from Focal to Finish....

I think I am a bead maker not a jewelry designer . I do envision potential designs when I create my beads. But, I really enjoy seeing how someone else uses them .
Remember that childhood whisper game ? The first person whispers to the next and by the time the last person is whispered to, the phrase has changed entirely !
Clay is like that ...someone makes the clay ,the next person makes the beads etc. By the time someone is wearing the creation ,everything seems so different .

I am lucky that my beads get good homes. It's wonderful to see them in a such a variety of beautiful creations.
I wish I could see every bead in it's final setting!
I am grateful to all the talented jewerly makers who use my beads in their fabulous designs!

This week I am going to venture into some jewelry making of my own.
The Art bead scene blog has great monthly contests .
The inspiration is a new piece of art every month .This month the painting is "Fairy Feller's-Master Stroke" by Richard Dadd. http://artbeadscene.blogspot.com/

I LOVE fairies and I do want some new jewelry for the holidays.
So I decided to to see what I can come up with using the painting to jump start my muse !
I gathered some elements together.
But , for now my muse is still musing . ....
Bead Happy , m.e. :)

Could this be you?

MS. ROBOT


Do you ever get so caught up in the routine of life that you feel like a robot ?
We all need to find those things that bring us joy and keep us feeling alive .
For me it's my polymer clay. Creating with clay is almost a form of mediation for me.
It clears my mind of daily tasks,troubles and thoughts. In my clay world, I relax and revitalize in the world of my imagination . Taking time out just to play can be a good thing .
Playing with clay is good for me !

Most of my work goes into my ETSY shop .
Every once in awhile I make something just for me .
Below is my glow in the dark Ghost bangle bracelet .
Very easy to make and so much fun to wear !

Ms .Robot is over at my ETSY shop right now ! She's my entry for November's PCAGOE challenge ! The theme is "metallic showdown "
Check out the AWESOME entries !
Vote for your favorite and you'll be in the drawing for some wonderful prizes !
http://pcagoe.com/

Don't forget to take some time to play today....
Bead Happy ! :) m.e.

This is Unreal !

Once in awhile it's interesting to try a new tecnique .My daughter experimented with Raku in a pottery class . I just loved how it looked.It goes wonderfully with the copper and bronze that I'm seeing so much of . I decided to try to "raku "my clay !
I suppose I 'll have to call it a Faux finish . Although, I'm not enamored with the term......

Faux= fake: not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article

I'm not really trying to imitate something. I'm just inspired by it !
My designs and my life find inspiration at every turn . I hope neither my work or my personality seem fake or not genuine . Real polymer clay creations ,real m.e. ! Inspired by life !!!

Some time ago there was on -line a discussion where metal artists criticized the polymer clay community's use of the term Mokume Gane .
I'm too busy having fun with clay too worry about where to draw the line between fact and faux.
How do you feel about it?
for now
Fantasy Flowers inspired by the ceramic tecnique Raku
seems like much too long a title ...
so it's Faux Raku from me this week !

Bead Happy, m.e :)

Does Size Matter ?

If you only check out the big things in life you miss a lot !
I think you SHOULD sweat the small stuff !!!
Take time to really appreciate nature's finite detail .
Don't just stop and smell the roses ...look closely !
Meditate on the minuscule.
It is " a small world after all "
A world of wonder that many pass by without taking the time to notice .

I love small !

Most of my designs are small ! I like tiny details. I love making small fairies, small figures,small flowers !
But... BIG is in! Big jewelry is in the fashion forecast !
I'm not much of a trend follower . I'm far from a fashionista !
But, I do love making flowers ... so I'm trying out a new design . BIG floral pendants !
of course......... I am adding small details !

Bead Happy ! :) m.e.

Pick a Favorite !!!

the PCAGOE October challenge theme is "favorite artist "
voting begins Oct 1 Check out the members great entries !!!
you could win prize just for voting !!!
http://pcagoe.com/

Picking an artist was all BIG challenge for me !
I have a favorite soft drink ,a favorite laundry detergent ...even a favorite brand of peanut butter .
But , a favorite artist ???
Some art makes me think ,some inspires me . Sometimes I wonder at the skill of the artist . Sometimes I wonder at the artist's vision . Art can elicit strong emotion . Art can even entertain. I believe valid art can be pretty for just for pretty's sake . Art can tell us about the world ,the artist, ourselves . All that is ... all that can be imagined .........

Should I pick a great master, a contemporary artist ....maybe a folk artist ?
A painter ,sculptor...maybe a jewelry designer ???

Impossible !!!! I could NOT pick a favorite artist !!!

In the end I decided to make a tiny ballerina pendant inspired by Degas
One of his sculptures stood in the entrance hall at the Baltimore Art museum when I was a child .
That little Ballerina pointed the way to my appreciation of Art .
My entry is tribute to her as well as her creator, Degas.

Who my favorite artist is seems to depend on time, place and my mood
At the present one of my very favorites is my 5 year old granddaughter,Caroline .
Her art brings me great joy !!! Below her portrait of me!
Bead Happy , m.e. :)

Water Therapy

I am busy ,busy ,busy with Holiday clay!!!!
I do find clay very relaxing. But, sometimes I even need a break from that !

For me Scuba diving is a way to restore myself. Submersing myself the ocean seems to clear my mind and bring me great peace. I only am able to dive a few time a year and the memories do sustain me. But, I have made a great discovery !!!
"Teens 4 Oceans " is a wonderful conservation group that has placed 2 live underwater cameras in the Florida Keys . I can sit in my living room and watch the fish !!!
check out
http://www.teens4oceans.org/webcam/ggrp/camer1.html
you may have to scroll down a bit to see the cameras. They are working on a better web site layout ...just take a minute to look around .
Depending on the time of day and how recently they have cleaned the camera lens you can see the real time world under the Bahia Honda bridge and the Dry Tortugas dock .
The only problem is, just when I decide to stop looking , something really cool swims by !
I have seen turtles on several occasions and once a shark!
Very exciting !!!!!
In fact ,maybe the site is not so much relaxing as mind clearing .
Give it a look, if you need a moment to refresh or perhaps some fishy inspiration!

Bead Happy , m.e. :)

* photo by Annie, taken on our dive at Looe Key in June

beyond color...

Recently I completed a piece that will appear in a clay calendar .
All the calendar photos will be in black and white.
I'm all about color ! I love it !
In fact one of the things I like best about polymer clay is that I can
mix my own shades . Then there are Skinner blends , Mokume gane ...
no end to the color !

However ,this project did make me step back and think
How dependent is a design on color ? Will a shape stand alone ?
Things just don't look the same in black and white .
Annie's photo of a local stream ,lets me concentrate on the shapes of nature rather than the shades.

Last week I thought about color combination's.
This week I'm contemplating black, white and the inevitable shades of gray......

Bead Happy !
:) m.e.