Dichroic Coated Toho Aiko Beads

As I mentioned in my last post I started a new website but I didn't mention that I also opened a shop at Etsy to sell my patterns and I will be selling dichroic beads for a limited time only. Dichroic beads have fond memories for me since I designed two necklaces featuring dichroic beads, Blue Sky as Ocean's Blue  (blue dichroic beads) and Evening Glow with red dichroic beads. You can bring attention to any design by adding only a few beads to any color combination.  The light plays off the dichroic coating in spectacular ways that not even the camera can pick up.  I think they are truly amazing to work with.  Please visit my Etsy shop to view the color selections.

Bead-By-Number Patterns

Thor the Hyacinth Macaw

Size 4.8" x 5.4"

22 Delica Colors

Two White Swans- 15 colors of Delica beads

Size 6.5"x 5.5"

Retro Flowers 3 is a series of Flower images

5"x5.5"  36 colors of Delica beads

I've always had a love for artistic design and majored in graphic design in college.  When I first started to bead I designed "Strawberry Dress" from a photo of my strawberry plant growing my yard.  I Photoshopped the image and manipulated the the design and then transformed it into a charted pattern.  This has always been something I like to do and I take great pleasure in doing it.  I use only my original images taken with my camera and then use Photoshop to make the final edits before graphing the image.  Recently I've opened a website with my original designs that are for sale.  I hope you enjoy my new site Bead-By-Number Patterns

 

Use the Muse ll

If you enjoy beading contests then this one is for you!  Don't forget to get your kit, the deadline is June 27, 2009.  If you haven't ordered one before now you might want to do it. 

For details of the contest click here. 

Prizes are from Artbeads.com and Rainbows of Light. 

Fiber artist- Bernadine Heller-Greenman

Untitled

Panels- 48"x 12"

Old Brooches from her grandmother, felt, Sequins and Beads

I'm happy to announce a very talented fellow Floridian artist who designs with fabrics, sequins, and beads. Bernadine Heller-Greenman teaches Art History at Florida International University and lives in Miami. Like many of us she has always enjoyed working with her hands. Quilting seemed to be the easiest to take along to work on while at her children's activities when they were young. Bernadine said "I don't remember when I started beading really. It may have been after seeing a collection of Haitian Voudo Banners encrusted with Beads and sequins."

Bernadine primarily buys beads from online stores but tries to buy fabrics, beads, and other materials on her travels.

She starts out on her projects without any great scheme and just cuts and sews. Working in a haphazard way gives her a great sense of satisfaction. On the reverse side of her most recent wall hangings are verses that have been written by her grandchildren.

I like what she said about her collection of beads which I'm sure we all can relate to:

"Beading is an obsessive act. One day I looked around the shelves where I keep the beads, sequins, and fabrics and realized that if I lived another fifty years I wouldn't have time to use everything!  I suppose that's not very comforting but it sure made me work faster" 

-BernadineHeller-Greenman

Thanks Bernadine, I really enjoyed viewing your wonderful designs and reading your emails.

Interesting Blogs

Thanks to JuBeads Box I found some interesting blog's that I'm adding to my Blog's list.  Please check them out.

Binkaminka's Bead Therapy

Galatea has a new Blog that I didn't list yet.

Very cool bead embroidery by Lisa Scelsi

Bead Arts by Betina Guelman

triz Designs

Beaded Sculptures- Ceasar Mkhize & Thafa Dlamini

Ceasar studied art by taking a few classes through a project called Velobala at the African Art Centre in Durban and he learned sewing techniques from a course at Imbo Craft.  He attended a workshop in beadwork and was interested in this technique but his intentions were not to use these beads himself but to bring the beads home for Thafa to experiment with.  Thafa took the beads and made a belt with them.  After realizing how beautiful the beadwork was that she had made he got an idea to make a wire bird and cover it in fabric.  Thafa covered the bird in beads and they took the bird to the African Art Center to show their results.  After hearing some constructive criticism from someone at the Art Center they started to work hard at improving their style and technique.  Now they collaborate on colors and design and work together on the beadwork.

The sculptures are large in size and the subject matter are animals, insects, birds and some combinations of mythical creatures.  

Ceasar says he is trying to make a third world where art reveals another dimension.  The wants to have their work accepted by others as living entities.  

Bead Dreams- Rejection and Acceptance

Try Angles and Circles- Front

Back

Close up- Front

Close up- Rear

I thought for about two seconds about writing this post because it does have it's pros and cons but overall I believe explaining my experience might be helpful for the people that are dealing with rejection.   To everyone that has been accepted into the Bead Dreams contest: congratulations!

For more than the last four months I've been working on various designs and techniques, mostly of an experimental nature.  I’m constantly seeking out new and different approaches to beadwork.  The piece I entered was the result of this experience.

After entering a crocheted necklace into Bead Dreams last year and receiving a rejection letter I felt like never entering another contest again.  It took a while to overcome this rejection.  I don’t want this to sound egotistical so lets say I felt sad.  So, I entered again this year but YES only to be rejected again.  Ok, not that I haven't ever been rejected in my life before, because I have, but this time the rejection took a different turn. When I read the letter from Bead and Button a sense of calm came over me as if to say "my gain and their loss".  It’s no big deal and that is exactly correct.  It is no big deal! 

I believe when you enter a contest you should be proud of your design or not enter.  Feeling rejected is natural and very personal.  Your feelings naturally get hurt when they reject your creation that you’ve labored over.  I believe you don’t have to accept this rejection or acknowledge this as failure. Rejection is a hard emotion to deal with and I think it takes practice to learn how to bounce back.  Your design is an  accomplishment that you feel proud of and you should still be proud if rejected.  There’s no reason to let a few people’s opinions ( which may seem like the majority to you, but it isn’t ) define your design as a failure.  Probably all famous artists have had their work rejected at some time in their careers.  Yet they went on to become famous and appreciated.

Through this last rejection I realized I should not compromise my style and ideas of what art is to me when rejected by others. Sometimes designing is influenced by other people’s designs or what's popular at the time, but for me I design as an expression of myself and who I am. If my work doesn't please a few, then this should not have any merit on the quality of my design or how I think about myself.  It should not negatively influence my direction.  Past rejection notices have influenced how I grew as an artist and they were a big part of determining my next artistic direction. 

So, for all of you that were rejected from the Bead Dreams contest or another contests please stand up and say that you are proud of your accomplishments and you did a great job! Life is not over and you’ll get through it, so don’t give up, try again and post your designs and let the world see your beautiful beadwork!