Soft sculpture - Beaded Art Doll, November

I was so inspired by the election this year that I made "Vote, Dude!" for November. I used Ndebele, Peyote, square stitch and bead embroidery to complete this funny creation.

Beaded Journal Project - November

The butterfly for November uses blues and browns to highlight its colors. I changed the bottom portion of the wings as I experiment through the months.

Beaded Leaf

This is the 3rd in a series of 5 leaves. It's one of my favorities!

Cyanotype

This is the result of a cyanotype class which uses chemicals and is developed using solar lighting. The process can be done on paper or cloth.

UTEE play

A fun art day of UTEE play. Beads, a small vial, a photo, a mirror, a key, glitter and some words are encased in UTEE. Texture was made with gesso and some Golden products. The art measures 4x6"

Beaded necklace

Here's a birthday gift I gave to my green loving gal pal. The necklace features twisted and ribbon Ndebele technique. A green and silver leaf is the focal point of this creation. The closure includes a chain (with matching leaf) so that my friend can wear it long or shortened.

Beaded Journal Project - October

October's page is a black butterfly with hints of orange. Only 10 more butterflies to go! The pages measures 4x4".

Beaded soft sculpture in juried show

This is "Boo Ha Ha" which measures 4-1/2 x 5". It is my October beaded art doll.

Boo Ha Ha was juried into Small Works of Art at Art on Boston which begins November 1. See sidebar photo for more information. The official notice is below.

"Spirit of the Season”

through December 24, 2008

Receptions: 7-9 pm, Saturday, Nov. 8, Dec.13

Studio Art Quilt Associates

Sherryl Buchler, Denise A. Currier, Linda McCurry, Sharon J. Richards,

Connie L. Smyer, Mary Vaneecke, Meiny Vermaas-van der Heide, Barb Wills

“Small Works of Art”

Keely Berry-Leblanc, Kathy Canuel, Craig Cheply, Suzanne Chudnoff,

Cindy Conners, Marian Crane, Janet DeMars, Evelyn Gholson, Chuck Girard,

Michael Hayslip, Laura P. Hukill, Sue Hunter, Dale Kesel, Elaine Langsner,

George Lenz, Victoria Pearman, Mary Poindexter, Jacqueline Price,

Suzanne Tyson, Susana Valenzuela, Alice Van Overstraeten,

Sandra Neumann Wilderman, Deborah White, Judy Yaryan

Was on, wax off

Some collage and encaustic combination on an 8x10" canvas. I really enjoyed this process and the depth of it.

Beaded leaf

The 2nd leaf in a series of 5.

Solder-abilities

Soldering fun from the art retreat. That's a Mona Lisa art doll and she has happy feet.

Art Quilt

11 crafty women spent a long weekend at Aravaipa Canyon at a wonderful art retreat. This is my 10x10" completed quilt. The background is splattered and the remainder is fused and sewn to the fabric.

Beads & Books

Wherever I have lived, I have not had the good fortune of experiencing the change of color in leaves. I am making my own beaded versions and will be binding the collection into a book. I used bead embroidery and netting stitch on top of upholstery fabric. The fabric is backed with treated, textured and painted watercolor paper made to simulate a leaf look. All leaves will measure 5-1/2x6-1/2". This is the first of 5.

Beaded Journal Project - September

I am a member of the Beaded Journal Project (BJP) and will be beading an item each month. I have chosen the theme of butterflies. The signature measures 4x4-/12" and will be turned into a book once all 12 projects have been completed.

Soft sculpture - Beaded

As a member of a Beaded Art Doll group, I will be beading a calendar doll each month of the year. We began in September and here is "Fall's Frenzy". Her face is made of polymer clay and she is totally beaded with size 11 seed bead. Her bead colors change on her body as do the leaves. Her brown beads represent the veining of the leaves. She holds the fallen leaves of autumn. She stands 2x8" .

Commissioned work

This is a twisted Ndebele necklace and bracelet commission I did for a gallery owner. It is done with size 8 and 6 seed beads and is 10 beads in diameter. There is a form inside the necklace and bracelet to hold its shape. The necklace is 15" in length and can be adjusted with the chain closure.

Braided Wonder

This stitch is a cross between peyote and netting.
The artist, Nancy Strahle, calls it single space stitch. I ended the bracelet a bit different than called for by making a circular brick stitch with hex and size 8 seed beads. A Czech button hides the straps of each braid. The closure is square stitched with a wire inside to reinforce it. I love the color palette.

Book Arts

This is my 2nd creation using solder with glass & metal. The book is bound with leather and includes 5 signatures. Jump rings were soldered on the side and incorporate a bead on each jump ring. It measures 5" x 5-3/4".

Wire Sculpture w/Beads

Say hello to Mr. Sun a wire sculpture using 16 and 18 gauge wire. The body is woven with beads. His "slinky legs have twirling beads inside the wire form. He had African beads for arms and radio transmitter plugs as hands. His head is made of polymer clay with a metal face and beads embedded into it. He measures 2" x 6-1/2".

Book Arts

This was the result of a Carved & Beaded book class I took from Doris Arndt at Art Unraveled 2008. We tore and painted watercolor paper, we carved the cover (left photo), dyed the leather and sewed the signatures into book with beads (right photo). It is a chunky book and measures 3-1/4" x 4".

Soft sculpture - Beaded

This is Mini Barb made esp for a special birthday. Her face is a transfer. She is smoking in her pink Ndebele size 11 seed bead sweater and white hot pants to match. She loves flip flops and wears pink ones with her pretty pink toes. Her hair is 5 layers of size 15 beads. She stands 3" tall.
Watch that drain, girl!

I've been tagged!

I've been tagged for a Meme by Cyn. On with the show...
1. What was I doing 10 years ago? We were living in CA and I was already retired. My second occupation was an instructor in the classroom working with special education students. How interesting that was!
2. 5 things on my to do list for today. Meet girlfriends for a day of art shopping. Go to the gym.
Make art. Go out to lunch. Pack suitcase.
3. Snacks I like. Almonds and cashews. Fruit of all sorts. Dark chocolate. Cookies.
4. Things I'd do if I were a billionaire. Travel the world. Donate more to worthy causes.
5. Places I've lived. San Francisco, CA. Honolulu, HI, Guam, Las Vegas, NV & Carefree, AZ
6. Jobs I've had. Gift wrapper (never again!), Artist in Residence, Sales, Teen Counselor, library assistant, program manager.
7. Peeps I want to know more about. Grace, Susan, Jos, Denise

Resin Play

An evening of resin play using UTEE, Diamond Glaze, & 2 part resin. Too much fun!

Beaded bracelets

Double Needle Netting.
The black bracelet uses size 15, 11 seed beads and 3 mm Firepolish beads. The clasp is done in square and peyote stitch.
The gray bracelet uses 3 cut size 11 seed beads and 3mm druks for a slightly different look.
The netting stretches open like a fishing net.

Book Arts

A piano hinged book incorporates patterned paper, skewers, waxed linen and beads. It measures 4-1/2" x 8-1/2".

Beaded soft sculpture

Temple Goddess
Beaded Ndebele robe of black & gold seed beads. Metal face with multi colored seed beads for hair. She stands 5" tall.
The robe unsnaps to reveal her sacred parts and a black & gold undergarment. She
wear black & gold slippers. The hands are gold charms with hearts in them.

Beaded pendant

This pendant has a nice draped feel to it with three different layers of brick stitch and dangling embellishments.

Altered Books

This altered page shows a closetful of clothes and the common thought of "Nothing to Wear". Handmade hangers, old patterns, clothing and the words, "nada, zero, zilch" grace the page.

Bead & fiber necklace

Something easy and quick featuring dyed cheesecloth, fibers and recycled glass beads. It strings up fast and can be completed within one day. Immediate gratification!

Beaded pouch

Bead embroidery on leather. The pouch is handmade and sewn together on the sides with beads. People figures inspire the theme of this pouch. It has a bead for the closure and features the DNA spiral for the strap. It measures slightly larger than a driver's license.

Beaded Flowers

Flowers, a plenty. Here are two flower brooches and a flower necklace that are fun to wear just about anytime. Note the flower button used as a closure.

Zentangles

Do you Zentangle? Say what? A zentangle is more than a doodle. It is a very detailed geometric repetition of designs typically done in pencil. The designs are usually done in 3x3"; however, these are done as Artists Trading Cards or 2-1/2 x 3".

Altered Container

After painting this container with the blue acrylic and some stamped verbage, it screamed sea life to me. The top is embellished with a mermaid, sequins, seashells, cheesecloth and a string of pearls. The sides of the container are also decorated with shells, cheesecloth and sequins. The container measures 8" in diameter.

Another published creation

This is the Zulu Square Stitch and appears in the July/Aug issue of Step by Step Beads.

Textured Paper

I continue to play with the textured paper. I love the summer colors and tactile feeling this one has.

Beaded bracelet

A thousand fish eyes looking back at you. A bright and fun bracelet done with 3 bead netting and picots. The toggle is peyote stitched.

Textured Paper

This is a bit of play with gesso and paints. The relief is quite high making for nice shadows and texture. It would make a beautiful book cover. The paper is almost leathery feeling.

Felted item

Introducing BeauxBo, the little needle felted dog. I had been thinking about this project for a month or two and thought it was time for a birth. I made an armature first and felted on top of it. He has beady eyes and nose. a copper collar and leather ears. He measures 2-3/4x3" and will join my growing collection of dog friends.

Mixed media pins

I made these two people pins for birthday presents. A little bead embroidery and fringe on top of wood felt. There are 2 and 2-2/2" tall.

Book Arts

I made this blank journal as a gift. The paper is painted with red watercolors and gold Lumiere paint. The flap is insert into the cover and opens to reveal 4 sets of signatures. It measures 5x5".

Beaded Necklace

I had been looking for a large marble forever and could not locate one. My hubby gave me a Super Ball (remember those?) and so I beaded that! I used netting and peyote to cover the ball. It has a DNA rope and a very Asian feel to it.

Leather journal

As a surprise, I constructed this leather journal for Don's upcoming birthday. It measures 8 x 9-1/2" and uses deer skin leather and tie.
The journal contains 10 - 4 page signatures. Each signature is individually sewn with waxed linen.

Beaded bracelet

A beader friend recently gave me some paper beads from the BeadforLife program. The program provides impoverished Ugandan women an opportunity to earn a living by making beautiful jewelry out of recycled paper; a cause I heartily support.

This bracelet incorporates brick and Ndebele stitch.

For more information on the beads, see BeadforLife.com

Gallery Presence

For those of you who live in Arizona, I am now represented by Textures Gallery (aka Artspace) in Scottsdale. This is one of the mixed media soft sculptures you will see. Stop by and visit them at their new location at 7127 E Sixth Avenue.

In addition, you can see some my beaded creations at Wild Holly Gallery in Carefree.

Beaded bracelet

The focal bead is made by lampwork artist, Lori Greenberg. I had the bead in my stash for 2 years before I got the inspiration for it. This is Dutch Spiral using colors to match the focal bead. The bracelet clasp is hidden just right of the focal bead by bead caps that have been peyote stitched. A hidden magnet inside the bead caps serves as the closure.

Altered Books

Altered books can be a fun project. Here's a page from a children's board book I recently completed.

Pay it Forward

Thanks to KiwiEllen, I have joined in the Pay It Forward project.

The first three people who comment on my blog will receive something handmade from me, if they in turn will do the same thing... See the rules below:

Pay It forward rules: I will send a handmade gift (something beaded) to the first 3 people who leave a Comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange (and email me their mailing address), and who make the same pledge on their own blogs. I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward meaning you will do the same for three people who comment on your blog. Please click the comment box right below this paragraph and type your comments . Don't forget to send me your snail mail privately.

Victoria

Beaded bracelet

Marcia Kmack of Cave Creek Glassworks gave me the lampwork focal bead as a challenge and told me to "Make something cool".
After a few attempts, I decided to go with the flow of the design.
This creation used large triangular seed beads and incorporates brick, square and ladder stitch.

I wanted a clasp that would not take away from the design. The clasp works on the same principle as a belt buckle. Velcro is hidden inside the peyote/brick stitch clasp for closure.

Thanks Marcia!!