"Journey" - Heart

This heart became what it is in spite of any preconceived ideas that I had.  I began with the spiral button.  You probably already know that I love spirals - a circle that is open - never closed, always moving (just as hearts should be).

As I worked, the whole 'planned' color scheme changed - more toward 'jewel' tones than I had planned.  The design spaces also lost the boundaries that I had originally planned for them.  My lesson learned is that no journey, not even a thread journey, should be overly planned.

"What you are comes to you." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

July BJP

My word for July is "Journey".  For almost two years I've been on a journey to learn and create encrusted beading.  This was a journey that followed behind my book arts journey and before that my primitive doll and art doll journeys.  As you can see I'm a real traveler!

For some reason, perhaps the hot summer day doldrums have set in, I had a difficult time getting started on this month's project.  I got part way through and then it sat here on my work table while I spent time on bigger projects (and to tell the truth much more interesting-to-me projects).  But I made it with time to spare, after all my procrastinating.

At times, while trying to finish this past weekend, it almost seemed like some of those life journeys that we all have to take.  You know the ones, where you are locked into something and can't seem to get off the train but have to keep riding until your destination is finally reached.  That has been July for me. 

Wonder where my word jar will take me next month - guess I'll only have to wait a couple of weeks to find out...

"The reinvention of daily life means marching off the edge of our maps". - Bob Black

Shopping for Ideas

I recently had a very fun day -- an out-and-about day wherein I had no schedule, no errands to run, no 'things' I had to find.  I just browsed among beads and ribbons, among jewelry findings and 'found' items, among buttons and fabric.  Sounds fun huh?  It was!

I feel like I'm in sort of a transition place right now.  I have no deadlines to meet so my mind is wandering around the world of 'what-if'.  What if I try to incorporate more of my 'old' book art techniques into the figure work that I'm doing these days?  What if I use more 'organic' beads and cut back on the 'glitz' that has become my work in recent months?  What if I try to incorporate more of those things I love (besides beads) into my work - things like fibers, ribbons, found objects. What if I try to make my work more: whimsical, mischevious, active, free, contemporary, and spirit filled? 

And so, as I browsed today I found some treasures for possible use.  Could I use these metal rings to encase faces?  And what kind of faces would I encase?  Could I use these 'keyholes' for something (perhaps as a face themselves or on the body of the figure)?  Can I lighten up the colors I use (see the beautiful light turquoise of the bird's eggs)?  Can I bring nature into my work (see the small wire bird)?  Oh I'm humming here...

Hope you'll travel along with me on this latest art journey -- it might take us awhile to get there, but it should be fun along the way.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving". - Lao Tsu

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