"Send in the Clowns"

For some reason I always have ‘trouble’ at the end of a project. I’m not sure what happens to me – but all the doubts (is it good enough – will it work – should have’s and could have’s) come barreling at me. I’m sure some of it relates to the fact that so often I’m doing something I’ve never done before so I’m not even sure if it will work when I start out. Another possibility is that, after spending so many hours working on a piece I begin to wonder if what I’m doing will actually become what I had imagined it to be way back when I started.

My current art doll, “Send in the Clowns” is no different – as I got closer and closer to the finish line several barriers cropped up. Having a mind-picture and creating a new-to-me design can sometimes become a challenge. Creating a hat was one of the last things to do – which I had thought I could do all by hand, as I had done with the rest of the doll. That didn’t work at all – and my sewing machine was dusted off and put to work (albeit short work since this hat is really small). And the first one I made was too big – now big is probably not the correct word to use as we’re talking fraction, smidgen, trifle – but it did mean that it was back to the drawing board and another hat was made.

Next problem to encounter – I had designed this doll with her head cocked to the side – it seemed to fit her mood. So of course the hat was cocked to the side too. My whole plan as a setting for the doll was to hang her inside an open box - but with a cocked head, if I strung the hanging loop from the top of the hat she would be hanging cockeyed. If I strung the loop so that she hung straight – the loop would be out of the side of the hat. Oh my, what to do?

That question still isn’t quite solved – but here she is – all put together but still waiting for a display. From now on, when I have a design problem – or those last minute jitters I’ll just say “Send in the Clowns”.

“Isn’t it rich

Are we a pair?

Me here at last on the ground.

You in mid-air.

Send in the clowns.

Isn’t it bliss

Don’t you approve?

One who keeps tearing around,

One who can’t move.

Where are the clowns?

Send in the clowns.

Just when I’d stopped opening doors,

Finally knowing the one that I wanted was yours,

Making my entrance again with my usual flair

Sure of my lines,

No one is there.

Don’t you love farce

My fault I fear.

I thought that you’d want what I want.

Sorry, my dear.

But where are the clowns?

Quick send in the clowns.

Don’t bother they’re here.

Isn’t it rich?

Isn’t it queer?

Losing my timing this late

In my career?

And where are the clowns?

There ought to be clowns.

Well, maybe next year."

Steven Sondheim

Embroidery Stitches - in beads

One of my beading goals for this year has been to learn new beaded embroidery stitches.  To this end I purchased the book "Embeadery" by Margaret Ball.  In this book the author demonstrates traditional embroidery stiches using beads.  Because my focus is encrusted beading, I was especially interested in the stitches which 'cover the background' - those stitches where none of the backing shows through. 

What fun this has been -- to be able to add to my repertoire of stitches and learn new skills along the way.  A friend and I got together and using this book made up a couple of sample pages.  This was an excellent way for me to practice (without doing it on a 'real' piece of beadwork) and to find out which stitches would serve my purposes (for there are many, many stitches in this book).

We chose a stitch and then beaded it until we had figured it out.  In my opinon there are two things that could have made this book easier to use.  One - spiral binding so that the pages would lie flat.  I have to put something heavy on one side of the pages to hold the book in place as I read the directions and practice the stitch.  Two -the color pictures of the finished stitches are all together in one section - at the end of the beading instructions - it would have helped a lot to have a color picture beside each example rather than having to flip back and forth to make sure your sample looks like it should.  But - for ideas and instruction this book is wonderful.  So far I have used the shaded satin stitch and the half pekinese (one of my all time favorite stitches) in my March BJP and am using several other new-to-me stitches in a figure that I am presently working on.

Constantly learning is one of the true delights of life -- yes sometimes its scary, yes sometimes it doesn't work out the way I thought it would, yes, sometimes it takes extra time -- but when I'm done, when I've mastered a new skill or acquired new tools to use its thrilling.

"Learning too soon our limitations, we never learn our powers." - Mignon McLaughlin

Ribbons and Fibers - oh my!!

I sit here, holding these oh so colorful ribbons and fibers in my hands.  The colors intermingle and I am in heaven!  This batch of beauties came to me via Ribbonsmyth and I was so happy to receive them.  I have a space in my studio where ribbons and fibers hang over dowel rods but when I first receive a batch of them I cannot bare to hang them in their oh so proper place - at least not until I've run my fingers through them and soaked in their colors and textures.  The varigated ribbons are my favorite - sometimes the color combination fills me with ideas.  In this particular batch there is a varigated ribbon with the combination colors turquoise, brown and cream.  Now isn't that a lucious mix and one that will be stirring around in my brain until I can figure out how to use it on a beaded piece. 

Some artists go to the local paint store and collect chips of paint to get ideas for color matches and blends and contrasts.  That is a great idea, and certainly a lot less expensive than buying packets of ribbons and fibers BUT the fluidity of the ribbons and the texture of the fibers fills me with the anticipation of using that blend.  I'm a pretty tactile person - I want to touch it - I want to feel it - I want it to drape across the palm of my hand.  So lucky me -- to have just gotten a whole new batch of inspiration.

"Inspiration can come from any direction, but only you can tap into it." - Faith Puleston

Oh What Fun!!

I love to buy beads locally -- BUT delicas are very hard to find around here -- especially in all of their wonderous colors.  So, its off to the internet to place an order.  My very favorite place for bead shopping on-line is Fusion Beads.  They have a wonderful selection of delicas (and other things). As I place my order I have to keep returning to my shopping cart and weed it out as it gets fuller and fuller.  Ordering delicas is so easy from a color stanpoint as they may be ordered by color or by number.  I always save a few beads of any color, with its color number, so that when I reorder I will get exactly what I want. 

Above is a picture of a recent order that I received -- what fun to delve through those small packages reminding myself as I go exactly what I had in mind when I ordered that particular color and imagining designs I'd never thought of before.  Its very true that 'good things comes in small packages'!!

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment." - Claude Monet

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber

As we all know - fiber is good for our bodies.  But I am vowing to begin this year with a new mantra: fiber is good for my beading!  I would like each piece that I work to be as textural as possible.  Beads upon beads.  Bits and pieces of found objects upon the bead surface.  Adorning the surface with ribbons and fiber.  My book art years were filled with these chanced upon additions to each page.  As I learned to bead (an ongoing process I might add) focusing on just getting the beads on the backing in some semblance of 'good' beading was enough for me.  But no longer am I feeling constrained by the beading itself.  I am ready to branch out -- to add whatever comes to hand.  I have bunches of ribbons and fiber and trim, left over from my book art days - so why not incorporate it into my beading? Embellishing my work this coming year will happily involve delving into my fiber stash and pulling out those colorful streams of ribbon and threads and yarn and...  The options are uncountable and I know that this form of fiber use will be every bit as important and valuable to my 'health' as the food kind. 

"My fingers emit sparks of fire with expectation of my future labours." - Blake

And so it begins...

...my first blog entry. I see this as my journal of sorts, recording and sharing thoughts on creativity, inspiration and my own journey into bead art. Who knows where this path will lead, but surely the journey is far more important than the destination.

The above picture shows an artist book that I made called “Cartography” – a little book that celebrates the journeys we take.

Until late last fall I worked on book arts exclusively and had done so for five years. And then one day I made this book called “Embellishment”. The whole idea of the book was nothing more than embellishment, telling no story, just putting snippets of this and that onto the pages. When it came time to make the cover I decided to try some beaded embroidery – most especially ‘encrusted’ beading whereby the whole background is covered in beads. This book was the first step in my beaded embroidery ‘journey’. The lure of beading had entered my spirit – almost like an invisible, addictive ‘bead dust’ - and that’s where I am today. I hope you'll join me in my journey.


"It is good to have an end to journey towards but it is the journey that matters in the end." - Ursula LeGuin