Art Evolution

I am not good at Mass Production! Five identical somethings is about 3 too many for me! Several say that I have a problem. I think that I am me and I don't do copies!! This tendancy of mine is the reason that Mixed Media is the perfect place for me to plant my artistic flag. I have not met an artistic medium that I abhore, some I like more than others.
Above are some new creations that will be offered for sale at Liberty Town Artists Galleries in Fredericksburg, beginning this week. I love creating these flower brooches as each is different and I can change them up in so many ways. I use different fibers, cashmere (so yummy and sooooooft, when felted) or wool, different centers- either beads or buttons and never the same twice and a variety of leaves. Hopefully these will be snatched up for Mother's Day remembrances! I have also created three, three-stranded fabric/paper bead necklaces, at three different lengths. Each bead is unique so these are all one of a kind. I love rolling the beads when I don't really feel like paying too much attention to what I am doing. Good for creating in front of a movie!

I have also designed some new earrings. I have created the nests before and they always fly out of the Gallery. I always use real pearls for the eggs, sterling wire and sterling ear wires.

These new earrings were great fun to come up with. I made tiny cones fo my fabric/paper scraps (can't bear to throw any of it away), painted the interior with True gold Lumiere paint (they glow)!! then I threaded a cluster of various beads , bird charms and a slender Fabric/paper bead onto wire to form pseudo stamens. These are very light weight and such fun to wear!!

I have pretty much completely re-designed my Muse Birds.

I have changed the shapes a bit and the wings are no longer sewn down to the body. They are dimensional and are only attached to the body at the wing base. I am very pleased with them. Here you see them ready for display on a curly willow branch. This is the new design for the smaller birds.

These are the larger birds.

Many of these birds were made with the fabric/paper that i made with the candy wrapper foil bits that I shared with you in a previous post. As I was readying the flock for the display, it occured to me that they would make wonderful small graduation gifts! I ahve plans to make some more, after I make a few more sheets of fabric/paper. Back to work!!!

Sparkling Colors!!!

I took a bit of time this week and got to a project that I have been thinking of for quite a while. I used my stash of fabric/paper beads to create several three strand necklaces for my new Spring/Summer collection for Liberty Town Galleries. The big Patrons show is coming up next month and I want to have all new stock on hand for the crowds and the summer season.

I coat my beads with 3 layers of laquer so they are very strong and have a deep sparkling glossy finish. (click on the photos for close ups). For the spacer beads, I used some of my special glass beads from Africa. I am very fortunate to have a special source for these wonderful handmade recycled glass donut beads. my brother brings some for me whenever he is on home leave.!! He knows how to keep big sis happy!

If you follow my blog you know that I love an ocean color palette, so of course I had a ready supply of beads in these colors.

No everyone is as crazy about this color way as I am so I gathered another group of beads and created a second necklace. All that is left to do on this piece is attach a clasp.

This necklace is made using bright primary colored beads with opaque glass bead spacers.

We shall see if the patrons of the gallery like these necklaces as much as I do. I love to make the beads so here's hopeing that they do!!!