Perlen = Bead

Oh my goodness it has been way too long since I posted a project on this blog. I am ashamed of myself.
I have been busy creating, but not posting. Bad Mary, Bad Bad Bad Mary.



Inspiration has hit me smack in the middle of my forehead. This year has been full of ideas, momentum and encouragement from people I had not expected to hear from. I think I could zoom off into the stratasphere with all the energy and power these people have given me, if not for ONE thing. And that is so huge that it is the albatros around my neck.



TIME!



I must work and earn a wage. I must excercise and free myself from the scare of heart issues or stroke. I must spend time with family and create an enviroment that I can reap the benefits from later in my life. So with all of that chipping away at the clock, where do I find the time for creation?

I STEAL IT!

Sometimes they notice, but most of the time they don't . . .until it is too late.

Beading has taken over my design time. Blended with some embroidery as well. In Germany Perlen means Bead, once you know these other words then searching the internet becomes even better.

I want to share the results so far of my stolen time.

This one is titled "20,000 Leagues". I have always wanted to build a Mermaid cave or something of the like.
This started with a piece of hand dyed wool felt. I cut a very organic shape out of it. The green cabachones were placed first. They are actually enameled discs that are slighted domed.
While in the middle of it I took it to Bead Happy in Milwaukie to find some matching beads. There I showed it to the shop clerk and asked if I was making it to enter a contest. ??Contest? That is when I learned about the Fire Mountain Gem contests.
I think I just might enter it. It also gave me the idea to make other works for contests.

I wore this on the plane to Germany.

I also took this with me while visiting a friend in Bend. She took me to A Zillion Beads where again I pulled it out to match some colors. The clerks there as well as many customers drooled over it. I was pleasantly surprised. The shop manager suggested I become a showcase artist after she saw pictures of my other works.
Hmmmm this might be a good thing.

What I learned during this piece is that weight is a tricky thing. I like the shape but it does not wear well on a busty woman.

I found some "fairy doors' or some places call them wish keepers. I knew I wanted to bead embroider around them but was not sure how to start. My shape, again, came out of an organic meeting of my scissors and the wool felt.

From the very beginning I knew I would be making a series of these and after the first one was completed I had already designed the other 4.

Here is The Door into Summer" named after one of my mother's favorite Heinlein SyFy books.
Many bead embroidery artists cover the backing material completly with beads where as I love to have it become part of the design. Especially with my wool felt. I am now searching fo more hand dyed designs. Might do my own.
The texture the wool adds it so nice.

And this is a sneak preview of the next one. Titled "Door Van Gogh" As in Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Starry Night. In August we joined some friends to watch the meteor showers. This is my interpretation of the shooting stars we saw that night on a hilltop outside of Portland.

Just to be clear this is a work in progress, there are actual diamond like stones going in each of the stars.

My dear friend Siggi, from Germany, has pushed me into believing that I could sell items like these. And even developed the possibility of making evening bag/purses with my beading and embroidery on it. I need to work up more "stock" before I consider selling. I would much rather be a showcase artist or a teacher first. I'll start there.