Thursday, July 5, 2007

June Page Surprise!

It's done!! And I've taken a bit of a detour. I'm still working on the snake goddess / table piece, but couldn't rush it. I will show her later when she's done. So I went back to my original intention which is to use my semiprecious stone beads, Thai silver, African and antique beads - my most precious stash - for this project.

Since I will be working and receiving a salary for something besides my artwork, one of the benefits is that I'm no longer worrying about whether it's financially viable to embroider with these "expensive" beads. What freedom for me to use what I love, rather than what I think I "ought?" to use!!

This piece is definitely more feminine than my work usually is. I will use Robin's poem technique and Pat Allen's Art Is a Way of Knowing technique to journal about this piece. The piece is 3" by 4-3/8". I will probably put a pocket on the back to hold my writings, but may also print them on fabric to go in a book.






I also tried something new in fabrication of this piece. I beaded to the raw edge of the fabric, because I like raw edges alot. So to add support, I sewed biase tape on as I beaded the edging. I liked how that worked out.







I know what I will use for my July piece. A few years ago, I bought an African trade bead necklace at the Santa Fe flea market that is made up of blue, orange, yellow, black and white beads and discs. The colors seem to express the exuberance of July - fireworks, my birthday, the hot summer days with lots of vivid colors. And with a few more days off, I will get it going.


Thanks to Brenda for the Zulu concept of Wosa Moya embracing change. I will be reflecting on that over the next many days, and working with African trade beads will be reinforcing. I can't wait to see what happens!

6 comments:

Padparadscha said...

Oh, this is really sweet ! It's a shrine for your precious beads, and the center looks like a crown for a Beading Princess.

I like the way you do the raw edges too.

The Lone Beader® said...

Great job on this! I also like how you added the extra support on the back:)

Brenda said...

It was a surprise!
I found myself trying to discover the table with in it.
I can feel the winds of change circling around you.
Great page!

Lillian said...

I love that you used your "special beads" with this project :o) And what you did with them is refreshing! Lillian

s said...

Oh Vicki, this is great.
You know I have been like you a lot, thinking I should save certain beads for ???? I wasn't sure, but I had paid a lot for them and I knew the perfect thing would come up and I would want that. So my collection of those wonderful piece continued to grow. {I should take a picture of my bead wall that my husband and son together rigged up for me to put all these special things on.}. Anyway, one day as I was looking at my wonderful treasures waiting for the right day it occurred me. It was like a voice in my head, as if someone had smacked me up behind the head and said,"hey woman, if you knock off, somebody else is going to get to decide where all those treasures go." Well right then and there I figured, you know there will always be new treasures. I am going to work with these. No more waiting for the right piece. Because hey if I use it in something, it was the right piece.
Ok enough of my rambling..
Happy Birthday .. not sure the date but know its coming up.
Sunni

Vicki said...

Thanks, everybody, for your wonderful comments. Sunni, I had exactly the same thought this past year. Someday I'll be dead and someone else will get to use these fabulous beads! Nothing like a little reality therapy to stop the hoarding instinct!! :-)