Art Making in Two of My Favorite Mediums

Beaded Colorways: New Book from Beverly Ash Gilbert is Superb!

The recently-released Beaded Colorways: Creating Freeform Beadweaving Projects and Palettes by my friend Beverly Ash Gilbert (2009, North Light Books, 128pp., $24.99) is fantastic. Even if you are not a beader or a jewelry maker you can appreciate not only the amazing handiwork but also the included removable custom color wheels that will be a help to anyone: artist, painter, decorator, photographer or lover of color. The book is perfect for those who think they can’t match an outfit or choose a color for a wall.


Beverly is a brainy dynamo disguised as a wisp of a woman, humble and modest enough not to mention in her book that she is an engineer by degree and a former corporate-type who was able to break out of a constricting role/schedule to make time to develop her substantial talents and her eye for color.


In fact, her first book was Eye for Color: Interchangeable Templates and Color Wheel System, available on her Web site. A color enthusiast herself, whose deep appreciation for color can be seen on her blog via her own breathtaking photography of her surroundings in Kirkland, WA and on her beloved Whidbey Island, Beverly takes great joy in sharing and teaching an appreciation for and understanding of color to anyone who is interested and curious or who feels they need a little help.


Her open, sharing nature is evident as she explains color theory and bead-weaving basics to open her book. Even if you have never picked up a tiny little seed bead or a bead-weaving needle as was my case when I first met Beverly in the fall of 2008, she will gently guide you first through combining various beads and textures in monochromatic mixes she calls seed bead soups. As she warns early on, even non-beaders can get hooked on the beauty of the colors, enough to quite contentedly display the seed bead mixes in clear vessels as an object of decor – without ever having to make a thing! And she’s fine with that.


From understanding the uses of the color wheel and color relationships – complementary, analogous, etc., to learning about hue, saturation, value and more – Beverly helps students graduate to blending multi-color combinations that satisfy their own particular cravings for color in their surroundings, and of course in their beadwork.


Besides the basic peyote stitch, which is simply sewing two seed beads together, and three-bead netting – both of which anyone can do (with proper lighting and eyeglasses if you wear them, or perhaps a magnifier) – Beverly explains freeform beadweaving, including freeform peyote stitch and freeform netting.


While the finished projects in the book might look like intimidating works of art, Beverly breaks them down into step-by-step instructions with large photos and helpful hints along the way. She suggests color mixes and alternatives and shows how to blend the beads to create an eye-pleasing palette for the project. Her bead soups have tempting names like tropical surf and rain forest and autumn sunrise, enough to get even a color neophyte or reluctant beader to stick a toe in the water.


By the end of my first day with Beverly, I had two gorgeous and very different pendants made, and I am all thumbs and wear bifocals! Her book offers more than a dozen colorful projects as well as a beautiful gallery of finished wearable art and plenty of resources and links to get you beading, or at least learning more about color.


And if this isn’t enough, and her book will definitely leave you wanting more, you can find Beverly teaching around the country this year and signing books, at such notable events as Adorn Me (March), I Dream of Beading (April-May) and the national Bead & Button Show in Milwaukee in June. Her blog offers something for everyone, including an appreciation of family, food, good friends and nature, all as depicted by Beverly, a true gem herself.

Charmed, I'm Sure

I remain crazy as ever about charm bracelets and am glad other people share my enthusiasm! One of my favorite co-workers, Ms. Caroline, asked me to make up some charm bracelets for her daughter, future daughter-in-law and of course, herself. The requests were black and white and beach-y, turquoises and beach-y and antique brass and neutral for Caroline--who has the tiniest wrist ever--5 3/8"!

You can click on each photo above for a larger view. The squares at the top are actually blue and green mother-of-pearl, a lime-y sort of green, although they look yellow in the picture. Ick. There's some actual turquoise and other natural elements as well as a glass fish and many fun charms.

The antique brass bracelet has brown pearls, brown mother-of-pearl, wood beads, foiled or dichroic beads, resin flowers, picture jasper and lots of brass findings. That's jewelry-speak for "metal accents." The adjustable chain clasp has a brass filigree dragonfly and crystal accent.

The black and white bracelet has some vintage buttons as well as big black and white lace-y glass beads, black and white swirl mother-of-pearl, pearls in silver bead cages, nautical charms and a nautical lobster-style clasp. That's also jewelry-speak for a claw-type clasp that actually has nothing to do per se with the nautical theme, except that this one is shaped like a buouy.

I love making each charm and dangle. They are always so hard to part with. Every time I make a bracelet for someone else, I tell myself I will make one just like it. But I never seen to get around to it. At least I have my pictures to remind myself in case I ever do.

Like Candy...

Inspiration awaits. Free time, where art thou? There are new bracelets and earrings in my Etsy shop, though. Click here or see link at right.

If X equals the sum of my evening's art adventures, then WHY do I still have a headache?

If three beads and one charm can send me to the studio for nine-and-a-half hours and produce four bracelets and six pairs of earrings all the while fighting a migraine, then what is x? Just thought I'd try to tie in some of that lovely algebra we were all promised we'd use later in life. Well, I don't know x or why, but my jewelry-designing gene woke me up in the middle of the night with an idea for a bracelet. I received my three free beads from Fried Peas and an unexpected and totally cute crown charm from Debrina Pratt of Spark*Your*Imagination in the mail Friday, and by the wee hours of Saturday, I had a girly pink charm bracelet in mind, using the crown charm and some pink resin beads. I even got up to write myself a note in case my memory faded by morning.

After a late breakfast and one of the worst migraines I've had in awhile, I banished myself to the basement thinking that the charm bracelet work would take my mind off my head pain. It did indeed as I wire-wrapped dangly after dangly for the bracelet, then added jump rings and attached all the charms. A few of the beads I used I had been saving for almost a year for something special. I guess this was it.

The next thing I knew it was six hours and four bracelets later! I came up to make a big salad and homemade croutons for supper and then headed back downstairs to make six pairs of earrings. By the time I finished I had been at it nearly 10 hours. And none of this was on my to-do list for today! I also wanted to put more beeswax on my doll canvas, which I did. I love the smellof beeswax, although I know not everyone does. I also had high hopes of painting my paper clay figures- the mushroom and owl I had molded-so I got to that about midnight. I am always quickly reminded that tired=messy.

I photographed all my creations, and some are shown above. The entire result of Saturday's adventures can be seen on my Flickr photostream here. Some of the goodies are heading to my Etsy shop next. Gotta try to make a little money because that buys more beads.

Tomorrow's art to-do list? An art doll assemblage with the porcelain doll heads I built up with paper clay and something Alice in Wonderland*ish.

It's off to Pittsburgh Tuesday for work and also company year-end Tuesday, so reports and packing are also beckoning, and my reading pile is growing. I've tried stockpiling sleep, and it just doesn't work. In fact, I'm going to guess that weird sleep, feather pillows, stress and too many carbs were the algebraic equation that equalled my migraine. Don' try this at home.

I won some Fried Peas!

Wow! I just want to eat them up- look at the great beads I won yesterday from Beatrice Killeen in California of Fried Peas. I found her site and beads from following some lampwork links in Stringing magazine and on to other beaders' sites. These are the most colorful, fun, cheerful beads I think I've ever seen. Can't wait to see them in person and decide what to make with them. Check her gallery here for some incredibly beautiful beads. Thank you, Beatrice!

Spring Bling and Things

There were splashes of color everywhere I turned this weekend. The trees seem to be exploding with blooms. I took time to cut some lilacs, crabapple blossoms, tulips and daffodil to bring inside. A large pitcher does double duty as a vase for my fragrant and cheery centerpiece.

A trip to Canal Street Gallery in Winona Lake produced a little baggy of goodies (bottom photo). It's almost like going to the candy store...and much less fattening! Owner Merna Eisenbraun had just gotten a new shipment of interesting Mother-of-Pearl beads in, so I brought home a few to make earrings. I made two pair for myself and another five pairs for my Etsy shop. So it seems like I got a lot out of my little stash, and I still have enough left to make a bracelet out of the black and white and red ones. But try as I might tonight, I just couldn't come up with the sequence that interested me. Next time. I'm offering free shipping in the US on the new earrings in my Etsy shop, so check them out.

A couple of hours wandering the antique mall in North Webster, IN produced only one little treasure- this frozen Charlotte/Kewpie type doll for $5.00. She stands six inches and aside from a little dirt, she's in great shape, frozen though she is, except for arms that move. Although that was the only thing I bought, I always have a great time looking at all the old stuff, hoping for that bargain, searching for that "thing" I will know when I see it- something strange to use in my altered art or just another thing. Period.

Time for the Big Reveal; My Relationship with Art and Other Dramas

The Marie canvas of which I posted a sneak peek here, left Indiana for sunny California and recipient Kathy Jacobson a few days ago, so hopefully it is safe to post the finished piece now. This was my canvas in Maria Rodarte's "Marie Bits & Baubles Swap." The idea was to use an 8.5" x 11" canvas and create 12 different sections, although it was completely open to interpretation. I used a bit larger canvas and there are 12 sections, although irregular in size.

There's a pocket wherein I stuck a Marie-inspired tag, an artist trading card and some Marie ephemera. I also love the old glass bottle in the lower right corner. I wired it on to make it a vase. The turquoise pin is a brooch I bought a few years ago and seldom wore. There's vintage millinery from an old hat I took apart (the turquoise velvet leaves and buds), a ceramic bird, lace, ribbons and lots of great stuff. It was fun to make!

But that was last weekend's work. This weekend started on Friday when I got some great beads half price at my LBS: Bead Source in Fort Wayne, IN., which has been in business well over 10 years. I went for pink and that's what I got. In fact I had this bracelet in my head, and spent several hours last night making the various dangles, then cutting and wire wrapping them, and then attaching them with jump rings to the bracelet. There are more than 25 different stacked dangles with glass and resin beads, vintage buttons, sterling and other metal bits, crochet beads amd ceramic beads from Earthenwood Studio. I can't decide if I will sell it or keep it, but if I sell, you can always find it in my Etsy shop!

I also stopped by my LSS: Stamping Day and Night in Fort Wayne, to pick up the latest Catch Up magazine from Stamper's Sampler and while I was there sweet Sarah showed me a new old technique which uses alcohol inks and blending solution on glossy paper to make some cool backgrounds. I couldn't wait to try that either, so sometime after midnight I let my tired jewelry-making eyes play around with that. I'll cut these examples up for backgrounds for greeting cards or artist trading cards (ATCs).

At the bookstore I got two exciting books, Journal Bliss by Violette and Painting with Watercolor, Pen and Ink by Claudia Nice. The journaling book is just a RIOT of color, and I couldn't wait to start doodling, so in the wee hours, when I had finally settled into bed- sort of- I started doodling faces in my sketchbook. Can't wait to play with that later today!

Meanwhile, after getting to sleep at 4 a.m., I somehow sprung up at 8:30 (yes, a.m.) to go buy flowers and plants. Although we had sleet, snow and hail in northern Indiana just Tuesday, we have now had two (count 'em, two) days in a row of sunshine and 80F degrees. There's definitely an Indiana (and maybe even a redneck) joke in there somewhere about planting too soon, but I just couldn't stand it another minute. Everything was looking so bare, plain, ugly, drab, blah, you get the picture.

So I loaded my little car at Wal-Mart, Lowe's and the local greenhouse and came home with a huge fern, a couple of hanging plants, filler plants, geraniums, pansies, and dirt as well as a dozen solar lights for the landscaping after running into an acquaintance who said the $2.99 lights work like they cost a million bucks. At dark, we'll see. If they do work, I have a feeling I'll be making a return trip. With a graduation open house looming, 'sprucing up' takes on a meaning of astronomical proportions. And since it is only April 25, this won't be the first year I'll probably be dragging plants in and out of the garage each day, to protect them at night.

One of my purchases was a real pineapple plant, with the cutest pineapple ever growing on it! Photos next post-if it doesn't snow. Ack. I feel the gardening muscles coming back to life after half a year and starting to ache already.

So about Art. No, not Art the college algebra instructor who was barely two years older than my flirty 18 and who at 6'5" was extremely more interesting than 'x' and 'y' unless you were talking chromosomes 'back in the day' at Ball State U.

No, not local car collector Art Gakstatter and his wife Cookie, to whom I sold Longaberger baskets for a time. I just got a kick out of saying their names. Of course, my children use 'gak' as a verb to alert me to partially-digested cat deposits about the house.

And no, not Art M., one of my all-time favorite customers from work: the kind of person who makes doing business a pleasure, who enjoys a good chat about families or business, and who shows you he gets that having a life and having a job are two different things.

So about my art: I was thinking while I was doodling random heads that my faces weren't half bad. No, not Picasso good. Not even like-my-famous-art-friends good. Just good 'for me.' See, I never thought I could draw. In fact, I don't think I could when I was a kid. My drawings from imagination were nothing special, no perceptive perspective, no amazing use of colors. But, by junior high school, I must have shown either some kind of talent or perhaps just amazing organizational skills (OCD, anyone? Yes, just a little), or maybe just enthusiasm, because a couple different art teachers took me under their wing, not necessarily for drawing, but for creating stuff.

Suddenly, I could do 'it.' And the more I believed I could do it, the better my 'stuff' seemed to look, at least to me. I remember being asked by the librarian to make bulletin boards when I was in seventh grade, and it got me out of some other class. I remember making an album cover in eighth grade that was a highlight because I learned to score paper. Big deal, right? By ninth grade, drawing all those biology cross sections was a breeze, and I still remember with pride my frog done in pencil that the teacher gushed on about.

So, my question is: could I do it just because I believed I could do it? Or did I/do I have some artistic talent that comes from a gene pool that just needed to be let loose? Could I draw those faces last night because I believed I could, fully intended to, before I even got out my pencils and sketch pad? Or was my right or left brain (whichever side isn't still thinking about algebra class) just properly engaged with all the drawing neurons from eye to finger firing?

I don't know. But either way, I like it.

Postess with the Mostess. Squee!

Everything thing about this post makes me squeal with delight. In fact, I have been on cloud nine for the last 12 hours, barely stopping to sleep. I AM the postess with the mostess, simply because I feel like the luckiest blogger in the world, well, the www world anyway.

Yesterday I happened upon Altered Art Circus by Lisa Kettell at Barnes and Noble (Quarry Books, 2009, ISBN-13:978-1-59253-487-6; or on Amazon). I say 'happened' because I wasn't expecting to find it on the shelf yet. The publication date has been February 2009 for about the last year and a half, or ever since the author, Lisa Kettell of The Faerie Zine, invited me to submit a piece of art for the book's gallery.

At the time I started making this 3D sculpture representative of Marie Antoinette, my intent was to make Lisa a gift for all her work in our art group. I don't think I even knew then the book had a circus theme, or certainly I would have drawn on my great love for circus art! Nevertheless, I made the 18" 'Marie' in one day, and sent her east to live with Lisa. I never really believed the piece would make it into the book- either because of some mail disaster only I would experience or because it was edited out for being "no good." Every artist has those thoughts, especially one who has never been published in a real book until now. A 'real' magazine, yes. 'Real' books published via Blurb or Lulu, yes. But a real publishing house with a real editor (who didn't cut out my picture)? C'est Magnifique!

Here's a couple more links to my other Marie figures here and here. I have one still for sale on etsy, and I sent the rest off last summer in hopes of finding their way into Stampington's new Marie Antoinette magazine.

But as for being in Lisa's book, I am over the moon! And I share the Gallery with so many wonderful art friends like Bella and Wanda and Ann-Denise. And I share my page with the inimitable DeBriNa Pratt of Spark*Your*Imagination. Thank you again Lisa!

Another great art friend who roams these same circles is Viv Neroni of New York. Out of the blue (and I say that because I haven't been reading everyone's blogs as faithfully as I should) Viv sent me the most darling pin-keep (above), which I won in a contest on her blog. Viv and I swapped goodies once before. She makes the most darling tiny felted bears and paper clay figures and posts the most delicious photos on her blog. Viv is also Violet's 'new mom.' Violet is of the Blythe persuasion, and I only now realized 'V' is the perfect letter. No wonder Viv kept Violet's name after 'adopting' her.

The 'beady' looking photo (top) is a work-in-progress. It's starting with stringing assorted tiny seed beads from a bead soup by Beverly Gilbert of Gilbert Designs in Washington. I met Beverly at Art & Soul, Portland, in October and made two pendants in her class. It is tiny work that requires reading glasses and a task light. See that sliver of a curved beading needle? It's a wonder I can string anything. This strand so far is sort of a freeform Peyote stitch, which I am glad to have finally learned. It really is easy.

I'm planning to use the strand when fully-formed to encase either a 'jingle' shell as shown above or a piece of beach glass or some other shell and a tiny starfish, and that will form a pendant just like the amber one I made at A&S. But, shhhh! Don't tell. It's going to be a gift for someone special who favors shells.

Portland Art & Soul Even More than Expected

Beautiful but soggy Portland was the site of another Art & Soul retreat, and I had a spectacular time staying with Michelle. She's shown above in her home studio which is much more like a store-make that a candy store for grown-ups. Cassondra joined us most of the time-what a cheerful, sweet person she is!

We shopped 'til we truly dropped on two different days. I'll be posting pics of my goodies. Portland is an amazing city, and there is such a hip, happening, vintage and artsy vibe. Every place we went was so cool. I walked nearly a mile up and down Alberta Street in heels because I just couldn't get enough of shops with names like Frock, Flutter, Collage, Imp, Bolt, Swoon, Red Bird and more. We ate at places called Hula Hands, Pizzicato, Picazzo's, and I went nuts over the New Seasons funky grocery we went to twice. Let's just say I got a finger puppet, heirloom tomatoes, 10 different kinds of Luna bars and $15 cookies at the green grocer.

Gas was even a bargain at $3.22 a gal for 87 with no self-service allowed to support entry-level jobs. I do think all the grown-up hippies have re-located there as I lost count of VW buses-seriously. We all agreed they needed lots of collage and painted daisies on them. There was a baby blue one right out of my 1970s teenage dreams.

Michelle and her family were fun to hang with. Even her cats were amazing!
Julie Collings and friends (Deb is fun!) also joined us one day. Julie has a new book out, Pretty Little Felts, which she signed for me. Just adorable projects! Julie also produces ArtNest in Utah. Oh yeah, and she has a family and four children and makes art. Nothin' to it.

Several other artists were on hand signing books, including LK Ludwig of Extreme Visual Journaling and Nature Journals, Kelly Rae Roberts of Taking Flight (I bought a journal from her), Sally Jean Alexander, whom I met at ZNE, Tonia Davenport of Plexi-Class and jewelry acquisitions editor for F+W Northlight and Mary Ann Hall of Quay/Quarry who is editing my friend Lisa Kettell's book Altered Art Circus that I am in and which comes out this winter. I missed seeing Dawn Devries Sokol of 1000 Artist Journals, whom I met at ZNE, but she had bookplates for everyone. So many great people! It was a joy to finally meet James and Helga Strauss of ArtChix Studio. They were selling collage sheets like mad. I haven't been as active lately but am still thrilled to say I have designs on their Pet Faux Post and Pink Faux Post sheets. Get yourself a bazillion copies! Helga's new mini pins are great, too, and the By The Sea and Mermaid collage products are super. I love the work of my IRL friend Jade Adams on them! It was also a joy to see Mike and Shosh of Hannah Grey again, although I was so exhausted by the end of vendor night Saturday, I was standing about one inch from Shosh and didn't even know it! We were shopping at the tres Francais Vintage Charmings booth of Kate and her sister. More hugs and love were shared in Lisa Kaus' darling booth. I'm so glad some friends bought originals.

I had two classes Friday: the Beachcomber with Beverly Gilbert of Gilbert Designs. I was almost dreading this class, having avoided seed beads like a disease. I didn't have a task light, didn't have beading needles, didn't even know why I picked the class. It must have been good karma, though, because I knew in the first five minutes I would love it. And I did. I didn't even leave the room for lunch or when class ended. I could have attached myself permanently to Beverly. She is so sweet and so enthusiastic about color and what she does. Her jewelry is amazing. Check out her Web site. I'll be posting more pics, and I can't wait to play with my 'bead soup' I bought from her for class. Pictured above are the two pendants I made, wrapping sead beads around found treasures like beach glass, with a mix of free-form peyote and netting stitches. That's me with Beverly. She has a great fashion sensibility as well. No surprise.

The goodies are still needing to be unpacked and photographed as well as my charms (enough for a bracelet) and other swap goodies. I also need to take pics of my work from Traci Bautista's class. It was all just an incredible experience! Can't wait to do it again.

Could I Be Any More Charming? Probably.

I began to wonder if my pliers would break somewhere in the middle of 71 charms for Art & Soul http://www.artandsoulretreat.com. I made a batch of 32 and then 39 of these little Mermaid Moon Ballerinas. Hard to believe something less than two inches long has at least nine different parts. They ae strung on a two-inch eye pin with a silver spacer at bottom, then a wire-wrapped large bead for the skirt, a square bead for the body and a small round or oval bead for the collar. This is followed by the moon bead. The pin is then cut and wire-wrapped by hand-not my strongest suit. Some blood was shed during this project as well as a few verbal inhibitions. To the wire-wrapped loop I added a jump ring and then a split ring so these can be safely attached on the 32 different charm bracelets they will get swapped out for. I'll receive my finished bracelet of 32 all different charms on May 1 in Hampton, VA. Happy May Day to me!

The second batch- 39- will be taken in individual baggies with Moo cards for random swapping during A&S. I am also taking either artist trading cards (ATCs) or fiber packs. I am told fellow artists stop and swap everywhere~ in class, in the halls, in the bathroom, in taxis, at dinner, etc., and that "about 50-100" random swap packs are needed if one wants to be fully prepared. So I am about halfway there with about 16 days to go. Can't wait!

I can be more charming, though, as approximately 36 more charms are needed for June 8 at the Castle in the Meadow event in Detroit, MI at the Dodge mansion for ZNE, VariaZioNE http://www.zneart.com, a mixed media artists' group whose Midwest meeting and charm swap I will attend then and whose national convention I will attend in August http://www.zneconvenzione.com. Yay! Check it out.

Now I Remember Why I Quit Beading

An hour into a 15-minute job to make a lariat belt into a necklace for Caroline at my office reminded me why I gave up jewelry making after a few years. It really is tiny, tedious work! One definitely needs octopi for this craft also. And, I understand why jewelers wear those gigantic headlights. I used to be able to do this without my glasses, but I couldn't see anything this time.

After finding my reading glasses, I shortened what was once a belt that would have gone around Caroline twice into about an 18-inch necklace. I took the pendant part off of the belt, removed some of the findings (it was super long), and put it back together.

That's when I realized I forgot to string it into the middle of the necklace. So, I thought I'd take the easy way out and add it via jump ring. I managed to do that, but in fiddling around I nicked the main string. It would have held, it was 12-pound test weight and Caroline barely weighs 12 pounds herself (size O). But, I got all done and thought, "no, this is not satisfactory. I would not wear this."

So I unstrung the whole thing, cut off the crimp beads and the clasp and started over. From scratch. Happy Necklace, Caroline. I'm starting to like it for myself.