I'm savoring the brief time I will have a car for work - and have been taking it on mini road-trips around the area to enjoy the sights of New England.  This time of year is especially amazing - the autumn colors in this area of the world are spectacular. I've never seen such bright reds and golds in my life - for some reason autumn is much more special in New England than anywhere else I've ever lived.

So... it's only natural that I pulled out my reds, oranges & golds and burned a few beads!


I actually prefer to make sets of beads in a sort of random pattern.  I have a few in here that are orange base, rolled in red frit and then encased in topaz clear... then there's those that are mustard base with a stripe of red filigrana.  There's a few in-betweens.  I stuck with only 4 different colored rods and had at it.  I'm pretty happy with this set.

I moved on to playing with greens - these are actually all using the same color combination, but different intensities of heat.  I created a core of opalescent lime green and covered it with a clear teal - and voila! 

I can see having the studio inside the apartment rather than separate will be a good thing.  I get a guilt factor when I come home and contemplate doing something non-artsy.  I swear those rods of glass are calling my name!  (Not to mention, it doesn't hurt that I'm home alone without Bruno for hours on end every day.  I should re-join the gym, too, if this guilt thing keeps working...)

Oh - and I tried another button.  I feel like I'm getting better at these!

I've moved my studio out of the back yard and into the spare bedroom - and have been putting it to use again!

I've been exploring the blue thing so I put a few different combinations of blue beads together.  I hope to toss together a necklace from all of these.

I've also been playing with chopsticks and I taped a few mandrels on either side to make - you got it - buttons.

One thing I've learned - buttons are a whole new can of worms.  They're totally different than making beads - my first buttons (and more recent ones...) are horrid lumpy uneven things.  They may be interesting to put into a piece of crochet or knitting, but they're not something I want to sew onto my coat.  (YET!)  I need to keep them more thin - not an easy task when you're trying to get enough glass melted between two parallel rods to create at least an oval shape. 

Anyhow, I'm still working on things!  With Bruno working every day, I'm trying to focus my evenings more and more on creating art - and having a studio right inside the apartment is going to help a LOT!  (That is, if I can get the cats to stop sleeping on my drawing table...)

I couldn't resist and made yet another fallen woman from the same pattern that I used to make Fatima's doll.  The face has a hell of a lot more expression --- I am really addicted to these dolls! 

This time I'm sticking with blacks and greys.  She's got this whole sort of nightmare feel about her already - I hope she turns out nice!  If you click on her picture, it brings up a huge closeup of her.

I'll have to post some progress pics!  Sorry about them being so dark -- the black and greys just happen to be difficult to photograph, even with my new little camera.

I can't even begin to tell you when I started this bead painting.  It's been a long time - I had this idea, and it's about damn time seeing it come to fruition!  This bead painting is roughly 15 inches by 20 inches - in other words, BIG.  I was originally inspired by the images posted in the news of the survivors of the Tsunami asking for help.  Then Katrina happened and the same image echoed in my mind.  It seems every time I turn on the news, I see these same hands - people asking for help, people helping, people celebrating... reaching... it's such an ambiguous image.  I'm happy it is completed!

As for the technical details, this is backstitched beads onto an acrylic painted canvas.  The white beads include freshwater pearls, and vintage beads from the 1930's.  The black beads are all czech with czech cut crystal jet beads and fossil.  The silver are a mixture of vintage silver-lined czech beads and new japanese silver beads (which have happily tarnished to add depth.)

WHEW!  I have a few other UFO's I need to dig out and finish before the next round of the Bead Journal Project!  Time to start digging!

I'm not the only artist in my family - I think a lot of people know that.  My niece Alexis just earned her degree in Art Therapy and also creates beaded dolls (taking after her favorite auntie.)  My brother Richard also has published beadwork in Bead Art and The New Beadwork... and I think it's only appropriate that my final Bead Journal page be from another artist in my family's work, Grace Kaszuba aged five.  (Well, age five when she painted this masterpiece of my Otro Gato.)

OK... Otro is a gray cat.  I know.  Where she saw the stripes of orange and sorta-blue are beyond me... but I honored her original masterpiece and transposed it into beads for August.

So I guess that makes a whole year!  D'oh!  I admit I have a few other bead projects needing a bit if attention before I start digging into next year's bead journal project... I'm really pleased with the whole year's work.  I still need to get it all organized to publish out on the Bead Journal Project website.  But heck!  I'm DONE!  Yippie!!!

I didn't completely abandon the beadwork!  I just had a bit more going on in my life which happens to drag me away from my computer! 

I guess this qualifies as Julys journal page, although it's already September.  D'oh!  This is actually based off a drawing I had made of a photograph taken by Matisse.  The drawing, of course, had to honor Matisse... but the final piece reminds me more of the nudes of Tom Wesselmann. I like her shape at least!  I prefer 'REAL' nudes over the idealized shapes encouraged these days.

I've started to dig into August's piece and hope to be done also sometime this month.  The subjects will be shared soon enough!  I've been neglecting my 'life blog' as well as my beadwork... it's just one of those things.  But I promise to start photographing and uploading those sketchbooks, and finishing up this journal project! 

I was supposed to make a wedding veil for a friend who is getting married next month, but then she found another veil that looked perfect with her dress... so I was off the hook.  Well, I had a whole slew of glass pearl and machine-cut crystal beads, but that's not so bad.  (I have a few yards of the veil material, too... I'll have to figure out something for that later.)

So I decided to make something out of all the supplies.  I'm going to be giving the necklace and comb to the bride anyhow - she can figure out what occasion she can wear them.  I thought they turned out nicely!  Maybe the mother-of-the-bride wants something for HER hair for the wedding?  Hmmm...

Just for fun, I whipped up my own hair and snapped a shot of how the comb looks when worn.  Granted, I didn't go to a professional hairdresser or anything so it's not exactly right... but I thought it was pretty neat against the hair!  Maybe I should wear it to the wedding!!  At least the bride will like the pearls for everyday.  (She's wearing her grandmother's heirloom necklace for the wedding.)

I admit sometimes I draw in my sketchbook thinking about the beads.  When I posted the more recent sketchbook images out on my New York blog, a few of you commented which should be the next bead journal project page.  Well... you guessed it!  The day I was drawing the Spanish Madonna at the Hispanic Society, I had already begun beading the image in my mind.

Of course, color never quite stays the same from my sketches to my bead journal.  Sometimes I find myself in love with a sequin or a color combination and I want to explore a little more... so the only real similarity ends up being the black lines of the drawing. 

Anyhow, I'm back in the swing of things and I've got June completed in the month of June!  I'm still drawing away, and I've got an idea or two for July.  I've been keeping all these finished bead journal paintings in my bookshelf - one more month and I've filled one section of the shelf.  (Well, I don't include a few pieces that aren't around anymore...)

I've whipped up my May bead journal project and am back on track - June in June!  I admit, I've got to actually get some ink for my printer so I can print out the image for June onto some canvas paper for beading.  (I'm sticking with the same technique as well as the same size this whole project, of course!)

I've got a few ideas of which sketchbook entries I plan to use from the last upload of my random wanderings... so it's just getting that damn ink.

Anyhow, like a proper bead-addict, I've got a few other projects in the works.  I can let June get away from me for a few more days... but I'm definitely not letting myself lag behind TOO much!

It's coming along nicely - I've been changing the look and feel completely from the original sketch.  I chose to bead my sketch of St. Michel du Cuxa.

I'm going to try to finish this one this week and get another one 'on deck' for next month.  I'm spending a weekend out in San Francisco for business next weekend, so I want something 'new' for the flight. 

I uploaded my latest sketchbook images on my 'main' blog space for picking out my June image.  There's a few there that are terribly enticing to bead.  It will be tough to decide!

April is DONE!!!  No progress pics - I was trying to play 'catch up' since my March Bead Journal Project took double-time.  So... one more nude!  (I think I'm into that whole human figure thing.)

I've picked out the image for May from my travels through St. Martin du Canigou, I have to really look back to where I saw this particular nude, however.  I believe it was in Barcelona with Tina, but I'm not sure.  I've already started in on another sketchbook so I'd have to dig up the 'old one'.  (You'd be amazed at how many sketchbooks I'm piling up!)

I've had another custom order for another fallen woman, also.  I photographed Fatima's fallen woman again and the images seem to be much better.  I will be putting those up on the web site once I clean them nicely.  Oh- and I also will be designing a wedding veil for my friend Erica's daughter's wedding.  We picked out the tulle, the crystals, and she's hemming and hawing over the pearls still.  (I think they'll be perfect, but she's the bride...)  So I've got the bead projects all going strong!

Anyhow, it's May, and I'm back on track with May's bead journal!  YAY!

Apparently, Fatima's Fallen Woman is difficult to photograph.  Silly wench - she is hung from her left foot in a free-fall twisting dive - her head is upturned like she is looking where she is about to land.  Somehow, it seems like a very controlled fall for a falling woman...

I need to work on a few more photo sessions with her before she falls into Barcelona to spend her days with Fatima.  I'm really pleased with this girl!!

So I spent today with my friend Amy picking out the beads and materials for her wedding veil.  She'll be getting married in July, so I've got to get cracking on making the most beautiful veil ever.  We settled on some beautiful ivory teardrop pearls and champagne Swarvorski crystals for lining the edge of her champagne-tinted veil.  It will be lovely... when I finish it!  D'oh!

I'm sure if you're checking on one update, you're curious about the other one.  Fatima's Falling Woman is coming along nicely.  She's 100% the reason why I haven't really dug into my April Bead Journal Project piece yet. I'm totally inspired by her body shape!  Of course,  I've kept the pattern and will be whipping together another fallen woman form for myself later.  These are some of my favorite dolls!

I'm hoping to finish Fatima's doll this week (if I find the time), then I'll be focusing on the Bead Journal again.  I'll be sure to share the finished girl before she heads off to her home in Barcelona!

I've finally been able to stretch the bottom half of my March Bead Journal Project page onto a 4 inch by 6 inch canvas.  I matched the colors of the top canvas - but I don't believe in actually attaching the two.  Instead, the top half sits on the lower half - much like a shelf.  I may look into a bit of Velcro to keep it all together for show. 

Anyhow, I've finally picked out my image for April despite being half through the month.  I'll have to upload a pic later, though.  I am still picking out the beads!

As promised, I thought I would post the doll form that I had sewn together for Fatima Tocornal.  I tried to make her a little not-so-perfect... she'll ultimately hang from a fireline sewn from the foot where I've begun beading.  I've tried to place her head, arms, and legs as if she was falling straight down but mid-twist as if she were trying to re-direct her body.  As my husband points out, she's got 'bootie'.  I'm definitely holding onto this doll's pattern for another try once I finish her.  She's only about 5 inches tall - MUCH smaller than her 14-inch 'sister' that went to Sri Lanka with me.  No travelling planned this month - but I do hope to finish her at home quickly!

The joke for a while was 'I'm beading a$$...' The bottom panel is beaded but I'm still waiting on a trip to the art supply store to stretch it on a 4 inch by 6 inch canvas so I can display the two halves at a 90 degree angle.

In the meantime, it's already turned to April and I should be starting on this month's bead journal page.  I haven't photographed my sketchbooks for a while and I need to dig through the images to see what would 'click' into beads.  I've been all over the world again since the last time I uploaded sketches from my sketchbook.  I'll have to see if the images from Europe work well.  Maybe Germany?  Switzerland?  Spain??  France??  I'm certain it won't be Andorra - I didn't find much to inspire me there...) 

Anyhow, I will post a final image once March is completely stretched and done.

Sometimes while I'm drawing away in my sketchbook, the image doesn't just fit on one page.  I'll draw right over onto the next page so I can keep the idea fresh....

.... well, that's just about what I am doing with this month's Bead Journal Project page.  I've stuck inside the 4 inch by 4 inch format, but I didn't want to just bead half this particular drawing.  So I'm working on the other half.

Bruno likes the paintings being displayed at a 90 degree angle - the legs being flat on the bottom and I have to agree.  To keep this format on the finished piece, I'm going to look for a 4 inch by 6 inch canvas to stretch the 4 inch by 4 inch image - so that I can leave a 2 inch gap on the top of the canvas for the first part of this piece to sit. I've got a little ways to go before I finish, but I figured I'd post a little update and let everyone know I'm still going strong!

I finished my Mondrian Man before my March Bead Journal Project even got half completed.  He's HUGE - a good 12 inches long and sporting my lampwork experimentation. I admit he only had his head left to bead by the time I left for Europe mid-February, so all I had to do was stitch on a few nondescript features.  I wanted to keep him an international man of mystery.  A Sol Lewitt come to life.  A Mondrian Man.  He's modern, he's cool... he's a contemporary twist onto the Modernist era in three dimensions.

He's on the wall now, waiting for some more beadwork to join him.

We leave for Spain on Tuesday.  I can't even BEGIN to tell you all how much I look forward to a vacation - and how much I need one right now.  Anyhow, as a part of a trip, of course we come bearing gifts.  So I thought I would share my gifts for my husband's mother and sister before wrapping them up nicely and packing them at the bottom of my suitcase. 

The earrings are for 'see-sta'.  They're fine silver with my own lampwork beads on long hoops.  Simple, but I know how she loves this kind of thing.

The orange-red necklace is for Madre - I used coral, fine silver, and my own lampwork (again, of course...)  She actually requested a red necklace, so I hope this will suffice.

The last necklace is another for Bruno's sister - she's a true 'hippie' at heart, so she'll love the Indian charm.  It's a Durga charm, actually.  Durga is the Hindu goddess that closest inspires my life - I love how she can kick a$$ and do just about everything.  I figured my sister-in-law could use a little Durga in her life.  I made earrings to match it, too, but they're not pictured.  Again, the necklace has my own lampwork beads mixed in with fine Thai silver, amythest and a few Czech cryztals with pearls.

They're getting more presents - but these are the 'beady' ones.  Every time they come to the USA, it's like Christmas, so I hope to give them Christmas in return while I visit Spain. 

I'm SooOOoooo looking forward to the trip!!!