As my dates are overlapping, I'm using this posting from the "January Art Bead Scene Challenge" for my "i heart macro" entry for Sunday, Jan. 29th, as well.
Photo not by me!...
The January 2012 Art Bead Scene Challenge focuses on this "Trellis" wallpaper design by William Morris.
This month, I've designed two pieces of jewelry, a pendant and a pair of earrings.
1) The first item is the "Trellis Pendant."
(The part in the upper left is really the bottom of the necklace, while the part in the lower right is the top.)
The colors and patterns found in the trellis wallpaper which William Morris designed in 1862 are repeated throughout the pendant's parts.
The black mesh-like ribbon adds a slightly Victorian feel to what in many ways looks like a very modern piece. The color black appears in Morris' design in the birds, so it seems fitting the black should appear in this upper and airy form.
The first major segment contains Czech crystal beads in pink lemonade--a cross between yellow and a slightly peachy pink--ideal for the flowers. Brass melon-shaped beads with vertical lines fit between the beads. The centerpiece is a teal lampwork bead--a brighter shade of the background color from Morris' wallpaper. The artbead was made by Beth Singleton. Her studio, "Handcrafted Lampwork Beads by Beth Singleton" is on Artfire.
The second section links to the first by several antinqued copper jumprings of various sizes, lending to the look of the winding vines. The bottom part of the pendant is comprised of 2 dangles. One starts with a lovely Picasso bead that closely matches the colors of the Morris design, with the edging reminiscent of the leaf pattern. From that dangles a Vintaj brass rectangle. I used the reverse side of the piece which had the criss-cross markings rather than the smooth side, to reflect the trellis pattern.
The second part of the pendant is all about the flowers and vines winding through the trellis. The Czech glass crystal cut beads are repeated here. Then I wrapped wire in a criss-cross pattern a long light teal ceramic bead. Small copper spacers appear on each end.
A final look at the completed "Trellis Pendant."
The 2nd item is this pair of earrings, "Birds and Blooms in Trellis Earrings."
I won't repeat myself here, you'll see many of the same themes and colors repeated.
Lovely lampwork beads by Susan Kennedy of "Sue Beads!" These are her "Frosted Light Gray Ribbed Barrel Earring Pair."
...topped by the "pink-lemonade" Czech glass crystal and Vintaj brass petal beadcaps, plus brass melon beads.
Note: What you won't see... I made a lovely little dangle from a black Czech cathedral bead with gold edging, a small yellow bead and a brass bead to represent one of the birds in flight. I tried hanging it from every hoop and loop possible. I finally decided that while it helped complete the theme theoretically, it only detracted from the earrings as their own piece of art. So I finally cast off the notion of the "bird dangles" and...
...instead, added these small brass and black seed beads onto the brass kidney-wire ear pieces. These now represent the birds and add to the design rather than take away.
I've heard it said you shouldn't, I've heard it said you can't, but I do it all the time with very good results--hammer-harden, or in this case hammer-flatten color plated copper Artistic wire. This is 18-gauge. hard to bend and twist, but extremely sturdy, especially once given a few gentle taps with the hammer. I flattened the ends of these metal pieces, then filed off any rough edges. These again follow the linear lines of the trellis.
Complete view of "Birds and Blooms in Trellis Earrings."
Meanwhile, to my friends at "i heart macro"...
from Studio Waterstone
just follow this link to see more of this week's
photographs!
Best wishes,
Sharyl
(Oodles of jewelry marked down for Valentine's Day!)
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