~The Simplicity of Details~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does anyone ever really STOP to look at a bead?  Granted, there are many of us who pour ourselves into our work and spend hours in our studios perfecting the perfect bead and all the details that make it special…. but sometimes, you can find pure elegance in the simplest details.

I have the utmost respect for artists who take painstaking measures in the details of their beads.  However, an equal respect is given to those whose beads are subtle and intriguing.  All too often I see artists striving to see who can get the most twisties on one bead, or who’s got the most lines and dots?  

Some will understand what I’m talking about, and some won’t.  Some might be offended by what I’m saying,  but hopefully not.  The age old adage of “less is more” can be the selling point quite often.  I suppose that most of this depends on your customers and what they like. 

If you haven’t tried it in a while, and you’ve gotten caught up in the twisties, and the dots, and the lines, and the spirals, and the frit, and the powders, and the presses, and the silver, and the gold, and the copper, and the raking, and the poking, and the stabbing and the jabbing…… sit down, grab one or two of your very favorite colors, make a couple of round beads, realize for a moment that this is the foundation you started with, and love them!

It’s my Blog and I can brag if I want to!

Yep, bragging rights.  I wanted to share some art from another member of my family.  These replica peace pipes were handcrafted by my husband.  He is a knapper, and also carves pipes out of deer antler.  The entire piece is handcrafted.  He starts by knapping an arrowhead for visual accent.  He uses such materials as Obsidian, Flint, Jasper.  Then he continues by crafting the pipe out of deer antler.   The hole extends from the tip of the mouthpiece to the pipe bowl and is hand carved.  This can be quite difficult as most of the deer antlers are curved.   Next, he sizes and handcuts pieces of buckskin into long hanging fringes.  Often, these fringes are adorned with hand carved beads, wooden beads, arrowheads, glass beads, and feathers.  He also hand-carves a delicate paddle that fits into the bowl of the pipe for cleaning.  Yes, these pipes are fully functional.  They make a sensational adornment to my home, and are perfect for an authentic look. 

 

Don’t we all just have a “little bit of scientist” in us?

I was pondering the similarities and differences between art and science today.  Of course, as beadmakers/glassworkers, we consider ourselves artists.  BUT aren’t we all just a little bit scientist, too?  I mean, think about it…. the act of creating the object itself it more likely on the ‘art’ side of things~~~ or is it?  Perhaps some would argue that the act of creating is indeed scientific.  For example, many of us are often perfecting our ‘dimpled’ bead holes.  Genuinely, that is more science than art.  Maybe you use Silver Foil or Precious Fine Silver in or on your beads.  Art? surely!  The colors alone are gawkworthy.  Again, though, some may argue it’s science.  The way the silver reacts to the different colors on your palette.  ‘Reaction’ is a scientific element, isn’t it?  When does ‘reaction’ become more art than science?  When I’m working my borosilicate glass, I feel like an artist as I create, but deep down as I’m peering through my Aura’s,  a little bit of  invention runs through my veins, and then, suddenly, I’m wearing my Einstein cap.  “What would happen if I mixed this one with that one, then stretched it and bent it, then rolled it in this and melted it in?”  Now answer me this… is it art, or is it science? Or can we agree that it is just a little bit of both?

~Now is the winter of my discontent~

 

Tears fell this morning, as I took down my garage studio.  It was time to do the winter clean up in the garage and prepare.  There’s one thing I can’t stand in the winter, and that is walking out the door to go to work and having to clean all the snow off the car, and get into a freezing cold vehicle.  So, we clean out the garage, take down the studio so we can park in there all winter, with a nice heater to keep the cars warm, and no snow.  But, I felt a quiver in my heart as I put the last of my glass rods away and carefully packed my tools.  Sure, I have a friend I can rent studio time from, but it’s not the same as being at my house.  Just popping up and torching whenever the urge hits.  So with a heavy heart, I packed a piece of myself away today.  We decided that we are going to make one of the spare rooms in the house a studio for me, so that I can torch whenever I want to…. but that could take some time, and like any artist… I WANT IT NOW.  At least the hope that it will happen keeps a slight smile on my face, but the anxiety gets to me.  I walked into the empty garage this afternoon, and a single tear fell down my cheek.

My Bead Blog…

Wow, who knew blogging could be so fun, and so complicated all at the same time?  I swear, I thought I’d be signing in, writing a few words, and be done.  However, to my surprise was a control panel worthy of an expert World War II Pilot.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen my way around many a control panel…  yet at the same time, it is all new and will take some time to get used to.  In this life, nothing is easy, and if you want it, you have to learn it and do it.  That’s my story today, and I’m sticking to it!~ See you very soon with some new information.  Hey, I can do this!!!