyes. There were even several booths with beadweaving, which is always fun. But I know how long and arduous a process beadweaving is. Even if you count me as slow (and I do) and double my output, there was more than one beader there making under ten cents an hour by my calculations! Not counting beads! Not counting findings! Or booth set-up! It's crazy-making on more at least two levels. First, the artist should value their time/art/work more, in my opinion. Second, how can I compete if I get a booth next year? I can just hear potential customers now: "Ned down the block sells peyote-stitched earrings much larger than this for $5 a pair, how can you ask $50 for something smaller?" What do you say to that? "Ned undervalues himself" sounds mean-spirited.

*sigh*


I did have random people stop me on the street to admire my freeform necklace, though. And I handed out a couple of cards.

Iteration #5

Iteration #5
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Here's what yesterday's rough idea has morphed into. Aside from being totally different, it's much the same. *grin*

I like the native NW colors in balance with the Deco starkness. I think. Who can guess where it will end up. I am putting it away for a while to work on a commission- a pair of matching bracelets for some friends.

Prototype

Prototype
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Here's what I'm playing around with for the Art Deco theme for next month's EBW challenge. I started with actual beaded links, but the little bitty links were way too fussy and prone to warpage. So I moved on to the virtual links, depicted on a cream background. I don't like some of it, and some of it I do. This one will be deconstructed and re-imagined shortly, but I think this will be the gist of it.

Tell Me It's Not True

I don't think the beads are getting smaller. I don't want to think it is my eyes getting worse. I'll just go ahead and write a letter to the Delica people and complain that this latest batch of 11s is way smaller than they used to be.

Freeform Finished?

Freeform Finished?
Originally uploaded by satyridae

it feels mostly finished to me. It's heavy, what with the lampworked beads, so I'm thinking maybe I should let well enough alone. What do y'all think?

Etsy BeadWeavers July Challenge

Flower Garland Headband
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Here's my entry in this month's Etsy BeadWeavers Challenge.
Here's where to go vote for your favorite among the many gorgeous entries:

Freeform Necklace In Progress

Freeform Necklace In Progress
Originally uploaded by satyridae

I'm cross-eyed from this. Time to put it away for the night!

Freeform Progress

Freeform Progress
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Latest shot!

Freeform Necklace

Freeform Necklace
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Two rows!

Freeform Necklace

Freeform Necklace
Originally uploaded by satyridae

I had so much fun documenting the birth and progress of the headband, I thought I'd do it again.

I've been wanting to do something cool with the lampwork beads I made last fall, but thus far had only managed to string some of 'em on sterling silver cable. Boring! So I poured a pile of coordinating colors onto my tray and jumped in.

Updates as they happen...

Front Page Again

Etsy FP 07-05-08
Originally uploaded by satyridae

Second time! I'm totally thrilled. I didn't even know this piece was in a treasury till one of the EBW members mailed the group to say I was on the Front Page.

*dances around, grinning*

Flower Garland Headband

Flower Garland Headband
Originally uploaded by satyridae

I was fixated on the idea of a floral headband. So I put this together last night.

I think I like it better simple like this, without beaded embroidery backing it.

It's funny (in a good way) how the design process evolves. I had such a sure idea of exactly what I wanted when I began, and though what I ended up with is nothing like what I thought I wanted, I am well satisfied!