Taken On A Journey by Mary - ABS Jan Challenge

It seems like we are quite a few who have been super inspired by this months challenge painting on ABS. I had never heard of or seen anything by this artist before. But now I am a big fan. This painting is wonderful. The colours, the way he has applied the paint, the composition, the motif, all of it. I feel I can travel into that landscape. And last Saturday I was sitting working on this necklace for a good hour in my studio. All the time with the paining in front of me.

I took a break and went to flickr's ABS-page to see if anyone had put anything there for the challenge. Mary Harding had. And she wrote about her own personal experiences from that particular place on earth. I don't know what happened, but I just made the most extrodinary journey into that painting together with Mary both of us around 8 or 9 years old. It was totally mind blowing, and I sat there with tears down my cheeks. Very very powerful! I guess her telling related to memories from my own childhood. Read on Mary's blog about her entry.

I was still in this feeling all Sunday and half of today as I've continued working on my necklace. So many dimensions have been added for me. Not only have I really enjoyed working on this challenge, and experienced a new artist, completely fallen in love with a painting. But I have traveled to a place I've never been, become a child again and I made a new friend as that child. We were playing in those ditches although we weren't allowed to (always also was where I wasn't supposed to be, often in connection with water...). The sun was really bright and the colour yellow was dominant, aswell as the brown river water. Then we went paddling on the river with Mary's father. Magic!
I can't name this necklace anything else than "Taken On A Journey By Mary". Thank you so much for this special and unusual experiance. I hope I could visit there with you in real life one day. And I LOVE the necklace you made. It is soooooo beautiful.

Of course Mary's necklace was picked for Designer of the Week. Of Course!!!!

I should say something about my own design I guess. And this is what i wrote on flickr:

I just loooove this month's inspiration painting by Walter Thiebaud. I can look for ages at all the little dots of paint in all different colours. (And I really have). All the structures that are created, the composition, the motif. The colour combinations. It is all so utterly appealing. And I can't get enough.

So for my necklace I wanted to create the yumminess of all these colours. And really I could just pick them right there from his marvelous palette (hence the hours of staring…). Lots and lots and lots of colours, and structures and … No need to hold back at all. Just go for it!

Art beads:

Polymer clay filled toggle clasp by Heather Powers of Humble Beads

White dotty ceramic bead by Lisa Stevens of C-Urchin

Shank button in brown-red and dark blue by Shannon LeVart of MissFickleMedia

Pewter dangle from Objects and Elements (the top part of the pendant)

Some of the other components:

Recycled Sari Silk

An unusual chain I believe is in steel and which has a few small rust marks here and there

Opal of different kinds

Agate

Czech glass beads of many kinds and colours

Seed beads of many kinds and colours

Millifiori squares

Brass

Trade beads

and more

All my best,

Malin

Wishful Wednesdays #9

Hi, I missed last Wednesday Wishes so I posted on Saturday instead. Go here to check that.

Today I wish for a new practical bag. Nice looking is a must! By BayanHippo.

I wish someone would knit me this cute lamb. Or really just any of all the cute little knitted animals you can buy the pattern for. With some clothes too. By DawnToussaint.

SeaUrchin again. Well, what can you say? Astoundingly beautiful beads. I think I would just hang them on the wall by my work area, and just admire them every day for a looooong time before I get around to use them in some jewellery.

So ....

... if you wonder where the result of part three of the Lejonklou-de Koning Challenge is, it has been postboned (how do you spell that word?) until next wednesday. Check back then to see what I have made with the pink, black and white beads and the chain.

C-Urchin (SeaUrchin) is Lisa Stevens

I am in love with Lisa's work! How can you not be? She makes these absolutely gorgeaus porcelein and ceramic things inspired by sealife. Very often they are parts to be used in jewellery, but sometimes also wall decorations or urns. She mixes unglazed white porcelein with glass-glazed (don't know if that is what it is called) areas which creates a very appetizing effect of different structures working together. The white unglazed porcelein feels very sea-like. Also she has this amazing talent to form the porcelein or ceramic in beautiful ways, and that itself creates just beautiful structures and surfaces.

I find it rather difficult to pick just a few images to illustrate all of Lisa's work, since she is very productive. So I recommend you also go and check out her shop on Etsy and her page on flickr.

I am lucky to have become friends with Lisa via flickr. And I recently bought my first piece from her. This one below!

Lisa lives in England very near my parents-in-law in Somerset. So I of course hope to be able to go and visit her studio next time I am in the area. Here you can see her drinking a good old cup of tea. And if you didn't know it already - 'A cup of tea solves everything' - if you are Brittish. And this is absolutely true! I have proof of this almost every day being married to an Englishman myself. (There is even a facebook group you can join.)

I also have to mention that Lisa used to work for Aardman Animations! How cool is that! I am a big fan of them. They are based in Bristol, Somerset, England. She was involved in films like for instance Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and Creature Comforts.

Last image shows a large flat "bowl" inspired by a mushroom. Soooooooo nice!

Check out her sites now:

Lisa Stevens, C-Urchin, SeaUrchin

C-Urchin on on flickr

C-Urchin on Etsy